SCHEDULE
2025 WRITERS CONFERENCE
From keynote addresses to workshop sessions, our program schedule is packed with content but relaxed enough to network with new friends. (If you’re attending online, we recommend following the conference schedule as closely as you can. Plus, you’ll have some online-exclusive events of your own!)
Click the tabs to view the schedule for each day.
Thu OCT 23
PRECONFERENCE DAY
CREWs Only
8:15 a.m.
CREW Registration
9:00 a.m.
CREW Gathering
9:30 a.m.
CREWs Begin
10:45 a.m.
Break
11:00 a.m.
CREWs Resume
12:30 p.m.
Lunch
1:30 p.m.
CREWs Resume
3:00 p.m.
Break
3:15 p.m.
CREWs Resume
4:30 p.m.
End of Day
WORKSHOP SESSIONS
SESSION #1
FRIDAY 1:00 PM
Write Now, Launch Later: 8 Success Steps for Your Future Book Release
Kathi Lipp
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10 Ways to Improve Your Writing by Saturday
Laurie Davies
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Rookie No More
Carrie Talbott
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Fiction Based on a True Story
Jeanette Hanscome
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Children's Writers: 10 Things You Should Know
Mona Hodgson
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Worlds Where We Belong: Finding Humanity in Fantasy Worldbuilding
Kara Swanson
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Writing an Effective Christian Living Book Chapter
Janet McHenry
SESSION #4
SATURDAY 1:00 PM
The Proposal-Driven Life
Bob Hostetler
Creating with Canva
S.E. Clancy and Carrie Talbott
Hook Them from the Start: First Line to First Page to First Chapter
Christina Suzann Nelson
Write Around the Limits of Your Life
Jeanette Hanscome
Stop Building a Platform and Start Serving Your Audience
Becky Keife
Taste & See: Using The Five Senses to Add Spice to Your Picture Books
Dorina Gilmore-Young
The Scene Whisperer: Elevating Your Personal Narrative
Susy Flory
SESSION #2
FRIDAY 2:30 PM
What Children's Editors Are Looking For (Besides Great Writing)
Katherine Easter
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Inspired Words: Crafting Life-Changing Devotionals
Tracy Glass
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How to Self Publish Without Breaking the Bank
Chris Morris
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How Poetry Improves Prose
Tim Riter
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Crafting Compelling Nonfiction
Keri Wyatt Kent
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What Every Writer Needs to Know About Marketing Their Words
Becky Keife
Authors Don’t Preach, but Their Characters Might
Kelly Harrel
Copyrights and Fair Use
Kelley Way
SESSION #5
SATURDAY 2:30 PM
5 Ways to Use AI in your Writing Life
Roger Lipp
Build Your Author Brand: Stand Out and Connect
Tracy Glass
Head over Heels—How to Write Realistic and Swoony Romance
Sarah Sundin
Writing to Heal Broken Hearts
Cindi McMenamin
Six Spiritual Practices Essential to the Christian Writer
Mona Hodgson
Book Editing: What Is It? And How to Work with an Editor
Tisha Martin Mills
Side Hustles to Hone Craft, Increase Credibility & Boost Your Bank Account
Laurie Davies
SESSION #3
FRIDAY 4:00 PM
Greenlight Your Way to a Literary Agent
Barb Roose
Keeping it Reel: How to Create Short Videos for Social Media
Dorina Gilmore-Young
Pitching Made Easy: Selling Your Story to Film & TV Producers
Leann Barna
7 Tips for Transformative Writing
Cindi McMenamin
What Fiction Writers Can (And Cannot) Learn From the Literary Classics
Joseph Bentz
Plotting & Pacing: Mapping Out Your Children’s Book Story
Bunmi Ishola
Proofread Like a Professional
Kathy Ide
APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING
In-person Coaching/Critique appointments and Agent/Editor appointments are scheduled during workshop time blocks. During registration, you will have the opportunity to select the time slot for your appointment. Don't worry about missing a workshop - you can watch the recording later. It is perfectly acceptable to slip out of workshop early or arrive late to work around your appointments. ​