Calling Australian and New Zealand Christian Writers!

by Iola Goulton

Entries for the 2016 CALEB Prize are open

Omega Writers have announced that they will again be running the CALEB Prize in 2016. The CALEB awards were inaugurated under the leadership of Anne Hamilton, who said:

CALEB is an acronym: it stands for Christian Authors Lifting Each other’s Books. That’s why Omega Writers sponsor the CALEB Prize. It’s about giving all entrants a higher profile for their books, regardless of whether they win or not . . . Promoting excellence, for the glory of God, so that the highest quality books are given that little bit of extra ‘oomph’.

Simon Kennedy, current President of Omega Writers, says:

Omega Writers exists to educate, support and inspire Australasian Christian writers towards excellence, impacting society with grace and truth. We want our words to change the world.

There are three categories for the 2016 CALEB Prize for faith-inspired writing:

• Published Children’s Picture Book
• Published Fiction
• Unpublished Manuscript

It is hoped that more categories can be added in future years . . . but for that to happen, Omega Writers needs volunteers to organize and judge categories. I’d encourage you to prayerfully consider this—I’ve found judging competitions is a valuable help to my own writing and editing.

Who can enter?

Residents and citizens of Australia and New Zealand with books published during the 2014 or 2015 calendar years (so, yes, missionaries based overseas are eligible to enter).

Can self-published books enter?

Yes, as long as the book was produced as a paperback or hardcover. Digital-only ebooks aren’t eligible (but if you want to enter your self-published ebook, you do have time to publish paper copies via CreateSpace or IngramSpark).

Does my entry have to be Christian?

No, but it does have to be inspired by some aspect of your Christian faith, and it must reflect language, themes and a world view that honour Christ. The motto of Omega Writers is Words that change the world: that’s probably a clue as to what the judges will be looking for.

Will I get feedback on my entry?

All entrants to the Unpublished manuscript category will receive feedback on their entry.

When will I find out if I’ve won?

There will be two rounds of judging. A shortlist for each category will be published in September, and the winners of each category and the overall winner will be announced at a Gala dinner to be held at the Omega Writer’s Conference on 29 October 2016.

What are the prizes?

Category winners will each receive a cash prize of AUD 250, and an engraved trophy. The overall winner will receive an additional cash prize of AUD 500, an engraved trophy, plus AUD 300 towards the fees for any Omega Writers conference or workshop over the following 12 months.

If I win the Unpublished prize, will my book be published?

It’s a possibility—that decision isn’t up to Omega Writers! But at least two Australian publishers of faith-inspired fiction are expected to be present at the awards dinner, so who knows?

How much does it cost to enter the CALEB Prize?

AUD 50 for members of Omega Writers, and AUD 60 for non-members. You can join Omega Writers for AUD 52 per year.

When do entries close?

Monday 18 April 2016. Additional information and entry instructions are on the Omega Writers website: http://www.omegawriters.org/events/caleb-prize-submissions/

Omega Writers Conference

The conference will run from 28-30 October, and will be held at the Edmund Rice Retreat and Conference Centre in Sydney. Further details will be announced once program details have been finalized—applications to present a session, lead a workshop or participate as part of a panel are open until 16 April. An Expression of Interest form is available on the Omega Writer’s website, at http://www.omegawriters.org/conference-2016/.

For those organized types who are already on the lookout for cheap earlybird airfares, there will be a shuttle bus from Sydney Airport to the venue on Friday afternoon, departing at 1:30pm. A return shuttle will go on Sunday afternoon, leaving the venue at 1:30pm and Omega say “it is expected to take about an hour to reach the airport” (if Sydney traffic is anything like Auckland traffic, that should probably read “at least”. I look forward to being proven wrong).

Are you planning to enter the CALEB Awards, attend the conference or both?

Do you have any questions about the CALEB Awards? 

Simon Kennedy, President of Omega Writers, has promised to drop in later today and answer any questions, so now is your chance.

Mustard seed sprouted writer support– Ruth Bonetti

Imagine a publishing house that offers a free seminar—and even lunch!—in a bid to attract new authors. Would you sign up? You bet.

Lutheran church publishing house Open Book was swamped by responses and people were turned away. I saw many familiar faces. I put out an open invitation to meet in my garden and discuss ways to encourage and support each other.

Omega Writers seeds were sown and sprouted in September 1991.

With Sharli Zwart I formed a monthly group to talk and read our writing to encouraging nods. 

Often we heard speakers but the focus was to encourage and support. Our newsletter was the old-fashioned cut and paste with scissors, glue and photocopier.

A recurring theme was ‘How do we find a publisher?’ 
We prayed. And it came to pass; a publisher rose through our ranks, while other Christian publishers faded. Take a bow, Rochelle Manners.

The Lord gave me a vision: a showcase to highlight members’ writing and Christian arts–dance, rap, art exhibition. Pro Hart sent paintings. My husband brought along Brisbane Symphony Orchestra. I illustrated my poem with a slide show in the dark ages before Power Point. We attracted 1000 people to two performances, 9 and 10 July 1993. Nail biting? Yes. Faith stretched.

God sent another vision. (Help, Lord, so BIG picture?) Print an anthology Seasons of Giving to showcase members’ writing. And it came to pass in October 1998. As did my energy.

After Lyn Hurry took over, she and Anne Hamilton produced Grow Magazine and mounted Alpha2Omega conference. Authors from across Australia presented their knowledge, experience and books across multiple rooms.  Lyn didn’t fade, centre right, but meetings downsized to cuppa, chat and read-a-page support.

Annie Hamilton became president in 2008. She urged authors to review each other’s books on the website, (now moved to Goodreads.com)—to bring readers to our books. Her vision led to informative articles on the website, the significant CALEB book prizes (2010) and more conferences.

