Northwest Christian Writers Association

Monthly Meetings

We meet on the first Monday of each month, September through June, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The September and January meetings are held on the second Monday because of the holidays. Our meetings are hybrid in-person and remote. Emails with meeting details and links to join are sent to all contacts prior to each meeting.

To request an online meeting link, contact our secretary.

We meet at Eastside Foursquare Church, 14520 100th Ave. NE, Bothell, WA 98041 and on Zoom. Join the online meeting early! We start informal socializing at 6:45 PM. It is a great time to meet people.

Opportunities to Present

Each month there is an opportunity for a NCWA member to give a five-minute devotion at our meeting. It is a wonderful opportunity to gain some speaking experience and encourage our members from the Word of God.

Are you a member of NCWA? Do you have a word of encouragement from God’s word? Has God lavished His care upon you, and you wish to raise your voice in thanksgiving? If so, please consider signing up to give one of our monthly devotions.

Use your creativity with words and stories to encourage us. Five minutes is a short amount of time, but still long enough to share a powerful message. Here are a few tips:

Choose a single verse or short passage.
Identify one or two points you want to make.
Keep it simple. Five minutes is not enough time for complexity or topics and stories that require long explanations or set up.
Practicing and timing your devotion will help you refine your message and stay within the time limit.

If you wish to participate, please contact our Devotion Coordinator. We look forward to what you share.

Bonus tip: Consider writing up your devotion and submitting it to our newsletter.

Our members have learned things along the way in their writing journeys. The ten minute Writer’s Coach segment of our meeting provides an opportunity for a member to teach a skill or share a tool for the writing craft.

Are you a seasoned writer who is a member of NCWA with experience and knowledge in a skill area or tool of the writing craft? You might consider volunteering to do one of our 10-minute Writer’s Coach segments. It provides presentation/teaching experience for you and our members benefit from the things you learned on your writing journey.

Here are a few tips:

Choose a single concept, skill or tool.
Plan & Rehearse – If you know you tend to run over shorten the time you allow yourself when practicing. Prepare a one sentence summary you can use if you realize you need to cut it short.
Suggestions to help focus the presentation
- Pick something that helped you refine and improve your writing.
- Introduce us to a tool, software, or event and tell us how it helped you.
- Include an exercise to practice or understand the skill.

Remember the purpose is help equip those listening.

If you wish to participate, please contact our Writers Coach Coordinator.

Bonus tip: Consider writing up your writing coach tips and submitting it to our newsletter.

Opportunities to Share Milestones

If you are a writer who has begun submitting work to publishers, congratulations! Please share your writing-related milestones during the CELEBRATIONS AND REDIRECTIONS portion of our monthly meetings. By the way, we rename rejection letters redirection letters, because we trust that God has an even better plan for your work.

Do you have any publishing news to share with us at a monthly meeting?

What kind of news qualifies?

Getting a book published (self or traditionally).
Publishing an article in a magazine or online publication.
Winning or becoming a finalist in a contest.
Receiving a rejection letter—Hey, it means you’re submitting and in the game.

How does it work?

Double check—this is for members only.
You can sign up by sending an email to our Vice President no later than the day before the meeting or sign up in person at the meeting.
If you are present during the meeting our Vice President will call on you to come forward to share your news. If you are remote, you will unmute your microphone when called on and share.
Because of our time constraints, it is especially important that you limit your sharing to 30 SECONDS. You might want to practice to get a feel for how long you have.
If you share remotely, you will mute your microphone when finished.

We want to hear your news! By sharing your news, we can give glory to God with you and are encouraged in our own journeys.

Are you a published writer who is a member of NCWA? We would love to hear some highlights from your publishing journey. Sharing your story in this five-minute format at our monthly meetings encourages those who are still working towards their publishing dreams.

Sharing highlights from our writing journeys at NCWA is all about recognizing God’s faithfulness to us and encouraging others to keep moving forward on their writing journeys. It is your story and your five minutes. Be creative in how you get it across within the time given.

Here are a few tips:

Strip it down. There is not enough time for long explanations or set up. Well-chosen essentials communicate powerfully.
Plan and rehearse. If you know you tend to run over shorten the time you allow yourself when practicing. Prepare a one sentence summary you can use if you realize you need to cut it short.
Focus your presentation. Here are some suggestions that might help.

In a simple statement answer the question “Why do you write?"
What was one thing that helped you persevere when discouraged?
What was the most significant turning point?
State the success, what was published.

Remember the purpose is to be an encouraging example to those listening.

If you wish to participate, please contact our Author Support Coordinator. We look forward to hearing about your journey.

Bonus tip: Consider writing up your Writers High Five and submitting it to our newsletter.

Members of NCWA can participate in a book launch at a monthly meeting for their newly published books. Book launches include:

Five minutes to describe the book during the meeting.
Opportunity to sell the book at the in-person meeting.
Announcement about the book on NCWA’s Facebook page.
A free book giveaway.

Do you have a newly published book? We want to celebrate with you and help you promote your book to our members.

Qualifications for a book launch:

NCWA member for six months.
Book content agrees with NCWA’s Statement of Faith.
If selling the book at the in-person meeting, the author must be registered as a business with the Department of State Licensing.

Responsibilities:

NCWA provides a table for display purposes.
Author provides everything for the display and sale of their books.
Author is responsible for paying their own sales tax.
Author provides bio, book blurb, photograph, and book cover graphic to the Author Support Coordinators for use on Facebook and in NCWA emails.
Provide a free book for the book giveaway.

If you wish to participate, please contact our Author Support Coordinator.

Upcoming Speakers

September 8, 2025 -- Christina Suzann Nelson

Reset & Rebuild: Finding Your Writing Rhythm Again

Christina Suzann Nelson is an award-winning author of contemporary and time-slip novels that delve deep into the human experience with authenticity, heart, and hope. Her stories often explore themes of family, redemption, and healing, resonating with readers who crave both emotion and truth. Christina is a Christy Award and Carol Award winner, as well as a conference director and passionate advocate for foster care and adoption. When she’s not writing or speaking, she’s DIY-ing her Oregon farmhouse, chasing grandkids, or enjoying coffee. Christina writes to remind readers they are not alone—and that healing is always possible.

Past speakers

May 5 - Cobbling Together an Income as a Writer

Julie McDonald Zander worked as an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor for twenty years before launching her personal history business, Chapters of Life, in 1999. Since then, she has published more than seventy-five individual, company, community, and organizational histories, including histories of Centralia College, Bucoda, Chehalis, the Hemphill-O’Neill Company, and the Lewis County Courthouse. She also does freelance editing for clients and, since May 2007, has written a column once a week for The Chronicle in Centralia, Washington. She has organized conferences and taught workshops for writers, editors, and personal historians.

In 2024, she published her debut novel, The Reluctant Pioneer, inspired by her research for a nonfiction book about the same person. That book, Washington Territory’s Grand Lady, was a finalist for two national awards.

Julie and her husband, Larry, have two grown children.

June 2 - Writing Family Stories

From cautionary tales to heroic inspiration, learn how to write family and local history into your stories.

Angela Breidenbach is the executive director for the International Institute of Genealogical Studies, found at GenealogicalStudies.com, where she helps people become professional genealogists and gain their dream career. As a bestselling author of historical fiction, her stories capture true history while she uses her skills as a professional genealogist to weave in the people, place, and time to bring the past to life. Whether in writing or teaching, Angie is a passionate story-telling educator preserving the past for future generations. Find her latest 6-book series, Queen of the Rockies, at AngelaBreidenbach.com.