It’s that time of year when we begin making plans for the upcoming Writers Conference — to be held Saturday August 31, 2024.
We have three speakers lined up, each with a solid background in publishing. You will love their presentations!
Our location will be same as last year: White County Extension Service Building, located at 2400 Landing Road, Searcy, AR.
CLICK HERE TO PRINT A REGISTRATION FORM
CONFERENCE DETAILS…
LOCATION: The conference will be held at the White County Extension Service Building, located at 2400 Landing Road, Searcy, AR.
SCHEDULE: Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. There will be three morning sessions and three afternoon sessions. (The final session is a group read-around.) The conference will conclude around 4:00 in the afternoon. (See schedule below.)
LUNCH is included.
CONTEST WINNERS: Throughout the day, winners of WCCW 2024 Writing Contests will be announced.
FEATURED SPEAKERS: Information about our featured speakers is found below.
CONFERENCE SESSIONS: Here is a description of each session.
REGISTRATION: The cost to register for this event is still only $35.
BOOK / PRODUCT TABLE: Tables can be rented for an additional $10. (Details here.)
DEADLINE: Registration deadline is August 23, 2024. (Walk-ins are welcome to pay at the door, but lunch is not guaranteed.)
AFTERNOON READ-AROUND. Our final session will be a group read-around. Bring anything you have written (one page) and share it with the group.
PICTURES FROM LAST YEAR: You can view pictures from the 2023 conference on our Facebook page. Conference Part 1 | Conference Part 2
CLICK HERE TO PRINT A REGISTRATION FORM
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Here’s our planned schedule for the day. (Session times may vary slightly)
8:00 — Registration / sign-in begins.
8:20 – 8:30 | Opening Remarks & Announcements
8:30 – 9:30 | SESSION ONE: From the Big 5 to Do It Yourself (Sharon Holmes)
9:30 – 9:45 — Break
9:45 – 10:45 | SESSION TWO: How to Research Anything (Carla McClafferty)
10:45 – 11:00 — Break
11:00 – 12:00 | SESSION THREE: How to Use Your Research (Carla McClafferty)
12:00 – 1:30 — Lunch / Awards
1:30 – 2:20 | SESSION FOUR: Invoking Your Muse (Paula Martin)
2:20 – 2:35 — Break
2:35 – 3.20 | SESSION FIVE: Point of View (Sharon Holmes)
3:20 – 3:30 — Break
3:30 – 4:00(ish) | GROUP READ AROUND
FEATURED SPEAKERS
Sharon Kizziah-Holmes
In the 1990’s Sharon and her husband moved to the Ozarks. A professional musician, she continued to perform but her passion changed from music to writing fiction. After she joined Ozarks Romance Authors in 1992, she attended conferences and workshops to hone her skills and learn the fundamentals of both the writing and publishing industries.
Today, Sharon shares her knowledge with new and seasoned writers with her own workshops and presentations. She works as a Publishing Coordinator at Paperback Press.
Carla Killough McClafferty
Carla McClafferty, an Arkansas native, is an award-winning author of nonfiction books, public speaker, and has been inducted into the Arkansas Writer’s Hall of Fame.
Carla’s first career is as a Registered Radiologic Technologist. She began writing after the death of her young son, Corey. Her first book is Forgiving God: A Woman’s Struggle to Understand When God Answers No.
Next, McClafferty turned her attention to writing nonfiction books for teens. Her books have been recognized for excellence by many different organizations. She has been the keynote speaker at a wide variety of locations including the Ford Book Talk Series at Mount Vernon, CSpan 2 Book TV, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the U.S. Consulate in Marseille, France.
She presents interactive video conferences for teachers and students all over America and some in Europe. Her website is carlamcclafferty.com
Paula Marie Martin
Paula Martin is a recipient of the Arkansas Arts Council Governor’s Arts Award for her radio show “Tales from the South,” an Inductee into the Arkansas Writers’ Hall of Fame, and winner of the 2023 Arkansas Country Music Association’s Album of the Year.
Paula is the author of two novels, four books of poetry, and most recently a songwriter on her award-winning album Highway 300: Drive. Her website is: paulamartinwriter.com
FEATURED SESSIONS:
From the Big Five to Do It Yourself: Be Informed. (Sharon Kizziah-Holmes) In this workshop Sharon will cover every aspect of publishing. Including:
Who are the Big Five?
Is traditional publishing best for you?
What is a vanity press?
How hard is it to become an independent author?
Point of View = POV. (Sharon Kizziah-Holmes) This workshop shows the purest way to write Point of View. Including what’s listed and more.
What is POV?
How and when should you change point of view?
What words define POV in action and dialogue tags?
Can you write a scene without ANY point of view?
How to Research Anything. (Carla McClafferty) Become an efficient researcher who can find what is needed to support your fiction and nonfiction.
How to Use Your Research. (Carla McClafferty) Take boring facts and use them to write powerful fiction and nonfiction.
Invoking Your Muse: Tapping into Your Creativity and Inspiration. (Paula Martin) Join Paula in this interactive workshop exploring how to tap into your own unique voice and vision.
CLICK HERE TO PRINT A REGISTRATION FORM
Don’t forget to check out our contests!