The YDubs Conference
Giving Him Control: Learning to Glorify God in Your Writing
1 Corinthians 10:31
Upcoming Events
Tue, Jun 11JAARSJun 11, 2019, 1:00 PM – Jun 13, 2019, 12:00 PMJAARS, 7405 Jaars Rd, Waxhaw, NC 28173, USAJun 11, 2019, 1:00 PM – Jun 13, 2019, 12:00 PMJAARS, 7405 Jaars Rd, Waxhaw, NC 28173, USAAt The YDubs Conference, we'll enjoy camaraderie, encouragement, and fellowship with our fellow writers. We have several inspiring speakers who will give us the wisdom and knowledge to move forward in our writing journey, but ultimately, our goal is to grow as believers seeking to glorify God.
Speakers
Tessa Emily Hall
Author, Literary Agent; YA Acquisitions Agent
Tessa Emily Hall is an award-winning author who writes inspirational yet authentic books for teens to remind them they’re not alone. Her first teen devotional, COFFEE SHOP DEVOS, released with Bethany House in 2018. Tessa's passion for shedding light on clean entertainment and media for teens led her to a career as an Associate Agent for Cyle Young at Hartline Literary Agency, YA Acquisitions Editor for Illuminate YA (LPC Imprint), and Founder/Editor of PursueMagazine.net. She's guilty of making way too many lattes and never finishing her to-read list. When her fingers aren’t flying 128 WPM across the keyboard, she can be found speaking to teens, decorating art journals, and acting in Christian films. Her favorite way to procrastinate is through connecting with readers on her blog, mailing list, social media (@tessaemilyhall), and website: www.tessaemilyhall.com.
Kara Swanson
YA Author, Marketing Consultant, Project Manager & Instructor at The Young Writer
As the daughter of missionaries, KARA SWANSON spent her childhood in the jungles of Papua New Guinea. Able to relate with characters dropped into a unique new world, she fell in love with the Fantasy genre and was soon penning stories herself.
Shortly after moving stateside, Kara received the Mount Hermon Conference “Most Promising Teen Writer Award.” Her latest release, The Girl Who Could See, finaled for a 2018 INSPY Award and won the 2018 Parable Award. She is also on faculty for the Young Writer’s Workshop and works as a marketing manager alongside authors, editors, writers conferences and publishing houses.
Kara is passionate about crafting stories of light shattering darkness, forming sincere connections with readers, and becoming best friends with a mermaid—though not necessarily in that order. You can find Kara on her website at karaswanson.comand on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @karaswansonauthor.
Josiah DeGraaf
Editor and Teacher
Josiah DeGraaf is a high school English teacher and literature nerd who fell in love with stories when he was young and hasn’t fallen out of love ever since. He writes because he’s fascinated by human motivations and loves to take normal people, put them in crazy situations (did he mention he writes fantasy?), and then force them to make difficult choices.
Someday Josiah hopes to write fantasy novels with worlds as imaginative as Brandon Sanderson’s, characters as complex as Orson Scott Card’s, character arcs as dynamic as Jane Austen’s, and themes as deep as Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s. In the mean time, he currently helps writers deepen their storycraft as the editor-in-chief of Story Embers, the fiction content manager of the Young Writer, and the founder of Ink Slinger Academy.
Marita Wilson
YWW Community Manager and Aspiring Author
Marita Wilson is the Community Manager for the YWW Community, a place where writers at all stages gather together to help each other succeed. Through creating a warm and encouraging online space, Marita helps young writers find the self-confidence they need to make connections, push through hard times, and follow God’s call in their lives. She’s also written several lessons for the YWW, including “The Young Writer’s Guide to Mentorship” and “How To Love Your Bad Writing.” She herself aspires to publish fantasy novels, and currently has four novels in various stages of edits. You can follow her progress at maritaannwilson.com.
