The Catholic Writers Guild

Attending the Catholic Writers’ Conference changed my life.

In 2008 I was an anonymous mom-blogger, writing for the fun of it.  A friend pointed me to the CWCO, and I registered mostly because it was free, so what harm?

I was floored by how much excellent, one-on-one teaching was offered — and by how much I still had to learn about the writing world.   Attending the conference every year, and later joining the CWG,  has helped me build the skills, friendships, and confidence I needed to make the switch from writing as a vacation to writing as a vocation.  And I’ve been able to do it from home, on my schedule, in a time of life when taking weekends off to travel is not a realistic option.

What can you expect if you attend the conference this year?

Classes and workshops for all experience levels.  Don’t be intimidated if you are a brand new, still-pretty-lousy writer.  Many events are either designed for beginners, or the instructor can get you started no matter how much basic help you need.

Do note that each instructor has a unique personality, and some will really put you through the paces.  If you need gentle, just say so.  The instructor can tell you if the course is going to be boot-camp style.  There’s a time in your writing life for tender encouragement, and there’s a time for brutal honesty; the conference offers both.

Two Types of Courses: Forums and Chats.

Forums: The first week of the conference will be forum-based workshops.  The instructor will offer a series of tutorials, then assign homework and/or take questions. This is your chance for one-on-one assistance with your writing!  Plan to arrive early, and work through the week on the classes that are most important to you this year.  You can read along at all the workshops, but pick one or two to participate in actively.  You can do your homework any time of day or night, so these classes offer both the most flexibility and the most personal attention.

We use the same type of forum software as at the Catholic Writers Guild Forums, and as are found at many other discussion forums around the internet. If you’ve never used discussion forum software, allow a little time at the very beginning of the conference to familiarize yourself with how it all works.

Chats:  The second week of the conference will be all “chat” sessions.  If you have ever attended the CWG’s Sunday Night Chat, or used the chat feature on another internet service, you have an idea of how a live chat works.  We will have practice time with our new software so that you can get used to its features before the classes begin.

Each course lasts about one hour.  Plan to login a few minutes ahead of time so you can say hello.  If you come late, don’t interrupt!  Once the course begins, the instructor will open with some comments or a brief lesson.  The remainder of the class is Q&A.  You will be told how to “raise your hand” [In the past: by typing “?”]; the moderator will call on you in turn.  When it’s your turn, you ask your question.  The instructor answers, and then the moderator calls on the next person.

The way to get the most benefit out of a chat session is to plan ahead!  Make a list of the questions you want to ask.  Then watch, and ask the ones that aren’t answered by the instructor in the opening comments, or that aren’t asked by someone else. Do stay on topic.  If there is extra time at the end of the session, the presenter may take off-topic questions, but usually the course time needs to be devoted to the subject of the lesson.

Click here to see the still-growing list of classes we’ll be offering.  Registration for both participants and presenters ends February 29th, so register now.

Next week we’ll discuss pitch sessions — what they are, how to decide whether to sign up, and what you should do to prepare.  In the meantime, what questions do you have?