Youths Earn Way Into Christian Writers Conference Class Polishing Work For Editors

Andrew Haught, 11, is a poet.

He has a favorite poem called “Grace Is God’s Love,” which will be critiqued by some of the best in the Christian-writing business this weekend.

Andrew can’t explain exactly why he’s so excited to attend the 1995 Northwest Christian Writers Conference.

“It’s just a feeling inside,” he said, his wide blue eyes gazing into space as if looking for the words to express himself. “To actually have something published sounds really fun. It doesn’t matter where it’s published.”

Andrew and a dozen other young writers have sold cookies and coffee at a highway rest stop, pledged their time as ambassadors at the three-day conference, helped distribute conference brochures and toiled over their writing to earn their way into the annual conference usually reserved for adults.

The young writers are members of Write Now For Him. The 25-member class of mostly home-schooled students meets weekly in the Haught family basement, which is a large classroom.

Sheri Stone, director of the Northwest Christian Writers Conference, teaches the class and also has taught as a substitute in Coeur d’Alene schools. Stone often tries to stimulate her students’ creativity with timed writing exercises using random objects.

On Thursday, she arranged a hole-punch, paper clips, felt-tip markers, a ruler and a box of sugar cubes.

Andrew wrote little, twirling his pencil thoughtfully.

“I was going to write a poem, but I couldn’t think of anything that rhymes with cube,” he said after the five minutes were up.

Stone is preparing her students to meet with editors and well-known Christian writers at the conference. Last Thursday, some of the youths were polishing their manuscripts.

Ben Williams, 14, who likes historical fiction, wrote a novelette about Benjamin Franklin and a fictional apprentice named Will.

Will is entrusted with an important note to deliver to the founding fathers as they write the Declaration of Independence. The young apprentice has to use his wits to escape the British Redcoats.

Ben said he would like to find someone at the conference to publish his adventure for preteens.

“I’ve been working on that story for a long time,” he said, after reading his first chapter aloud.

Ben’s story has neither a Christian message nor a strong moral statement. The common thread of these writers is that they’re Christians - not that they always write about Christianity.

Stone said that, essentially, there is no difference between Christian and secular writing. What makes someone a “Christian writer” is they usually write to a Christian marketplace. Non-Christians are welcome in the group, she said.

The value of the group, 13-year-old Amanda Haught explained in a short essay about the group, is “that I can write about Jesus and nobody laughs because they love Jesus, too.”

The spiritual connection among Christian writers will be a central theme at this weekend’s conference. Many of the writers attending the conference are honing their skills with the express purpose of spreading the Christian message.

The welcome note on the conference brochure reads, “As an ominous darkness seems to be overwhelming the world in which we live, a call has been placed on the lives of Christian writers.”

The keynote address will be delivered by Frank Peretti, author of several Christian books, including “This Present Darkness,” “Piercing the Darkness” and “The Prophet.”

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MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: WRITERS CONFERENCE The conference starts Thursday and runs through Saturday at Templin’s Resort. The cost is $165 for adults or $75 per day. Call 667-4245 for more information.