At the School of Kingdom Writers, students focus on three training components: spiritual development, creative writing, and professional development.
That’s a lot of ground to cover. Thankfully, there are many experts available who want to help our students learn and succeed. During our first quarter, five guest speakers shared their expertise. These guest speakers ensure our students develop a broader understanding of the world.
We are so grateful to each expert for volunteering their time to our students last quarter. They are presented here in the order in which they visited.
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Drucilla Wells - FBI Psychological Profiler
Drucilla Wells, retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent, was the first guest to speak with our students this year. After a full career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, including a variety of roles inside of the Bureau, Drucilla is enthusiastic about helping writers understand the structure and leadership of The Bureau and create believable characters and crime procedures in their stories.
Students were fascinated to speak with Dru about cases she worked in the Behavioral Analysis Unit, where she created psychological profiles of criminals. Students learned about the complex structure of the chain of command, how jurisdiction is determined in inter-state crimes, and how to plan accurate portrayals of the FBI’s involvement in solving a crime.
Thank you, Dru, for offering your time and expertise so that our students can create compelling and accurate works of fiction that carry the Kingdom message forward.
Elizabeth Sammons - Advocate for the Visually Impaired
Accessibility advocate Elizabeth Sammons shared her passion to create a more accessible online experience for individuals with visual impairment. Students learned how to optimize their websites and blogs to be compatible with screen reading technology for the blind.
As a non-sighted individual herself, Elizabeth graciously answered the students’ questions and spoke about how to respectfully portray visually-impaired characters in their writing. Elizabeth shared keys for portraying handicapped individuals in a way that prevents stereotypes or unfair generalizations.
Thank you, Elizabeth, for your willingness to share your life experience with us and teach our students how to respect and honor those with differing abilities.
Tom Pauquette - Senior Pastor of the Grove City Vineyard
Tom Pauquette, retired senior pastor of Vineyard Christian Fellowship, engaged students in a discussion about incorporating Kingdom messaging within creative writing. Every believer has a lens through which they view scripture. For example some people are drawn to examples of God’s redemption or His healing power. Oftentimes, this lens can help a writer define their overarching Kingdom message.
Through examining their unique temperament, experiences, and values, students began to uncover the Kingdom message they want each reader to experience upon reading their work. Tom explained that writers, like pastors, must narrow their focus to “preach about something, not everything.”
We are so grateful to Tom for sharing strategies that will help our students become messengers of God’s truth through their writing.
Cory Hartman - Content Manager for the Future Church Company
Cory Hartman, ghostwriter and content manager for Future Church Company, spoke with our students about the road to becoming a published professional writer. He shared his story of changing careers from pastor to writer, including the victories and hardships he faced in the transition.
Having taken his own risky yet rewarding step into his calling as an author, Cory shared with our students the lessons he learned along the way.
Thank you, Cory, for modeling to our students how to begin by following God’s plan and then continue by trusting in Him to provide the resources needed to succeed.
Learn more about Cory Hartman at CoryHartman.com.
Brit Eaton - Ghostwriter and Brand Development Specialist
Brit Eaton, author and Storybrand consultant visited the school to help students better utilize Donald Miller’s Storybrand marketing framework. Because the marketing principles are based on elements of story, Brit shared how the students can use the Storybrand framework to plan engaging stories and improve their copywriting.
Students learned the importance of focusing their story by selecting a central theme, one message that is communicated to the reader throughout the book. Additionally, Brit led students in an activity to discover their unique writing “voice” and determine if the voice feels sustainable and authentic for long term use.
We are so grateful that Brit met with our students and shared her enthusiasm for communicating the love of Jesus through storytelling.
Learn more about Brit Eaton at BritEaton.com, or find her on Instagram.
Thank you!
We are so grateful to each guest. Your time, commitment, and willingness to share your knowledge with our students is deeply appreciated.
We’re excited for these guest to return, along with many other guests that are planned for the remainder of the year.
Where else can writers get regular access to professionals like this? If you’re ready to take your writing to the next level, join our next full-time class.
Leanna Hampton contributed to this blog post. Check out her website at www.LeannaHampton.com and subscribe to her mailing list.
