WORKSHOPS
2026 WRITERS CONFERENCE
The WCCW conference is jam-packed with value, offering 30 workshops from industry professionals to help you hone your craft and learn about publishing. This year, our workshops aim to include interactive components in addition to didactic teaching.
Click the calendar to view the workshop schedule
Characters and Communities to Come Back To
What makes us return to certain books? Learn how to create communities populated by compelling characters—best friends, exes, families, and coworkers create foils and contrasts for your main characters, push the plot's emotional complexity, and build the story towns ... and series ... your reader wants to come back to.
Shelley Adina Senft
Fiction
Nonfiction From the Heart
Are you writing about difficult or personal subject matter, and you're not sure how to make it applicable to others in a helpful way? In this workshop, Jen uses her own experience of writing memoir-based self help nonfiction to guide attendees in incorporating heart-felt and difficult stories in Christian Living books.
Jen Babakhan
Nonfiction
Stop Talking to Yourself
How to Become a Reader-Centered Writer
Writers often approach their work with a strong message, but they inadvertently undermine their effectiveness by using prose that is so writer-centered that it leaves the reader behind. This workshop offers techniques to avoid that trap so you can form a strong connection between you and your reader. Examples will be shared from some of the most compelling reader-centered authors.
Joseph Bentz
Nonfiction
A Year-In-The-Life of a Debut Author
Ever wonder what it's really like to go from that GREAT book idea to the release date? Join debut author Leslie M. Bosserman for a behind-the-scenes glimpse into some key elements in the traditional publishing process and gain a holistic view into the steps it takes to create, launch and market your book!
Leslie Bosserman
Publishing
Articles from Start to Finish
This workshop will help writers strengthen their articles using the nut graph format. Participants will learn how to craft an engaging hook, develop the main idea with clear subsections, and close with a focused conclusion that keeps readers interested from start to finish.
Sarah Brickens
Nonfiction
Start Your Nonfiction Book Today
You have a story that's been bubbling in your soul and you long to share your hard-fought wisdom with others and encourage growth and resilience in their life and faith. But you're uncertain how to begin. In this workshop you will learn effective tools for crafting a well written story (book or article) that inspires the reader into positive life-change. Expect practical, MUST Haves for writers: The Power of 48 minutes. Writing a compelling opening that leaves the reader wanting more. Writing technology. And courage to share your work and become a published author. Expect to leave this workshop with an arsenal of writing tools and inspiration to write your story with passion and write it now!
Lynn Donovan
Nonfiction
Craft Inspiring and Compelling Devotionals
Writing with passion inspires readers into greater faith and transformation. In this workshop we discover how to write a strong devotional by exploring the personal nature of devotionals, the key elements of effective devotional writing, and what to and what not to include in devotionals. We will learn how to develop ideas for different devotional markets and social media. This is an inspiring and faith-building workshop for authors who desire to help others grow in their faith in Jesus.
Lynn Donovan
Nonfiction
Money for Nothing
Self-Publishing Scams to Avoid
We are living in the wild west of self-publishing, and the scammers outnumber the good guys. People are paying tens of thousands of dollars for work that never happens, and it's all perfectly legal. Learn what to look for and who to trust on your self-publishing journey.
Emma Fulenwider
Publishing
How to Launch Your Substack
You have been hearing about the benefits of Substack but you are not sure how to get started. In this workshop, attendees will learn about the benefits, bells and whistles of Substack, and most importantly, how to start their own Substack. Participants will get a chance to practice putting together posts and ideas on how to engage in the Substack platform to build and audience with authentic engagement.
Dorina Gilmore-Young
Marketing
From Seed to Tree
Writing Picture Books
Come learn about the process of publishing kids picture books—from taking a seed of an idea to preparing a manuscript, crafting illustration notes, and learning to self-edit a project before submitting to an agent or editor.
Dorina Gilmore-Young
Children
Read Like an Editor, Revise Like a Pro
Stop guessing what's "wrong" with your novel. Learn to read your own pages the way an editor does, spotting patterns in pacing, stakes, and character. You'll leave with a personal self-edit guide tailored to your strengths and blind spots.
Joleen Graumann
Fiction
How to Secure Funding for Your Writing
Want to learn how to secure grants, fellowships, and residencies to support your writing life? This workshop will highlight winning strategies to fund your creative practice and ambitious writing projects.
Chanté Griffin
Writing Life
Writing with the Spirit
Amid family life, work, and other obligations, how do you cultivate a spiritual life and writing practice that enable you to grow in your writing and relationship with God, month after month and year after year? This workshop will provide practical tips for writing and connecting with the Holy Spirit during the various seasons of life.
Chanté Griffin
Writing Life
Writing in a Biblically Accurate Way
All Christian writers should want to avoid heresy and create theologically sound materials, but with all the varying opinions about what's right and wrong, how can we know whether we are writing in a way that aligns with the Bible? Whether intended or not, every Christian writes with a theology in mind. Is there way to keep writing Biblical?
Lance Hahn
General Craft
Staging the Setting for Your Novel
You have your cast of characters and a great adventure to take them on. But what about your setting? Does your novel take place in a small town? The English countryside? A big city? Why this setting? Whatever your answer, this workshop will help you bring your fictional world to life while avoiding common pitfalls.
