Write! Canada Conference and Vocabulary Enhancement

(First, let me apologize for how these pics end up in this post. I'm not very good at html and placement. Hopefully you'll enjoy looking at them, though!)

Where do I begin with writing about my three intensive days of learning the craft of fiction writing in the beautiful, peaceful haven of Guelph Bible Conference Center? I'm still processing it all, so what ends up in this post will surely not be inclusive.

This was The Word Guild's twenty-forth writer's conference, my second to attend, and it did not disappoint. With approximately two-hundred attendees including faculty, there was ample opportunity to mingle, network, worship, and lots of great learning to be had, too. For me, this year's line-up of workshops and continuing classes seemed most fitting. I was especially excited about the Romance Writing Intensive continuing five-hour class lead by one of Steeple Hill Love Inspired's best authors, Carolyne Aarsen. Carolyne is an amazing author and a wonderful, personable teacher. You couldn't help but feel at ease in her presence and that makes for the absolute best learning experience possible. If you ever get an opportunity to hear Carolyne Aarsen speak or participate in a class she is leading, don't hesitate, get thee to the front of the room. You won't be disappointed. Her humor and sincerity blend into a spell-bounding talk and her shared knowledge offers great learning for all writers.




Our small class of eight for the continuing class on Romance Writing ended up being a mix of genre writers, not all of us were romance writers, but we all learned from each other. I believe we all went out from those classes with more direction for our own individual stories, as well as gaining valuable writing skills and concepts to enrich our craft.




Attending writing conferences is most definitely "the" way to move forward with respect to writing. No matter what genre you write or whether you write fiction or non-fiction, it's at writer's conferences that you get to connect with others struggling just as you are and learn from those who have defeated the hurdles you may be stumbling to concur yourself right now. The interaction, learning, and networking that happens at writer's conferences is invaluable and very much a stepping stone to reaching your dream as a writer.






If you are blessed enough to partake in a Christian Writer's Conference like Write! Canada, then you gain the added advantage of the most amazing worship time as well. The peace and security you feel when you wake up early in a mini resort-type place such as the Guelph Bible Conference Center, and stroll across the well-manicured grounds into a Fireside room, complete with a stone fireplace, to hear praise lifted for Him in the form of devotionals and wonderful music, is like none other. It's the perfect way to start the day and focus on writing for Him. Boy, I wish Write! Canada's worship team could be a part of every morning for the rest of my life! It's such a wonderful experience to be a part of!

I want to extend a huge THANK YOU to The Word Guild team who organized and prayed this wonderful Write! Canada conference into being! Your amazing effort and attention to detail is greatly appreciated, and although you'll never know how many lives your efforts have touched, please know that your work is truly a ministry and I'm praising God for all you've done! I'm looking forward to next year! See, I already have the countdown on my side bar. I'm not too anxious, am I?

Also, I was just reminded that Bonnie Grove, a member of The Word Guild, will be continuing in the spirit of learning at Write! Canada, with a great line-up of blog postings to help writer's fine-tune their manuscripts with some great guest bloggers participating as well. So bop on over to her blog, Fiction Matters, to continue the learning.
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Considering the topic of this Friday musing, my vocabulary enhancement word of the week I've chosen is: Erudite.

Definitions:

er·u·dite
er·u·dite [érry dt, érr dt]adj

very knowledgeable through study: having or showing great knowledge gained from study and reading scholars erudite in Sanskrit

[15th century. From Latin eruditus , past participle of erudire “to instruct,” from rudis “untrained” (source of English rude).]
-er·u·dite·ly, adv -er·u·dite·ness, n Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

or,

er·u·dite [er-yoo-dahyt, er-oo-] –adjective

characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly: an erudite professor; an erudite commentary.

er·u·dite·ly, adverb
er·u·dite·ness, noun

—Synonyms educated, knowledgeable; wise, sapient.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

My sentence for erudite:

The erudite writer attends conferences and shares their expertise and knowledge for budding writers to gain from. (And we budding writers thank you oh so much for sharing!)

I'd love to see what sentences you can come up with using erudite. And for your effort you'll be entered into my CATY drawing for a Starbucks gift card. May we all have a wonderful weekend ahead.

Blessings,

Eileen