Northwest Christian Writers Association

Monthly Meetings

We meet on the first Monday of each month, September through June, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The September and January meetings are held on the second Monday because of the holidays. Our meetings are hybrid in-person and remote. Emails with meeting details and links to join are sent to all contacts prior to each meeting.

To request an online meeting link, contact our secretary.

We meet at Eastside Foursquare Church, 14520 100th Ave. NE, Bothell, WA 98041 and on Zoom. Join the online meeting early! We start informal socializing at 6:45 PM. It is a great time to meet people.

Opportunities to Present

Each month there is an opportunity for a NCWA member to give a five-minute devotion at our meeting. It is a wonderful opportunity to gain some speaking experience and encourage our members from the Word of God.

Are you a member of NCWA? Do you have a word of encouragement from God’s word? Has God lavished His care upon you, and you wish to raise your voice in thanksgiving? If so, please consider signing up to give one of our monthly devotions.

Use your creativity with words and stories to encourage us. Five minutes is a short amount of time, but still long enough to share a powerful message. Here are a few tips:

Choose a single verse or short passage.
Identify one or two points you want to make.
Keep it simple. Five minutes is not enough time for complexity or topics and stories that require long explanations or set up.
Practicing and timing your devotion will help you refine your message and stay within the time limit.

If you wish to participate, please contact our Devotion Coordinator. We look forward to what you share.

Bonus tip: Consider writing up your devotion and submitting it to our newsletter.

Our members have learned things along the way in their writing journeys. The ten minute Writer’s Coach segment of our meeting provides an opportunity for a member to teach a skill or share a tool for the writing craft.

Are you a seasoned writer who is a member of NCWA with experience and knowledge in a skill area or tool of the writing craft? You might consider volunteering to do one of our 10-minute Writer’s Coach segments. It provides presentation/teaching experience for you and our members benefit from the things you learned on your writing journey.

Here are a few tips:

Choose a single concept, skill or tool.
Plan & Rehearse – If you know you tend to run over shorten the time you allow yourself when practicing. Prepare a one sentence summary you can use if you realize you need to cut it short.
Suggestions to help focus the presentation
- Pick something that helped you refine and improve your writing.
- Introduce us to a tool, software, or event and tell us how it helped you.
- Include an exercise to practice or understand the skill.

Remember the purpose is help equip those listening.

If you wish to participate, please contact our Writers Coach Coordinator.

Bonus tip: Consider writing up your writing coach tips and submitting it to our newsletter.

Opportunities to Share Milestones

If you are a writer who has begun submitting work to publishers, congratulations! Please share your writing-related milestones during the CELEBRATIONS AND REDIRECTIONS portion of our monthly meetings. By the way, we rename rejection letters redirection letters, because we trust that God has an even better plan for your work.

Do you have any publishing news to share with us at a monthly meeting?

What kind of news qualifies?

Getting a book published (self or traditionally).
Publishing an article in a magazine or online publication.
Winning or becoming a finalist in a contest.
Receiving a rejection letter—Hey, it means you’re submitting and in the game.

How does it work?

Double check—this is for members only.
You can sign up by sending an email to our Vice President no later than the day before the meeting or sign up in person at the meeting.
If you are present during the meeting our Vice President will call on you to come forward to share your news. If you are remote, you will unmute your microphone when called on and share.
Because of our time constraints, it is especially important that you limit your sharing to 30 SECONDS. You might want to practice to get a feel for how long you have.
If you share remotely, you will mute your microphone when finished.

We want to hear your news! By sharing your news, we can give glory to God with you and are encouraged in our own journeys.

Are you a published writer who is a member of NCWA? We would love to hear some highlights from your publishing journey. Sharing your story in this five-minute format at our monthly meetings encourages those who are still working towards their publishing dreams.

Sharing highlights from our writing journeys at NCWA is all about recognizing God’s faithfulness to us and encouraging others to keep moving forward on their writing journeys. It is your story and your five minutes. Be creative in how you get it across within the time given.

Here are a few tips:

Strip it down. There is not enough time for long explanations or set up. Well-chosen essentials communicate powerfully.
Plan and rehearse. If you know you tend to run over shorten the time you allow yourself when practicing. Prepare a one sentence summary you can use if you realize you need to cut it short.
Focus your presentation. Here are some suggestions that might help.

In a simple statement answer the question “Why do you write?"
What was one thing that helped you persevere when discouraged?
What was the most significant turning point?
State the success, what was published.

Remember the purpose is to be an encouraging example to those listening.

If you wish to participate, please contact our Author Support Coordinators. We look forward to hearing about your journey.

Bonus tip: Consider writing up your Writers High Five and submitting it to our newsletter.

Members of NCWA can participate in a book launch at a monthly meeting for their newly published books. Book launches include:

Five minutes to describe the book during the meeting.
Opportunity to sell the book at the in-person meeting.
Announcement about the book on NCWA’s Facebook page.
A free book giveaway.

Do you have a newly published book? We want to celebrate with you and help you promote your book to our members.

Qualifications for a book launch:

NCWA member for six months.
Book content agrees with NCWA’s Statement of Faith.
If selling the book at the in-person meeting, the author must be registered as a business with the Department of State Licensing.