Schedule
*There will be adult supervision in all scheduled conference activities. If a parent would like to volunteer as a chaperone, they may contact us.*
TUESDAY, JUNE 11
1:00 - 3:30: Check-In
3:00 – 3:45: Icebreaker Activity
4:00 – 5:00: Session by Tessa Emily Hall - You’re Never Too Young to Begin Your Writing Journey
When I began my writing journey at fifteen years old, I soon discovered that adults had differing opinions about teen writers. While most were supportive, others advised that I stay away from pursuing the writing journey until later in life. In this workshop, I’ll give a brief overview of my writing journey—including how I received a publishing contract at sixteen years old—and discuss the pros and cons of pursuing writing at an early age.
5:15 - 6:00: Session by Marita Wilson - Writing with Authority when You’re Young
Writing as a young person has many challenges, not the least of which is a lack of confidence. In this lecture-style talk, I will discuss how this lack of confidence stems from an awkward truth: “I don’t know as much as people who are older than me,” and a sneaky lie: “One day I’ll know enough.” I’ll also offer seven ways to still write with authority, addressing both the awkward truth and the sneaky lie: be humble, collect wisdom from others, write what you know, look for nuance, seek experiences, do not be ashamed of your weakness, and remember your primary purpose is to serve.
6:15 – 7:45: Pizza Social
8:00 – 8:45: Session by Josiah DeGraaf - Discovering & Deepening Your Story's Emotional Impact
Well-done stories – whether they're stories you tell in novel form, or stories you relate in the middle of a conversation – are built on engaging and influencing the emotions of the readers or listeners. How do you do this effectively? This session will explore the building blocks of emotional influence and workshop different ways to engage emotions effectively.
9:00 – 9:45: Brainstorming Session
9:45 – 10:15: Socialize
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12
8:15 – 9:00: Bible Writing and Coffee
9:15 – 10:15: Session by Kara Swanson - Strength of Heart
Encouragement and helpful advice for the aspiring author on how to utilize a courageous mindset and strength of heart as you navigate the many ups and downs of the publishing industry.
10:30 – 11:15: Prompt-Sprint Workshop
11:30 – 12:15: Session by Josiah DeGraaf - Crafting & Honing A Vision for Your Blog
So you want to start a blog. What's next? It can be hard to determine how to best find and engage readers with your blog. A lot of it comes down to precisely boiling down what your vision is.
12:30 – 2:15: Lunch
2:30 – 3:15: Session by Tessa Emily Hall - Mastering the Five Variations of Show vs. Tell
Every writer is advised to “show” their story rather than tell it, yet this seems to remain the most difficult technique for writers to master. Perhaps it’s because we’re showing in some areas of our writing yet telling in others. In this workshop, I’ll discuss the five variations of showing vs. telling and how you can bring your story to life by mastering these techniques. Be sure to bring a 1000-word sample of your writing that you don’t mind revising and possibly sharing with the class (optional).
3:30 – 4:15: Panel Discussion/Q&A
4:30 – 5:15: Session by Josiah DeGraaf - Choosing the Right Theme for Your Novel
Many storytellers struggle to know how to depict themes in meaningful ways in their stories. Often, a lot of issues boil down to an author's choice of theme. This session will explain what good themes look like and allow authors to workshop their themes in class.
5:30 – 5:45: Group Picture
6:00 – 7:45: Dinner
8:00 - 8:45: Session by Tessa Emily Hall and Kara Swanson - Market Your Book and Build a Platform From Scratch
An interactive session about the fundamentals of authentic marketing and how to build your platform as a young writer. In this class, Tessa and Kara will teach you how to manage your social media, blog, and online presence, and how to successfully launch a book. Learn from two prolific authors as they share many of the tips and tricks that have allowed them to not only build their own platforms, but have also helped dozens of other authors, editors, and publishers reach their audiences. Tessa and Kara will hold a Q&A at the end of the session.
9:00 – 9:45: Brainstorming Session by Marita Wilson - Outlining Using the Save the Cat! Method
In this session, I will share the outlining method articulated in the new book, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. Her method is in turn based on the Hollywood screenwriting method called “Save the Cat.” I’ve been using her book extensively in my own writing, and I am looking forward to sharing this method with you all! I will go through the 15 parts of the outline, give examples of the structure in fiction, give suggestions about how to use this outline in your own writing process, and then lead the group in brainstorming an original story outline based on this method.
