Conference FAQs

We are excited you’re considering the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and want to be sure to provide you with the following valuable information. We hope it will make preparing for the conference stress-free.

Ridgecrest BRMCWC 2024 Pricing

NOTE: the conference fee has increased to $425 per person HOWEVER, IF YOU REGISTER NOW through December 2024, there will be an automatic discount of $50 applied to your fee, meaning you ONLY PAY $375!!!!

Click on one of the links below to be taken to that section of the page.

• Classes
• 15-Minute Appointments
• Paid Critiques
• Contests
• Awards Banquet
• General Info:
  • Attire
  • Headshots
  • Bookstore
  • Conference Schedule
  • Class Recordings
  • Stay Current on Changes
  • Facebook

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CLASSES

At BRMCWC, we do NOT require you to sign up for classes beforehand. We actually encourage you to begin praying and asking God to reveal what classes He would have you participate in. You can find a list of classes on our website, and on opening night we’ll have the faculty introduce themselves and give you a brief description of what they’re teaching.

Note:
The only exception to this is practicums. There are some that require advance sign up. To sign up for those, email the instructor directly. (Their information will be listed with the class listings.)

All of our classes are labeled with two distinctions:

1. Practicum, Continuing Class, or Workshop.
   1. A practicum (abbreviated P) is a hands-on class. It can be offered as a workshop (a stand-alone class) or a continuing class.
   2. A continuing class (abbreviated CC) is just that—a class that has new material every day that builds upon itself. These can be 2, 3 or 4 days in length.
   3. A workshop (abbreviated WS) is a class that is possibly repeated more than once, and it will be the same material every time.
2. Act I, Act II, and Act III.
   1. Act I classes are for beginners or new writers in that specific area. For example, an established non-fiction writer who has lots of experience might be a beginner when it comes to writing fiction.
   2. Act II classes are for intermediate writers who may or may not be published in that specific area, but have writing experience.
   3. Act III classes are for advanced writers who have published multiple books and articles and such.

15-MINUTE APPOINTMENTS

These are scheduled times when you can sit down with the author, agent, or editor of your choice and discuss your writing or brainstorm or have them answer your burning questions. You do NOT have to pay for these appointments, they are included as part of your conferee experience.

You will NOT sign up for 15-minute appointments until you get to the conference.

In the meantime, consider who you may want to schedule an appointment with, because after our first group meeting on opening night, you’ll be able to choose two people to meet with and sign up for those appointments. The next morning, after breakfast, you’ll be allowed back into the room to set up any more appointments you’d like. We request you only sign up for two the first night so that everyone has an opportunity to meet with the faculty members they would like to.

PAID CRITIQUES

Several of our faculty members offer to critique your writing and meet with you at the conference. Critiques cost $35 each, and you can find the list of faculty and what type of writing they will critique on the Blue Ridge Conference website soon. Please be sure to follow the guidelines when you submit your request to the faculty members.

These will be IN ADDITION to your regular 15-minute appointments and are paid appointments.

If you sign up for a critique, you will want to check the faculty member’s appointment sheet BEFORE you sign up for your chosen 15-minute appointments opening night. They will have already designated a time to meet with you on their appointment sheet. Once you know when your critique appointments are, then you may sign up for your two chosen appointments. Critique appointments don’t count as those two appointments.

CONTESTS

Eva Marie Everson is our contest director and works very hard every year to organize our contests. Please see the Contest Information page on this website for how to enter and be sure to follow the detailed submission instructions found on that page.

Here are the 3 contests we offer:

The BRMCWC Foundation Awards Contest: This has previously been known as the Unpublished Contest. You must be registered for the entire conference in order to compete. If you have been paid or published through a recognized professional site for your writing in any publication category, then you are ineligible for this contest in that category. (For example, if a publication paid you for a devotion, or if you had a devotion published by a site comparable to crosswalk.com, then you may not enter the contest in the devotion category, but you may enter in a different category.) You may enter in more than one category but we accept only one entry per category.

The Director’s Choice Award: The Director’s Choice Award is given to a published writer, whether via traditional publishing or by independent publishing, who is a past or current conferee. You’ve worked hard and it is our pleasure to recognize your achievement. We accept both fiction and non-fiction books for this contest. Books entered must have been published between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022.

The Selah Awards: The Selah Awards are open to all published authors whose books were published between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022, with either traditional or non-traditional publishers. If the book is co-authored, both authors must sign the entry form. PLEASE NOTE, the eligibility dates are different for the Selah Awards than the other two contests.

The Yvonne Lehman Legacy Award: more information coming soon!

The 2023 Awards Ceremony and Dessert Reception

This event takes place on Wednesday evening and isn’t something you must register for separately. It is an opportunity to dress up—IF YOU CHOOSE. You’ll find our faculty in glittering evening wear and this is our chance to come together to celebrate all of our authors’ hard work by honoring them with awards. The results of all 3 contests will be announced during this time. There isn’t a formal dress code for the Awards Evening. It’s as dressy as you want to make it. Some will wear tuxes or cocktail dresses or gowns. Others will wear their Sunday best, and still others will be in nice jeans and a polo or dress shirt. It’s really up to you how you would like to dress, but we want you to have the information you need to be comfortable in all situations. PLEASE NOTE: This is a ceremony followed by the dessert reception. There is no longer a banquet.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Attire:
General Conference attire is creative, business casual. We suggest appropriate, comfortable clothing. There is a lot of walking up and down hills, so be sure to pack comfortable shoes.

Headshots:
One opportunity that we like to offer our conferees is the chance to have professional headshots taken by our conference photographer. You will notice Lynette Eason snapping pictures throughout the conference. She will also have an appointment sheet so that you can sign up to meet with her and have your picture taken. There is a minimal cost for this service, and we will have more information for you shortly.

Bookstore: Our bookstore will operate in the rear of Spilman Auditorium. Linda and John Gilden are our bookstore managers. Please see our Bookstore tab for information about how to consign a book during the conference.

Conference Schedule:
At the conference, the schedule will be provided to you as a hard copy, tri-fold brochure. All of the faculty bios, class descriptions, etc. are online at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference website.

Class Recordings:
We do offer the opportunity for conference attendees (Attendees ONLY) to buy a package of conference audio recordings for $85.

Stay Current on Changes:
We encourage you to please frequently check this website for new information. There is a place there to sign up for email updates when new information is posted. We strongly urge you to do so. This is the first place we share new information.

Facebook:
We also encourage you to LIKE our Facebook page, another place where we disseminate information regularly.

Again, if you have any questions concerning the conference, we encourage you to join our private official Facebook group. That is the best place to receive an answer, as we have moderators keeping an eye on the conversation at all times. Conference planning is hard work, and we may not always be available answer individual questions quickly, although we do try!

We truly look forward to seeing you discover God’s path for your writing life!

Thanks & Blessings,

Edie Melson & Edwina Perkins
Directors, Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference
www.BlueRidgeConference.com