Workshop/seminar/ or speaking topics
Related to Writing
as presented by Leona Choy

The Poet Who is a Christian--Moving Beyond Craft to Ministry
Based on her book, "Release the Poet Within! How to Improve Your Poetry Craft and Ministry" For the seasoned poet and the beginner. Includes: What is a poem and who is a poet? Blaze your own trail to the glory of God. You don’t have to limit yourself to traditional formats. Develop your own style, your "voice." The process of giving birth to a poem. The how-tos of self-publishing. Resources and markets. How to craft "plain vanilla" verse into poetry of excellence. Loads of creative ways to use poetry for prayer and ministry.

Hearing God for Ideation in Writing.
Based on the author’s book, "How to Capture and Develop Ideas for Writing." Brainstorming vs having the mind of Christ. Writing from an overflowing heart and spiritual depth. Pick up your butterfly net. Capturing and developing ideas for various writing genre. Increase your flow of ideas. Evaluate and craft them. Jump across the genres. Versatility to expand your horizons. Look for spin-offs. Who owns ideas? The art of slanted rewriting. Choosing the right market.

This is Your Life-Write It!
Telling your own story--memoir writing. Fun writing at its best. Autobiographies--why and who cares? Narrow marketing. Motivation. Maintaining integrity. Various formats. Vulnerability vs "pedestal" writing. Confessions Christian style. Step by step process and memory joggers to help you recall your personal history. Guidelines and markets.

The Ins and Outs of Self-Publishing
Pluses and pitfalls. Reasons, rewards and realities. Nitty-gritty financial matters. Producing a product of excellence to compete in the marketplace. How and where to market after the shipment arrives. Using the media for better or worse. Promoting yourself and your message while keeping your spiritual integrity and true humility. Do I have to be "visible"? Advantages of being "out there." Step by step guidance for various forms of self-publishing.

Chronologically Challenged is a Plus!
For "mature audiences"-- well, perhaps writers over 40! Never too late to start or resume writing. The "Caleb spirit." Attempting new mountains after 40 years. The expanding market for and by seniors. Guess what? The editor can’t see your wrinkles! Advantages: accumulated experiences, mature perspective, wealth of ideas, time to attend writers’ conferences. Significant examples of "late bloomers" who bear fruit in mature years. Specific markets and guidelines.

How to Write for the Supreme Editor, God.
(Based on author’s forthcoming book by that title.) Digging beneath the surface of a Christian writers’s motivation. "Others may, but you cannot." Writing can be hazardous to your spiritual life. Guarding my spiritual infrastructure. Are you "under Master control" when you write? Collaborating with God. Examining your goals, calling and ambition. The proper perspective on competition.. Dealing with both monster pride and hang-dog self-esteem. A Mary or Martha spirit in my writing? Is the Lord my first love or is writing? Do I write to see my byline or for ministry and the glory of God? How to have the mind of Christ. Some biblical examples of good writers.

Writing from the Traumas of Life.
Write from whatever happens to you, but don’t hurry to publish. Carefully learn the lessons God is teaching you first. Should I even tell my story? Examining my motivation. How to connect with the reader. Be vulnerable but not indiscreet. Offer hope, don’t stir up hurts. Offer carry-out value. Various genre for life-experience writing. Special markets for the experience story or book. Examples from the author’s several books on widowhood and illness.

Come Join the "Dream Team"
The place of dreams and visions and ambitions for the Christian writer. What is fantasy or reality? Examine your gifts and follow through. Sweat your dream. Interpreting God’s dreams or pursuing mine. Getting your dream off the launching pad. Disciplines to make dreams come true. Importance of measurable goals. Time management techniques. Power for dream fulfillment. The risk of walking on water.

So You think You Want to Write a Book . . .
Should I write a book? Do I have what it takes? Do I have something fresh to say? Taking stock of my resources. Did God call me or am I self-motivated? The realities of first-timers getting a book published. The place of research. The dog-eat-dog publishing world, even among Christian publishers. Do I need an agent? Some short cuts on the long journey. How to "grow" a book. Avoiding the glut topics and frothy writing. What the marketplace wants vs what God wants me to write. Going the query and proposal route vs self-publishing.

Devotionals from an Overflowing Heart
Writing devotionals, the never-ending market. Topics, structure and style. Defining your market. Writing from life situations. Writing from biblical material. What matters to you? How deep is your spiritual life? Rewriting for multiple markets. Compiling devotionals into a book. Eating bread while you’re baking a cake. Lemonade for a dozen customers. The reprint merry-go-round. Snip, clip and file. Advantages of throwing the freelance. The myriad markets. Where to begin.

Sharpen Your Own Blue Pencil
Revising and rewriting. Editing your own work before the editor sees it. What the editor looks for in your manuscript. Cliches and stale stuff. Protestant Latin. The necessity of conciseness. Editing the work of others. Refrigerate your writing to develop objectivity. The Thesaurus is not a dinosaur. Learn to follow rules before you break them. Precise vocabulary vs wordiness. Checklists for good writing in any genre.

General Interest Speaking Topics
(Also on any subject of her books;and book reviews)

Making it Through the Adversities of Life
Illness, hospitalization, recovery, bereavement, aging, and other hurts of life enter all of our lives, and the lives of those we love. Changes are inevitable but God is sufficient for any of the traumas of life. Leona will discuss realistic expectations and God’s wonderful provision for whatever happens in life.

Walking the unfamiliar road of being single again
How to make successful adjustments after the loss of a loved one and move on to a new assignment from God. Coping with all the "firsts" and gradually getting back into life’s mainstream. Sound, biblical counsel on how to help others who are going through the grieving process.

How to "Live it UP" as a "Seasoned Saint"
Growing older does not need to be a spiritually declining period. It is an opportunity to please the Lord by "bringing forth fruit" in our maturing years. We have bonus time to leave a lasting heritage while we climb new mountains like the biblical Caleb.

Can Western Christians still bring the gospel to China and the Chinese?
Opportunities for witness in closed door countries. Real life stories of triumphant Christians in China despite their persecution and imprisonment. Opportunities at our own doorstep on campuses and in our community.

Writing your life-memoir even if you are not a writer
Why you should write your own life story to leave a lasting legacy. Leona is sure to motivate you and take you through the simple steps of doing it in your own way and at your own pace. She will share samples and examples of what other non-writers have done.

Poetry readings (flexible program)
A poetry program of readings from any of Leona’s Poetry Anthologies. Leona will give the background of their writing and devotional thoughts from them. She will be happy to read your favorites as you follow along in her books.

An evening with Andrew and Emma Murray
Leona will recount significant events in the Murrays’ lives. She will read human interest selections from her newly expanded biography, and share background information about how she obtained resource material from the Murray descendants and others in South Africa. She will tell about how Andrew Murray happened to write some of your favorite deeper-life devotional books.

Leona Choy reserves a major part of the year at home to pursue her writing ministry, staying close to the computer. To inquire about her availability for speaking to your group, please contact her with possible dates well in advance of the event.

Please provide full details of your program, conference or meeting and the topic on which you are inviting her to speak. Request an information sheet outlining her requirements, travel arrangements, etc.

Contact 

Back to the Home Page