Join ACFW DFW for our annual mini-conference (online) Saturday, April 10, 9am to 3pm CDT. This year’s theme is “Light Writers.” Interact with four speakers as they present on five different topics. We’ll also have (online) breakout rooms during lunch where attendees can interact with like-minded writers as well as some of our speakers.
Our award-winning keynote, Sarah Sundin, will present two programs. Her first presentation is titled, “Making Fiction Come to Life.” Her second, “No Missed Deadlines—Strategies to Keep You on Track,” will explore practical ways writers can track assignments and manage their goals.
Literary agent Mary DeMuth will address questions regarding “What Can an Agent Do for You?”
Lisa Bell’s “Self-Publishing 101” workshop will examine the pros and cons of various publishing platforms and tools to help with the process.
William “Bud” Humble, president of W.O.R.D. (Writers Organizations ‘Round Dallas) and co-founder of Writers in the Field will wrap up the day with, “After the First Draft—Turning Lead into Gold.”
ACFW DFW Light Writers 2021 (Online) Mini Conference
ACFW DFW Members: $30
Non-Members: $35
Students: $20
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. To attend this event, click link above.
A board member will contact attendees by Wednesday prior to the event with instructions for Saturday, April 10.
Questions? email acfwdfw@gmail.com
For more information and to keep up with monthly meeting and information about ACFW DFW, visit us at:
Guests may attend free for the first two visits. After that, per ACFW national guidelines, guests must become national and local members for continued participation.
Contact acfwdfw@gmail.com for further info. (An affiliate membership of $5 per year is
available to members of other ACFW groups). Meeting fee: $3 for ACFW DFW or affiliate
members, paid to ACFW DFW Square – meeting payments. (Click on “more/monthly meeting”).
Sarah Sundin
Keynote Speaker – Presentation 1
Making Fiction Come to Life
“I felt like I was there!” In this workshop, we’ll explore ways to draw readers into our stories so they become the characters, live in the setting, and the plot fully engages them. Also, we’ll look at how to describe the story-world without overwhelming the reader with details.
Sarah Sundin is a bestselling author of World War II novels, including When Twilight Breaks. Her novel The Land Beneath Us was a 2020 Christy Award finalist, The Sky Above Us won the 2020 Carol Award, and two of her novels were named to Booklist’s “101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years.”
A mother of three adult children, Sundin lives in northern California and enjoys speaking for church, community, and writers’ groups. She serves as Co-Director for the West Coast Christian Writers Conference.
Her books include: When Twilight Breaks (Revell, February 2021) and The Land Beneath Us (Revell, 2020).
Website: Sarah Sundin’s Website
Facebook: Sarah Sundin Author FB
Twitter: Sarah Sundin Twitter
Instagram: Sarah Sundin Instagram
Sarah Sundin
Keynote Speaker – Presentation 2
No Missed Deadlines—Strategies to Keep You on Track
Writing for publication means deadlines—not only for manuscripts, but for publisher’s title questionnaires, blog interviews, endorsement requests, and more. Without a system of organization, things can fall through the cracks, tainting our professional reputation. In this workshop, we’ll explore practical ways to track assignments and manage goals, using calendars, charts and files
Mary DeMuth
What Can an Agent Do for You?
In this session, literary agent Mary DeMuth will discuss:
- The benefits of having a literary agent
- Putting our best literary foot forward
- Best practices in finding an agent
- How platform plays into our chances with an agent
- Knowing the Christian publishing industry to help pitching our stories
- Strong pitch sessions
- One sheets
- What happens once we’re agented
- The process of publication, and weathering it with joy
Mary DeMuth is an international speaker, podcaster, and literary agent with Books & Such Literary Mngt.
DeMuth is a novelist and nonfiction author of over forty books, including Pray Every Day (Harvest House Publishers 2020).
She lives in Texas with her husband of 30 years and is the mom to three adult children. Find out more at Mary DeMuth Website.
For sexual abuse resources, visit wetoo.org. For cards, prints, and artsy fun go to marydemuth.com/art.
Find out what she’s looking for as a literary agent at https://www.booksandsuch.com/our-agents/meet-mary-demuth/
Find her on social media: @MaryDeMuth (insta and twitter)
Lisa Bell
Self-Publishing 101
Gone are the days when publishing a book on your own meant spending thousands of dollars
upfront and ending up with cases of books in your garage. With so many platforms and ways to
publish books, authors have more options than ever to see their books in print and as e-books.
How do you know which direction to go, and when you make that decision, what comes next?
In Self-publishing 101, Lisa Bell details the ins and outs of creating a book that rivals the best traditional publishers without selling your firstborn child.
Learn the pros and cons of different
platforms, basics of producing quality products at little to no cost, and what tools can help with the entire process.
Bell is a fiction and non-fiction author. As a community editor for NOW
Magazines LLC (BurlesonNOW and WeatherfordNOW), she has published hundreds of articles.
Her most recent book publications include Homeless Hearts, My Inner Nemesis, Out of the
Dungeon, and Littleness of Faith.
Bell works with writers to help improve their skills and assists with independent publishing.
Providing coaching, editing, formatting and cover design as well as assistance with uploading
documents to chosen platforms, she supports and encourages writers who want to use cost-
effective publishing options while creating quality products.
Bell leads two writing groups and speaks or teaches whenever the opportunity arises.
She holds a
BS in Business Management from University of Phoenix, is a CLASS alumni, and active
member of multiple writing groups.
Single mother and grandmother, she lives southwest of Fort
Worth, Texas.
For more information about the author, visit Lisa Bell Website
William “Bud” Humble
After the First Draft—Turning Lead into Gold
First drafts are rough. That’s the nature of the beast. Learn to tame the beast and
smooth out those rough edges. Turn your confused word-mush into literary gold!
William R. “Bud” Humble is a native Texan who’s been writing for longer than he feels comfortable admitting. Though he’s dabbled in other literary areas, his love of speculative fiction keeps drawing him back.
To learn more about William and future releases, go to www.CastleHumble.com and follow him on social media.
Wanting to help others achieve their literary dreams, Humble joined the board of directors for
W.O.R.D.—Writers Organizations ‘Round Dallas, where he currently serves as president. There, with the help of other like-minded folks, he strives to help other writers find their teams, and to make the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex a nationally and internationally renowned center for the writing arts. For more information, visit: WORD Writers Website.
Humble is also one of the three founders of Writers in the Field. Bringing in experts from all over the country to share their expertise, this unique annual event features as many ‘hands-on’
experiences for writers as possible. For more information, visit: www.writersinthefield.com.
For more information about Humble, visit:
William R. Humble Website