Jeanette Hanscome
Fiction
Crafting a Book Proposal that Gets a Yes
Writing a strong book proposal requires more than a great idea—it demands a clear, compelling case for publication. In this session, learn how to craft a proposal that resonates with editors, executives, and sales teams alike. Discover common pitfalls, key components, and strategies to position your book for serious consideration and offers.
Linda Howard
Publishing
Starting Strong
First Pages that Make a Lasting Impression
Agents, editors, AND readers decide whether they want to keep reading your book based on your first pages. A good premise and a good plot won't matter if you're not able to start strong and keep them hooked and wanting to keep reading. Through the study of mentor texts, this workshop will explore strategies and tips for writing a strong opening for your chapter book, middle grade, or young adult novel. (Focus is on kidlit, although adult fiction writers are more than welcome!)
Bunmi Ishola
Children
Story Spark
Igniting your Story through Brain Science
This workshop delves into the tools of brain science to craft a new alternative to creating riveting plots and complicated characters. Explore the third strand of the story braid—character wounds and the spiritual thread—that will make your story shine.
Tara Johnson
Fiction
The ABCs of Writing for Children
You've decided to write for children, congratulations! Forget genre, have you narrowed down the age range yet? There are picture books, early readers, chapter books, middle grade, and young adult books. And more! How do you know where your idea fits in? Is it the vocabulary? Concept? Theme? Learn the many facets of the children’s books market, how to understand where your idea fits in, and walk away confident you can be children's book writer.
Bitsy Kemper
Children
Self-publishing on Kindle Direct Publishing
There are lots of options for self-publishing. This short workshop will focus on the basics of using Kindle Direct Publishing to self-publish on amazon.com. We’ll cover the journey from completed draft to published book, looking at:
- Editing
- ISBNs
- Interior page design (I’ll demonstrate how to use tools like Vellum)
- Cover design
- Trim size
- Amazon categories
Keri Wyatt Kent
Publishing
Finding Your Voice Through Poetry and Prayer
Discover how poetry distills your core message and prayer writing surfaces authentic voice. Learn to mine short-form writing for images, themes, and emotional truth that strengthen chapters, devotions, and articles. You'll learn how to create usable material while developing practices that sustain your writing life. No previous experience with poetry is needed.
Jan Kern
Nonfiction
Write Now, Launch Later
8 Success Steps for Your Future Book Release
Discover eight essential strategies to weave into your writing process that will set the stage for a successful book launch. From building your author platform to creating buzz-worthy content, you'll learn how to lay the groundwork for your book's success while you're still crafting your masterpiece.
Kathi Lipp
Marketing
5 Ways to Use AI in your Writing Life
Feeling curious—or maybe just overwhelmed—by all the AI buzz? Kathi and Roger get real about how AI tools can help (and sometimes hinder) your writing. Come learn five fun, ethical, and totally doable ways to put AI to work—and when to tell it, "Thanks, but no thanks."
Roger Lipp
Writing Life
Clarity is Ministry
Marketing that Serves, not Sells
Marketing doesn't have to feel like soulless self-promotion. In this workshop, reframe marketing as an act of service, learn how to identify your audience, the problems you solve, and communicate with conviction. Walk away empowered to share your story with clarity and purpose.
Laura Maxey
Marketing
Booked & Hooked
Reach New Readers through Podcast Interviews
Would you like to extend your audience reach by interviewing on podcasts? Janet interviewed on 100 podcast, radio, and TV programs to promote her last two books, and she will teach you how to gather podcasters' information, make an appealing query, prepare for the interview, and execute it well.
Janet McHenry
Marketing
Myth-Busting & Reality Checks in Publishing
Wondering if publishers only consider authors with big platforms? Confused about whether you need an agent? Heard conflicting advice about proposal length, author involvement, or marketing expectations? We'll tackle the rumors and common misconceptions head-on, replacing speculation with practical insights from an acquisitions editor.
Rachel McRae
Publishing
Win Hearts, Not Arguments
Writing Winsomely about Tough Topics
Writers are leaders in the church, and this includes talking about tough topics. This session will introduce a biblical framework for talking about difficult things in our writing and provide fiction and non-fiction examples of how other authors have done this very thing.
Chris Morris
General Craft
Shelf Awareness
How to Research Comp Titles
Confused about comps? Understanding which books compete with yours can shape your project's direction and success. Join Literary Agent Karen Neumair as she explains a variety of ways to research comparable titles and determine how best to make your book stand out on the shelf.
Karen Neumair
Publishing
A Novel Recipe
Balancing Your Story Ingredients
You have so much to share in your novel! You've worked hard to create your storyworld or learn the history or explore your character's past. But how much does your reader need to know? Let's learn how to sift and sort, weave and blend, so our novels come to life.
Sarah Sundin
Fiction
Plotting with Timelines
Multiple-genre author, Michelle Ule explains how she plans her novels and biographies using a modified form of "pantsing" and plotting. By planning via a timeline, she's able to accommodate both writing methods into a dynamic and flexible manuscript. Using examples of fiction, historical fiction, and biography, she demonstrates how.
Michelle Ule
General Craft
