Faculty Notes Revised May 4

IMPORTANT – Please be sure to at least skim the following info.
You’ll enjoy the conference more if you know what to expect.
 

Click here for the schedule of the entire conference,
BUT you will need to enter the rooms through the conference dashboard.
Barbie will email your schedule. 

I’m grateful for CCWC’s team and the technology that enables us to go virtual again – and for the eight laptops my son refurbished that makes it possible for us to present everything live this year. No pre-records of workshops! 

If you have not presented workshops online, please check that box on your contract. We will provide training. The same with using the features of Zoom. 

Time Zone: Since two-thirds of our faculty are on Mountain Time (MT), we will be using MT throughout the conference. Obviously, if you are not on MT you will need to eat meals at times other than what are scheduled. But that’s the beauty of going virtual. You are free to grab a snack or feast on a burger whenever you are not scheduled to be online. Click here for the schedule (subject to minor changes). Our Appointments Coordinator, Barb Haley, will provide a form for you to schedule the times you want to be available for appointments and round tables. (Read on for more info.)  

Videotaping: The entire conference except for appointments, round tables, critique groups, Q & A’s, and small groups will be videotaped. We will note on the conference dashboard that keynotes, continuing sessions, and workshops are copyrighted in the name of the speaker. You are free to use what you’ve taught elsewhere. Please note on your contract if you grant CCWC permission to make the videos available to conferees and faculty for three months after the conference. It typically takes about three weeks for us to get everything uploaded. Be sure to copy the URL from the dashboard for sessions you taught so you will have them when the dashboard goes offline.

Please view as a PRIORITY! Come ready to focus on the Lord during our times of worship with Marty Goetz and to be blessed by the messages our keynoters will bring. 

Because we want CCWC to bless you spiritually and professionally (and because there is always more to learn) we hope you will take advantage of joining sessions when you are not doing appointments. Of course, you can slip in and out of virtual rooms. 

Note to all instructors: We want to make the conference as interactive as possible. Please encourage participants to use the chat. You may want to allow some time during or at the close of your session for live Q&A.

Room monitors: A staff member will make sure your room is open and will assist you should there be a technical glitch. Prior to the conference we will provide numbers you can text for assistance. (Be certain to give us your cell number on your contract so we can reach you if there is an issue. Only staff will have access to it.) For the learning labs and continuing sessions we will provide a staff member who will check in with you prior to the conference to ask if there are ways they can assist you during your session such as  monitoring the chat. 

Learning Labs

New this year! Instructors are welcome to take breaks during these 2.5 hour labs. We will keep the room online and unmute the conferees so they can chat if desired. Or your room monitor can create small group breakouts. They are a great way for conferees to interact.

Continuing Sessions 

These meet five times throughout the conference (total 5.5 hours). We will leave your room open for 10 minutes after the scheduled time to end to allow for discussions in the “hallway.”  We will, however, stop the recording.

Thursday, 9:30 – 10:30 pm MT  AND  3:00 – 4:00 pm MT  
Friday,  9:30 – 10:30 pm MT  AND  3:00 – 4:00 pm MT
Saturday, 1:45 – 3:15 pm

Workshops

These last 60 minutes. Please be considerate and end on time so we can stay on schedule. The same as the continuing sessions, we will turn off the recording when you are scheduled to end, but we will keep the room open for “hallway chats” for 5-10 minutes afterwards.

IMPORTANT – Please note on your contract whether your workshop is targeted for Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced or ALL writers.
 

Conferees really appreciate handouts. Please email to Chris Richards at passingthequill@gmail.com by April 1. She will post them to  https://colorado.writehisanswer.com/handouts2022. Only conferees and faculty will have access to the link.

To provide opportunities to connect with one another, we are again going to use mealtimes for round tables. We have enough rooms (laptops) for every agent and editor to use one mealtime to share specific info about your publishing house, publication, or agency and to do Q & A’s. You’ll receive a form from Barb Haley to let her know if you’re willing to do this and to give her several times. 

Authors: We’re planning to use Wednesday’s dinner (5:30 – 6:00 MT – changed to 5:45 – 6:15 MT) to “Meet the Authors.” Some rooms will have two authors.

The critique groups we offered last year were enthusiastically received, so this year we’re going to offer TWO types of groups on Thursday and Friday from 4:10 – 4:50 MT (changed to 4:15 – 5:00) led by authors on faculty. Please note on your contract if you are interested in leading a group (and the genre/topic and day). No payment. 

Critique Groups

NO PREPARATION required. Conferees will copy and paste 100 words into the chat box  Expect tons of conferee energy in these meetings.  

