April Challenge #1

           Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to write a premise for the story you most want to work on.
           This is not to say you can't have new ideas, but this will hopefully help to focus on your favorite idea, and start making some progress on it.

    Here's the link to the Go Teen Writer's post with some helpful tips on writing a premise. Remember, it can be as short as a single sentence, and shouldn't be longer then a paragraph. At our next meeting, we'll all to to share what we've wrote.

        Happy writing! Here's some encouragement from the Doctor. :)

"Calla Rathbourne is shy and withdrawn, but when an event arises that her family has been participating in for generations, she must decide between staying in her comfort zone and honoring her parents."
     -Evilas Cuson

The Roman world is a changing place under Emperor Diocletian, and newly stationed centurion of the urban cohort of Salonae, Quintus Hadrianus,  needs to find where he stands.  Profitable opportunities open themselves as his reputation spreads, but a ghost from his past could mean forfeiting everything, even his life. 

Change has also come for Milo, a slave in a wealthy household, and aspiring physician. After hearing the message of the gospel, he must learn how to follow the One True God in a harsh pagan world, and when to live is Christ, to die is gain. 

   - Beatrice Ravencroft, "Mithras and Myrrh"

19 year old Rory Sonders had everything in control, but with one missed step her life came crashing down like old Grams in the stairwell. On her own, with a newborn in her care, and the con man next door endangering all their lives, they have to leave the city if they want to survive. Except to their knowledge, no one has ever left. 
- Rosewood, "In The Present Age". 

In 1801 Denmark, who had been peaceful for eighty years, was thrown into the Napoleonic war. There was no lack of prospective soldiers, because the Danish countrymen were filled with patriotism and love of fatherland. They would all fight for their country without blinking twice, except Fritjof Hawken. He wondered why they were fighting, because the glory of war didn't blind him to the great pain it caused. If the Danish government couldn't uphold peace, then Fritjof had to. He vowed to save his compatriots' lives, but can a single man save a country?

           -Johny A. Crow

In the future a desert filled with ruins hides an advanced geo-dome.
This dome is the home of Bas, and his good friend Ril, though to them it has become a prison. Together they venture out of the dome and into the desert to find what adventure they can, and to discover the fate of their classmate, Cas. However, in their adventures they are pursued by Ril's malicious brother, Drez, and an evil gang inhabiting the desert. 
        - Dom I. Nayshun

 A doorknob that is always locked is found by a boy named Elem. It just so happens that he is able to open it and its almost like an invisible door to an invisible room and in it is a book that a famous author, (whom I don’t know who it is yet) wrote and every page comes to life but it is unfinished and he embarks on an adventure to finish the book.
         - Gabe

Charles is a young detective on the cusp of fame and success, but a debilitating car accident leaves him blind and without the use of his legs. When he is forced to face the biggest case of his career, he must overcome his fears and difficulties in order to achieve his dreams.
        - Gaal Warbeck

Well, hello there!

Welcome to the CWS!

This is a rather casual little organization that I am starting for my friends and I.

You are, very likely, one of those friends. 

Because, otherwise, I doubt you would be here. 

So, my friend, shall we continue?

Let me introduce you to the Christian Writer's Syndicate.

The name has a nice ring to it, don't you agree?

It was my sister's idea. 

Yes, the word syndicate may conjure the image of a crime family, at least it did for my father.

However, one of it's definitions is quite fitting:

"A syndicate is a self-organizing group of indivuals, formed to pursue a shared interest." 

Thanks Wikipedia! 

That a pretty good description of what we are.

What brings us all together is our love of stories, and we'll pursure that together.

But realistically, what will that look like?

Here's what I think.

This would be a time for like minded individuals to come together for the sole purpose of discussing, brainstorming, asking, helping with, be a sounding board for etc… anything in the realm of stories. Particularly from a Christian worldview. 

It should be an environment in which anyone would be free to speak, yet also being considerate of others and not taking over a discussion time. 

It should be a time to listen to and invest in others. Not a time for writers to simply gush about their favorite ideas. I know that will be a temptation, but please refrain.  

One may come with a question, or a difficulty they have reached, or a specific idea they want an second opinion on, or present a senario for discussion, or simply with something new they have found helpful. 

Others, who are not solely there as a writer, may come and offer their help in other related ways. Illustrators, graphic designers, editors, readers, all are welcome!

Simply put, it would mostly be a time for giving. A time of helping others, and encouraging each other, hopefully adding their experiences and knowledge together in useful and accessible way.