The Buzz about Writing Groups
I was buzzing!
The year was 2014 and I’d just returned from my first writers
conference full of ideas about writing, and publishing, and editing, and
marketing, and creating a website, and learning how to pitch my project, and,
and… to be honest, I was a tad overwhelmed. But I didn’t give up. My
eyes had been opened, and I couldn’t close them. I took a deep breathe and
begun my journey of learning.
I read books about the craft of writing, I joined groups of
other Christian writers to ask questions and share my journey, I read outside
my genre and I entered competitions that provided feedback.
Fast forward ten years later and as I’ve applied what I
learnt I’ve seen a few of my stories published in anthologies, my first
full-length fiction book was picked up by a small Australian Christian publisher,
and I found myself volunteering to be on the organising committee of Omega
Christian Writers. Why volunteer? Was I not busy enough? Didn’t I want to spend
more time furthering my own writing?
Yes, but as followers of Jesus, we are wired for service, so I felt compelled to ‘give back’ to the groups that had helped develop me as a writer, and I would trust God for the rest … because one thing was clear — trusting Him to direct my paths has never failed me.
Not Just Face-to-Face
If you’ve never joined an online writing group, can I encourage you to consider it?
The Omega Christian Writers Online Retreat 2025
The Omega Christian Writers online retreat is a great way to start.
The retreat, held bi-annually since 2021 is on 10-11 October this year. It opens on the Friday night and continues all day Saturday.
The keynote speaker this year is Lori Roeleveld, an
international award-winning author with degrees in Psychology and Biblical
Studies. Lori is gifted in helping people face difficult challenges, locate the
hidden gold buried in their lives, and then teach them how best to apply it. She
will bring a session rooted in the book of Nehemiah that will appeal to both
fiction and non-fiction writers, and which fits perfectly with this year’s
theme: Transformation: Renewing our Minds, Sharpening our Skills, Writing
with Purpose.
The retreat will host numerous sessions and workshops covering:
- Publishing models
- The pros and cons of AI
- A great session on advertising and marketing
plus
- Opportunities to gather in your genre groups to workshop your craft, and
- The Caleb Award presentations, hosted by Dr Pete Court.
Being online means you can choose to sit by yourself in the
comfort of your own home or organise a small group to spend the time together.
I’m doing a little bit of both! Either way, I guarantee you won’t regret
investing your time into your writing, I believe you’ll leave inspired and with
some new tools in your author toolbox.
You may even leave the retreat buzzing!
Registrations are Open!
Registrations are now open. You can find out more and register at the following link. If you are a financial member of Omega Writers, be sure to go into the members' area first fpor the discount code.
https://omegawriters.com.au/2025-online-retreat/
See you there!
Author Bio
.jpg)
Carolyn Tonkin is the current President of Omega Christian Writers.
She has been
writing across a variety of genres since she was a teenager but found God spoke
to her about the purpose of her writing after attending her first writer’s
conference in 2014.
Carolyn is currently working on the second instalment of her trilogy in inspirational fiction. Her first novel, Nellie’s Child was published in 2021.
Author website: https://www.carolyntonkin.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolyntonkin.author/