Q&A’s

Your skill and experience as writers is valued! We’d love to give our conferees an opportunity to ask you questions in a 40-minute session Thursday or Friday afternoon. You could label your group something generic like Fiction or Nonfiction Author or you could be more specific like Creating Tension in Your Fiction Story or Determining the Felt Need of Your Nonfiction Book. Lots of possibilities and again, NO PREPARATION needed! Just enjoy the interaction! Barb Haley will explain more when she sends your availability form. If you’d like to team up with another author, let Barb know.

TH 12:45 – 1:25 MT    Agents Panel
                                      Indie Publishers Panel 

FR 12:45 – 1:25 MT    Book Editors Panel (traditional publishers only) 
                                     Magazine Editors Panel

SA 12:45 – 1:25 MT    Will They Read On? – Book Editors
                                      Will They Read On? – Magazine Editors 

    Conferees will paste the title of their manuscript, genre, and first 100-150 words of their manuscript into the chat. The moderator will read and then invite several panel members to comment on whether or not they would read on. But please remember to also say something positive. We don’t want to wipe anyone out.

No payment for serving on a panel.                              
 

We will be conducting group appointments again this year. The logistics of ushering individual conferees in and out of the zoom appointments every ten minutes is not feasible without a huge staff on hand to monitor the transitions. The transition times will also eat into the schedule. We received positive feedback from editors and conferees from last year’s conferences and are confident this is the most effctive approach for our virtual conference. 

Because the rooms (and staff and laptops) are limited, only agents and editors will be doing appointments. Appointments will be scheduled with no more than 3 or 4 conferees in 30-minute time blocks and a 5 minute transition between groups. We will not be doing appointments on Wednesday.

Barb Haley will be sending you an Appointment Availability form to complete. Many conferees view appointments as the most valuable part of the conference, so thank you in advance for making time to meet with our conferees. When Barbie sends you the availability form, you will be given the option to request a monitor be present during your appointments to handle the coming and going of conferees—kind of like having your own personal secretary. Whoo-hoo!

Barb will also send you an Editorial Needs form. She will compile the info you provide into incredible charts to help our conferees make wise choices for their appointments.

Prior to the conference book editors and agents will receive a One Sheet and first page. Unlike last year we will not be asking you to complete an evaluation form. Barb will ask magazine editors what they want submitted. You will receive a schedule of your appointments prior to the conference. Keep in mind that conferees leave a workshop or continuing session to meet with you. Please do not disappoint them by being late for their appointments. And please sandwich constructive criticism between positive encouragement, but be careful not to give false hope.

Important note to book editors and agents
While we know platform is critical, many of our conferees are still developing in this area. If they are not a go for your house or agency because of a lack of platform, please use the appointment time to discuss their idea and first page. We want everyone to walk away with something, even if they do not have platform. Thanks for that!  

We are all pressed for time, but if you request a conferee send you a full proposal, please try your best to get a response to the conferee in at least three months. If your policy is that no answer within three months means you’re not interested, please make that clear to the conferee at the conference.

For more information about how our appointment system works, click on Appointments.

Father, please give us all much wisdom to know how You would have us respond to the conferees we meet with.
And please help them to hear what we’re saying; not what they want to hear. Give them teachable spirits and give us sensitive hearts.
 

We do not have enough rooms (or staff and laptops) to offer virtual paid critiques at the conference. If you are interested in doing them after the conference, please note this along with the genre(s) and length on your contract as well as how many you are willing to do. We will post this info on the website and send your email address to the conferees who request you. They will email their manuscript to you and pay you $40 for written comments and a 20-minute phone call, Zoom, or Facetime meeting that you will arrange to take place after the conference.

We hope you will join us for this special evening. Bob Hostetler will keynote on “The Persevering Writer.” It’s a message that I believe will speak to all of us.

We are happy to add your latest book to our virtual bookstore. You have several options:

• We will send those who want to purchase your book to Amazon.
• CCWC will obtain and ship your book.
• You will fill book orders. After the conference, you will receive:

  A check for 80% of the price of the book plus $4.00 to cover your shipping costs. [The conference charges a 20% consignment fee to cover PayPal charges and to help with conference expenses. We will collect and pay PA sales tax.]
   

Director
Marlene Bagnull
484-991-8581 (home)
267-436-2503  (cell) 
mbagnull@aol.com

Registrar / Appointment Coordinator
Barb Haley
haleybarb@yahoo.com

Bookstore 
Chris & Roy Richards 
passingthequill@gmail.com

If you encounter a problem checking in, contact:

Laura Shollenberger – 719-322-6992
Debbie Hardy - dahardy6600@gmail.com, 303-587-0158
Laura Shaffer – davidtshaffer@juno.com, 303-669-6383
 

For tech issues during the conference contact:
Main number - 719-322-6992
Chris Richards – passingthequill@gmail.com, 720-530-7997
Donna Brennan – dbrennan@epix.net, 484-264-9028