President since 2015, Simon Kennedy has updated the logo and website to small screen friendly with capacity to pay memberships, advertise and process events online. It provides members with their own profile page, which can include backlinks to their own websites and social media, a bonus for their SEO.

To quote from his recent report at the AGM:

Until recently, Omega’s only local writing group was based in Brisbane. In the past few months, we have either started or affiliated with groups throughout Australia, including in Toowoomba, Sydney, Adelaide and Gold Coast… Locally based and genre specific online writing groups are held every month or two. Omega’s Toowoomba Chapter ran a great weekend retreat in late 2015 and have another one scheduled for May 2016. Also planned;

·       Regional workshops and retreats once a quarter, depending on support in that region.

·       Annual writers conference and national webinars.

·       The Christian Writers Conference will once again fall under the Omega banner in 2016. It will be held in Sydney this year and will change its name to the Omega Writers Conference.Details

Join Omega Writers to access a wealth of information, experience and support through times when our output is in the doldrums. 

It's heartening to look back and realise that God has nurtured the small seeds sown back in 1991 to a thriving community of Christian authors who are published or developing skills towards that goal.

Praise God that our words are going out into the world to preach the gospel.

And that we shall reap a harvest if we don't give up. (Galatians 6:9).

Ruth Bonetti is author/editor of 12 publications through Oxford University Press and her imprint Words and Music to empower presenters of Words and Music. See 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

http://www.ruthbonetti.com

https://www.facebook.com/RuthBonetti/

Amazon 

Editor Appointments

Some years ago I met with an editor at a writing conference. She very graciously gave me a significant amount of time to look at my non-fiction manuscript. Amongst other things she told me that I was hiding behind other peoples’ experiences. I had filled the book with illustrations and quotes from other people. This seemed reasonable to me, after all, they were obviously more spiritual and better writers than me! Yet what she said resonated with me and I knew it was true. I felt like she was looking straight into my soul. After the conference I went home and rewrote the whole book.

I have worked with other editors both before and after this incident and often they say things about my writing that deep down I know are true. But I haven't been able to fix the problem because either I haven't wanted to admit the truth or I have been standing too close to know how to fix it. Editors bring unbiased eyes to a manuscript where their sole concern is the quality of the writing not the fragility of the author's ego. This is what you want in an editor, although it can be painful. I feel very ambivalent when I receive work back from an editor. I can't wait to read what they think but I dread all the alterations they suggest.

At most conferences there are lots of opportunities to talk to editors, publishers, consultants and peers about your work. Although this may be a scary thing to do, to put your work in the public arena, it is also very beneficial and helpful. It will make for a better manuscript and turn you into a better writer, especially if editors keep correcting the same mistakes (I speak from experience!).

At the upcoming Christian Writers Conference the following people are available for appointments:

Rochelle Manners - Wombat Books and Rhiza Press

Kris Argall - Acorn Press

Deb Porter - Breath of Fresh Air Press

Penny Reeve - Children’s Book Consultations

Iola Goulton - Christian Editing Services

Nola Passmore - Write Flourish Freelance Writing and Editing Services

Wendy Sargeant - Editing Services

Rowena Beresford - Editor

If you are attending the conference (or considering attending) and interested in making an appointment with a particular editor or publisher, forms are available via this link (scroll down to Appointments): Conference Appointments

*****

Susan Barnes likes to write devotional thoughts on Bible passages, book reviews and inspirational articles. She loves to challenge people's thinking and regularly blogs at abooklook.blogspot.com.au. She is also a librarian and pastor's wife.

Christian Writers' Conference Update

Thanks to CWD for the opportunity to bring an update on the Christian Writers' Conference. Plans are going well and we have confirmed sixteen workshops with another six on the waiting list. They cover the following topics:

Fictional Writing for published writers/unpublished writers; Non-fiction Writing; Publishing; Self-editing; Characters; Metaphors; Bible Stories; Freelance Writing; Motivation; Marketing; Rejection; Spiritual Obstacles; Time Management; Children's fiction; and Ergonomics.

There is more information about these workshops with presenters' bio's on the website: www.christianwritersconference.dx.am/workshops

We have also confirmed Rev. Dr. David Wilson as our opening speaker at the Friday night plenary session. I first met David when he was principal of Kingsley's College (the Wesleyan Bible College) in Melbourne. Since then he has worked as the Director of Sophia Think Tank with the Bible Society of Australia and in this role he wrote online articles for their website. He is currently the CEO of Urban Seed – an urban community development unit working with homelessness, substance abuse, and mental health issues.

In one of David's articles he made the comment: "Give me a piece of media, any piece of media on any topic and we’ll be able to find principles in the Bible that are relevant in their application." David will speak on this topic which I believe is relevant for all Christian writers regardless of whether they are writing non-fiction or fiction, overtly Christian or subtle Christian material.

Iola Goulton, Nola Passmore and Rowena Beresford have agreed to be editors at the conference. In order to get the maximum benefit from editors' appointments Iola and Nola will be asking delegates to send material in advance, up to a maximum of 20 pages – double spaced which is approximately 5,000 words. So if you would like to see an editor start preparing now!

Publishers Rochelle Manners from Wombat Books/Rhiza Press and Kris Argall from Acorn Press will also be taking appointments. More details about what to send and appointment request forms will be available on the website in August.

There will be an extensive Light the Dark bookstall with all the newest titles.

Check out our website for costs, timetable, venue and other details. Registrations will open in early May.

Hope to see you there.

*****

Susan Barnes likes to write devotional thoughts on Bible passages, book reviews and inspirational articles. She loves to challenge people's thinking and regularly blogs at abooklook.blogspot.com.au. She is also a librarian and pastor's wife.