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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Writing Craft » Craft » Page 15

Craft

Announcing “The Christian Writers Institute”

By Steve Laubeon October 24, 2016
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I am very excited to announce the launch of The Christian Writers Institute! Come visit at www.christianwritersinstitute.com.

Over three years ago I began thinking of the need for a place where writers could find the best teachers all in one spot. The idea percolated for awhile until this year when its development began in earnest. It is great to see it finally become a reality.

This new online site has been created to help Christians become proficient in the skills, craft, and business of writing. To build the Kingdom of God word-by-word. It does so by providing audio, video, and pdf courses taught by some of the industry’s best teachers. In addition, the Institute will publish a number of books on writing for writers, including The Christian Writers Market Guide (coming in December). Originally founded in 1945, it is estimated that over 30,000 students have been trained by the Christian Writers Institute. Its venerable history can be found here (link).

There are nearly 100 courses uploaded and available for you. We will be adding new offerings regularly with the goal to have hundreds online over time.

Every class can be used on any device. Once you have registered and paid for your class it is yours to revisit forever. We have audio classes that you can listen to while driving or running. Over a dozen video courses that you can view on your phone, your tablet, laptop, or computer. This is not a subscription site with a monthly fee. Instead we make all the material available a la carte to be enjoyed at your own pace and under your own budget.

We have nearly 40 teachers with lectures on everything from the book proposal, to “show don’t tell”, to travel writing, writing for children, marketing your books, and even a lecture on grant writing!

Our first published book under the CWI banner will be the 2017 edition of The Christian Writers Market Guide coming in December. That will be followed with books by Cec Murphey, Kathy Tyers, and many more.

The audio learner, the visual learner, and the reading learner can all benefit from what CWI offers.

I believe very strongly in the value of education and particularly in our profession. No matter where you are on your writing journey, from novice to veteran, the learning never stops. Having taught at over 100 conferences over the years I’ve seen the benefit for those who attend. But not everyone can go to a conference. And the conference should not be the only time a writer is learning. Thus the vision for the Christian Writers Institute began to percolate. It doesn’t replace the conference but instead enhances the learning experience. Plus, by going online we can cross all international borders.

Please take a look and let us know what you think!

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Category: Book Proposals, Career, Christian Writers Institute, Conferences, Craft, Creativity, Editing, Get Published, Grammar, The Publishing Life, The Writing LifeTag: Christian Writers Institute, education, writers conferences, Writing Craft

Littered with Errors: Can Typos Kill You?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 20, 2016
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We’ve all done it – typed “here” for “hear” or “you’re” for “your” – especially when we’re dashing off a quick email or meeting a deadline. I don’t know of an agent or editor who’ll reject a submission based on one or even a few typos, particularly if the material is so compelling the reader can’t resist losing the afternoon in your book. However, not all errors are typos. This becomes apparent as …

Read moreLittered with Errors: Can Typos Kill You?
Category: Craft, Editing, Grammar, LanguageTag: Editing, Grammar, Language

How to be a Woman?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 13, 2016
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This will be our last trip down Memory Lane for a while. I hope you have fun with today’s post and think about how your female characters live. We’re bombarded with ads today and we were yesterday, too. How to be a woman? I was trying to figure all of this out as I was growing up. I knew I wanted to be a Proverbs 31 woman, but she was really embodied in my grandmother Bagley, Precious. (She …

Read moreHow to be a Woman?
Category: Craft, MarketingTag: Branding, Marketing

Happy 50th Birthday, Star Trek

By Steve Laubeon September 5, 2016
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It was 50 years ago this week that the TV show “Star Trek” made its debut on NBC (September 8, 1966). It lasted for only three years and 79 episodes, but continues to influence our entertainment culture to this day. Did you know who the original producers were? If you guessed Gene Roddenberry you would be half right. The other half of the funding for the show came from Desilu …

Read moreHappy 50th Birthday, Star Trek
Category: Craft, Creativity, Inspiration, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Creativity, science fiction

In Praise of Slow Writing

By Steve Laubeon August 29, 2016
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It seems counter-intuitive that an agent would suggest that writers slow down. After all, isn’t the volume of output one of the keys to an author’s success? There is a measure of truth in that, but today I’d like to explore the concept of Slow Writing. Think of it as a leisurely walk in the woods as a child. I remember strolling through sticks and leaves exploring the forest …

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Category: Career, Craft, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Writing Craft

Choosing a Good Title For Your Book

By Dan Balowon August 23, 2016
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Placing a good title on a book is not as simple as one might think. In fact, some prominent books have had rather circuitous journeys to their final title. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice started out as First Impressions. Tolstoy’s All’s Well That Ends Well released to some yawns until it was re-titled and published as War and Peace. On the Road to West Egg; Under the Red, White, and Blue; …

Read moreChoosing a Good Title For Your Book
Category: Book Proposals, Branding, Craft, Get Published, Marketing, Pitching, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Titles, Writing Craft

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 18, 2016
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This blog entry is prompted by a response to a recent post, “What’s Wrong with my Book?” A reader commented about portraying characters consuming alcoholic beverages. She didn’t want to change an historical fact that alcohol was a beverage of choice in past times thanks to foul water supplies and the like. She felt it would be wrong to write otherwise. I certainly agree! Still, I err …

Read moreEat, Drink, and Be Merry?
Category: Craft, Writing CraftTag: Alcohol, Craft, Writing Craft

You Say Tomato, I Hear Guacamole, Parte Dos (Part 2)

By Dan Balowon August 9, 2016
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A while ago I made a weak attempt at humor with my post about hearing something different than was spoken to me. Today is part two on a similar theme, getting serious this time about understanding something different than was actually communicated. Through this process you might get a glimpse into the heart and mind of non-Christian and even some Christian readers as well. To be blunt, Christians …

Read moreYou Say Tomato, I Hear Guacamole, Parte Dos (Part 2)
Category: Christian, Communication, CraftTag: Christian, Communication

Five Dollar Words

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon July 28, 2016
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“Don’t use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do.” – Mark Twain One of my daughters is an Arts and Visual Technology major, so of course she has to read articles about art. Here are a few sentences from an eight-page article, “Modernist Painting” by Clement Greenburg. The footnotes inform us that this article was both published and broadcast on the radio. I identify Modernism …

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Category: Art, Craft, Creativity, Writing CraftTag: Craft, words, Writing Craft

What’s Wrong with my Book?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon July 14, 2016
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As you can imagine, we see hundreds of proposals and manuscripts each month. And, as you can also imagine, we must decline most. However, there are a few mistakes you can avoid to help your submission rise above others: Not beginning the story in the right place. All too often, an author will tell us about the main characters’ backgrounds before getting to the crux of the story, where the …

Read moreWhat’s Wrong with my Book?
Category: Book Proposals, Craft, Editing, Get Published, RejectionTag: book proposals, Get Published
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