West Coast
Christian Writers
WHERE WRITERS THRIVE
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
October 18 – 20, 2023
Roseville, California
2023 CONFERENCE, WRITERS ON THE MOVE
October 18 – 20, 2023
Bridgeway Christian Church
Roseville, California, a Suburb of Sacramento
Registration Opens May 1, 2023 with Our FLASH SALE!
Flash Sale Rates
In-Person Registration: $299
The West Coast Christian Writers Conference is back with a new date and venue for 2023! We are excited to gather again in-person while still offering digital access to those who wish to join virtually. Come be inspired by our keynote speaker, Bret Lott, and learn from an outstanding faculty of publishing industry professionals. The 2023 conference will feature classic WCCW components including:
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- 40+ Workshops
- 3 General Sessions
- Round Table Discussions
- Coaching & Critique Appointments (in-person only)
- Agent & Editor Appointments (in-person only)
- Pre-Conference CREW Mentoring Option (Wed October 18, 2023)
- Inspirational Worship & Prayer
- Recordings of workshops and general sessions available post-conference
- Conference Bookstore (featuring YOUR books!)
- Free writing contest & Goldie Special Recognition Awards
- World famous donut wall
The Digital Access registration will include video recordings of all workshops and a livestream of the general sessions and keynote speakers. Registration will launch May 1, 2023.
Join the WCCW Community to Pre-Register for the Conference!
We’re trying something new this year: a $99 pre-registration deposit. You can reserve your spot AND, for those attending the in-person conference, you’ll receive first crack at choosing CREW groups and scheduling agent and editor appointments.
To get the pre-registration link, either subscribe to our mailing list or join our private Facebook group.
Keynote Speaker
Bret Lott
Bret Lott is the bestselling author of fourteen books, most recently the nonfiction collection Letters and Life: On Being a Writer, On Being a Christian (Crossway 2013), and the novel Dead Low Tide (Random House 2012).
Other books include the story collection The Difference Between Women and Men, the nonfiction book Before We Get Started: A Practical Memoir of the Writer’s Life, and the novels Jewel, an Oprah Book Club pick, and A Song I Knew by Heart. His work has appeared in, among other places, The Yale Review, The New York Times, The Georgia Review and in dozens of anthologies. Born in Los Angeles, he received his BA in English from Cal State Long Beach in 1981, and his MFA in fiction from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1984, where he studied under James Baldwin. From 1986 to 2004 he was writer-in-residence and professor of English at The College of Charleston, leaving to take the position of editor and director of the journal The Southern Review at Louisiana State University. Three years later, in the fall of 2007, he returned to The College of Charleston and the job he most loves: teaching. His honors include being named Fulbright Senior American Scholar and writer-in-residence to Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv, Israel; speaking on Flannery O’Connor at The White House; and having served as a member of the National Council on the Arts from 2006 to 2012. He and his wife, Melanie, live in Hanahan, South Carolina.
Conference Story
Staying on the Move as a Writer
by
Jeanette Hanscome
Last spring, I knew I was long overdue to attend a writers conference. I know what you might be thinking: you see me every year at the WCCW conference, so how could I possibly be overdue for one? What I had neglected was my own growth and learning. The last conference I attended as a learner and not a teacher had been virtual, so I craved in-person connection with fellow storytellers.
After considering a few conferences that I’d heard good things about, I signed up for a writing intensive that I’d had my eye on for about four years. I was the most advanced writer in the group, but I still went home with new tools and inspiration to take the next step. God used the time to confirm His current direction for me (fiction) and generate ideas for building my social media presence in ways that didn’t feel forced or sales-y. I gained a deeper understanding of what kind of writer I am, what kind I am not, and why I can stop trying to become what I am not.
This adventure was an exciting lesson in why a writer’s life requires growth and movement at every level. Maybe that’s why we so often see writing and journey in the same sentence. Just when we think we’ve arrived as a writer, the industry changes, life throws us a curve ball, or we find out that what our audience needs and what they’ll actually buy and read don’t quite line up.
This constant need for growth—in our craft, our knowledge of the publishing industry, our willingness to change course when God makes it clear that it’s time—inspired our theme for the 2023 WCCW Conference, Writers on the Move.
Our goal for this year is to encourage and equip you to . . .
Hone your craft through workshops that help you become an even better writer. After all, if you want to catch an editor or agent’s eye, you need a great idea that is also written well. We chose workshops that serve beginning, intermediate, and advanced writers in a variety of genres.
Understand the publishing industry. Even if you have been writing for a long time, it’s important to know what is going on now as opposed to ten years ago, what you’ve heard from friends, or how you think the industry should work. Knowing the truth before you start submitting and pitching to agents can save you a lot of frustration.
Learn about the different publishing options. Self-publishing is no longer code for “Not good enough for traditional publishing.” The key is figuring out which path is the best fit for your current project.
Meet agents, published authors, and other writers. Trust me. The longer you write, the more you will appreciate the power of relationships within the writing community. I met my agent when we were both authors attending the same conference. Those of us on the leadership team met through writers conferences. Whether this is your first conference or your twentieth, it is a place to find your travel buddies.
No matter where you are on the writing path, we hope you will join us for the 2023 West Coast Christian Writers Conference. We pray that you will be inspired to keep moving forward as a writer, growing every step of the way.
2023 Conference
October 18 – 20, 2023
Writers on the Move
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
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