Responsibilities:

NCWA provides a table for display purposes.
Author provides everything for the display and sale of their books.
Author is responsible for paying their own sales tax.
Author provides bio, book blurb, photograph, and book cover graphic to the Author Support Coordinators for use on Facebook and in NCWA emails.
Provide a free book for the book giveaway.

If you wish to participate, please contact our Author Support Coordinators.

Upcoming Speakers

June 2022 - Marie Bostwick

Marie Bostwick is a USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of uplifting historical and women’s fiction, including the popular Cobbled Court Quilt and Too Much, Texas series of books. Marie Bostwick will share her faith and writing journey with her presentation Chaotic Paths and Unlaid Plans.

September 2021 - Susan Meissner

Image result for Susan Meissner

Susan Meissner is a top shelf novelist of Historical and Women's Fiction. Five of her many CBA (Christian) books are still in print and she now has six out in the general book market. Susan inspires many with her warmth and storytelling and brings "True Plotting Tips."

October 2021 - Heidi Killion Gaul

Finding God's Will Thru Our Talents and Trials | Heidi Gaul

Heidi is a gifted social media maven, well-known in the industry for her Facebook group "Broken Dreams and Detours." In her talk of the same name, she asks, "Why does God allow tough challenges and heartbreak, even as we struggle to honor Him with our words?"

We will learn to study our life-paths. As believers and scribes, we carry a responsibility to use our unique experiences to enrich our writing and bless our readers-- and most important, follow God's will. Come and explore fresh writing possibilities. Your past can feed your future.

Heidi writes for Guidepost's devotional books: Every day with Jesus and Mornings with Jesus, The Upper Room devotionals and Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies. She has also written two novels and is a member of Oregon Christian Writers. A final judge for major writing competitions, she enjoys speaking, leading workshops and mentoring. www.HeidiGaul.com.

November 2021 - Angela Ruth Strong

Angela writes Romance, Middle Grade, Bible Studies, and other Non-Fiction "To Keep your Heart Strong." She's no stranger to difficulties. Her recent struggle with cancer has left scars, but also brought hope and a renewed devotion to God. The "Romantic Times" calls her most recent book, Husband Auditions, "heart-melting."

In this difficult time, many have lost sight of joy and peace. Angela wants to help bring them back in her talk, "Enjoying the Writer's Journey." You won't want to miss meeting her.

December 2021 - Nova McBee

Nova McBee Nova is the YA Science Fiction author of Calculated, Simulated, and Activated. Her novels are often called gritty, and action-filled. She works outside the CBA, and has spent years bringing Christ's love to the people of China.

January 2022 - Peter R. Leavell

Feisty Women Fascinate Peter Leavell - Petticoats & Pistols

Welcoming the New Year with the inspiration of Peter Leavell, Historical Fiction writer and Director at Boise Classical Academy.

February 7, 2022 - Genre Breakout Groups (all online meeting)

This month we have Genre Breakout Groups instead of a featured speaker. There will be five groups. There will be a brief presentation and then the opportunity for questions and discussions. You will have the opportunity to select which genre group you would like to join during the meeting. The selection process will work most smoothly if you are using the most current version of Zoom.

Genre Breakout Groups

Children's - Presenter Kristen Joy Wilks
Contemporary - Presenter Dena Netherton
Speculative - Presenter Kim Vandel
Historical Fiction - Presenter Lynnette Bonner
Non-Fiction - Presenter Dori Harrell.

March 7, 2022 - Alex Marestaing

Alex Marestaing

BIO: As a storyteller, Alex has written screenplays, created innovative children's content, and authored books for various companies such as Disney, LEGO, Thomas Nelson, and Discovery Education.

TITLE: BEYOND THE BOOK

We’ve heard it a million times.. “Write the book. Build the platform. Find an agent. Get published.” But what if this plan isn’t working for us? Could it be that we’ve been fishing on the wrong side of the boat?

The creative market has shifted drastically over the last few years. And that’s great news for writers. From screenwriting to podcasts to narrative games and story driven advertising campaigns, the possibilities are endless for writers who want to share their stories and make an impact in the creative world. Come look on the other side of the boat as Alex shares some of the unconventional ways he’s used to find full time success in the creative world.

April 2022 - Jill Williamson, Shannon Dittemore, & Stephanie Morrill

Jill Williamson, Shannon Dittemore, and Stephanie Morrill, the blogging team from GoTeenWriters.com, will be sharing three ways to improve your writing. You will benefit whether you write short articles, epic fantasy, or anything in between!

First, they'll talk about faith and writing. The world weaves a lot of falsehoods about God and faith into their stories. As followers, we can and should be looking for opportunities within the shape and genre of the books we write to say something true. Next, they'll teach on how to identify weaknesses in your writing and offer strategies for improving them one at a time, growing you both as a writer and a person. Lastly, they'll cover the words themselves, and how picking the right words and describing the right things maximizes our effectiveness as writers.

May 2022 - Karen Barnett

At a Loss for Words: What's Getting in the Way of Your Writing? Many of us dream of writing, but often fail when it comes to getting the words on the page. what's holding us back? Time? Distractions? Fear of Failure? Let's take a good hard look at what's getting in our way and figure out how we can overcome these obstacles.