9:45 – 10:45: Socialize
THURSDAY, JUNE 13
8:00 – 8:45: Bible Writing and Coffee
9:00 – 10:00: Session by Tessa Emily Hall and Kara Swanson - Peek Behind the Curtain of an Agent/Author Partnership
Allow real-life author/agent duo, Tessa Emily Hall and Kara Swanson, to take you behind the scenes into the role of a literary agent and how they interact with their author clients. Tessa and Kara will reveal the role of an agent and discuss how to make the best impression while pitching and how to know which agent is the best fit for you. You will leave this session with newfound knowledge of how you can nurture a wonderful partnership with your literary superhero--er, agent. Tessa and Kara will hold a live Q&A at the end of the session.
10:15 – 11:00: Prompt-Sprint Workshop
11:15 – 12:00: Session by Marita Wilson - Giving God Control of Your Writing Journey
In this lecture-style talk, I will discuss what it means to give God control of your writing journey, beginning with the (often difficult) fact that God already has control, and we either fight it or accept it. I will give several examples of successful authors’ writing journeys to demonstrate that even when the path winds (and it will wind), God redeems the setbacks and blesses the challenges. You will be encouraged to find contentment in the journey.
12:15 – 2:00: Lunch
2:15 – 3:00: Optional Brainstorming and Free Time
3:00: Departure
Accommodations
The JAARS campus has fully-furnished apartments for us to rent while we're at the conference! They're on-site, comfortable, and much more affordable than hotel rooms. Most have kitchens but be sure to request one if you would like one.
If you would like to set up housing at JAARS, you can call them at 704-843-6020 or email them at housing_jaars@jaars.org to make a definite reservation.
They do require a 24-hour notice to cancel or they'll charge for one night’s lodging. Normal check-in time is 1:30 p.m. with normal check-out time of 9:30 a.m.
Payment is collected upon arrival as they don't process payments in advance.
Note: They do require general cleaning (removing linens from beds, cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, living area, and bedrooms) prior to departures. There will be a cleaning guide in the apartment you can follow.
For the sake of accountability and general responsibility, we require at least one adult to be staying in an apartment with any non-adult students.
PRICING per night (tax included)*:
1 Bedroom Efficiency: $50.49
1 Bedroom: $52.84
2 Bedroom: $69.28
2 Bedroom 2 Bathroom: $75.15
3 Bedroom 2 Bathroom: $82.20
*Housing fees are separate from the attendance fee
Note to Parents:
This writing conference is open only for teens and young adults who are students of The Young Writer’s Workshop and is not open to the general public. The conference has been planned and organized by three YWW students (with a little help from their parents) for two reasons: 1) For the attendees to learn about writing in a professional conference setting, and 2) For the attendees to get to know some of their fellow YWW writing friends. The sessions and activities are for YWW students and designed with these two goals in mind.
Because this is a three-day conference and many of the YWW students are minors, we realize that many of them will most likely come to the conference with an accompanying adult. The housing at JAARS is very suitable for this, as there are apartments with full kitchens and living rooms, giving any accompanying family members a place to relax during the sessions and activities. There are also many interesting things to do in the nearby Charlotte area. We also realize that there may be some parents who will want to check out some of the sessions and activities to see what their children are learning. For those parents, we will have a few seats in the back of the auditorium for you to sit and observe. There is also a lobby right outside the auditorium with comfortable seating where parents can gather to chat and enjoy the opportunity to get to know other YWW parents as well.
If you have any questions or concerns about the conference, please don’t hesitate to contact us at theydubsconference@gmail.com, and one of the YWW parents who will be supervising the conference will be happy to answer your email.
Contact Us
We hope you're able to attend. If you have questions about the registration process, our schedule, or general information, don’t hesitate to ask us.