Conference Teaching Topics

Editing Focus

Self-edit Your Manuscript—with Help from an Editor

Ready to go back over that first draft of your manuscript and polish it? Veteran editor and publishing professional Linda Taylor will walk through checklists and some examples of the first pages of manuscripts to help you get your work-in-progress in its best shape before you send it off. Bring your laptop with your manuscript on it. We’ll get it formatted correctly, and then we’ll spruce up those first pages.

Basic Grammar and Punctuation Review

Sharpen those tools in your grammar toolbox. I see so many of the same types of errors in manuscripts, so let me help you be a writer editors love because you know how to handle a few of these basic details correctly.

How to Keep Your (Microsoft) Word Under Control

Ever feel like punching your computer screen because Microsoft Word keeps doing things—things you don’t want? Bring your computer to this session, and we will begin to understand a few ways to undo what you don’t want and get what you want as you’re creating your written masterpieces. Tips, shortcuts, helps, hindrances, and how to generally navigate Microsoft Word with the tools already in the program.

Formatting Your Manuscript for Publication

Whether you’re turning in your full book manuscript, sample chapters, or even an article for a magazine, publishers have particular standards for submission. Learn how to locate and understand those guidelines, and then how to make your documents conform.

Teaching about editing at the Florida Christian Writers Conference, October 2025.

(Note: The following 3 workshops can be stand-alone or could work well as a continuing class.)

Editing Yourself and Others: Big-picture Editing

This session considers big-picture or content editing. The first pass on a manuscript looks at the entire logical layout in nonfiction; and plot, characterization, setting, etc., in fiction. You’ll learn what editors are looking for and asking in that first pass on a manuscript and what questions you need to ask to help get your manuscript in great shape at the macro level before an agent or acquisitions editor sees it.

Editing Yourself and Others: Detailed Copyediting

In this session, we’ll talk copyediting—the next phase of editing after the manuscript is finalized from the editor. We’ll study Microsoft Word—templates, style tags, track changes, and other helpful tools. Bring along your laptop to try some basic techniques. And—oh yes—a session on copyediting wouldn’t be complete without some grammar!

Editing Yourself and Others: Proofreading

Proofreading may happen on a manuscript, but most often the proofreaders are looking at pdfs of typeset pages. In this session, you’ll receive a checklist of what proofreaders need to look for when they receive a pdf of a book. You’ll also learn the tools for marking pdfs. Bring your laptop—and download the latest version of Adobe before you come at https://get.adobe.com/reader/.

Publishing Focus

Creating a Concept that Connects: How to Get Your Words Heard

Truly understanding your concept is crucial to getting your words heard. This workshop will give the tools listeners need to connect their concept with the right publishers, and then to be able to communicate that concept in a clear and concise way. By having a clear purpose, philosophy, and plan, they can distill their concept into an “elevator pitch,” a 15-minute writer conference pitch, and the longer proposal.

Pathway to Publication

Ever wonder how many hands actually touch a book once your manuscript arrives at the publishing house? In this session, we walk a book through the entire process and see who makes what decisions and why; in other words, from manuscript to book—how it happens. We’ll talk about the “gear” you need as you trek this trail to publication and what publishers want from you and why. You’ll learn about the three key pathways to publication—traditional, self, and hybrid—and how to watch out for publishing predators. By the end of the session, you’ll have a plan for your next project.

Platform Focus

Crafting a Comprehensive Social Media Strategy and Calendar

Note: This session works for writers conferences and also for college students considering how to use their social media strategically to position themselves and move into the job world.

Social media is most likely a part of your daily life. Whenever you have a free moment, you probably pull out your phone and scroll. That might be a waste of time, but then again, it might not—not if you’re using social media strategically and if you’re curating content that you can share as part of your brand. The key is having a plan—and that plan looks like a personal social media calendar. In this session, we’ll discuss a step-by-step process to creating a workable calendar that enhances your social media presence and makes you stand out as a professional.

Speaking at the Elevate Social Media Conference at Taylor University, October 2023.

Writing Focus

Ekphrasis: Writing the Details, Telling the Story

Ekphrasis is Greek for “description.” It is defined as one medium of art trying to relate to another medium—for example, a poem inspired by a piece of classic artwork. In this session, ekphrasis will take the form of writing a personal essay from a photograph. In this session, we look closely at some examples of ekphrastic writing, and then write a short creative essay to go with a meaningful personal photograph

Writing Real

Flannery O’Connor wrote, “Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information to last him the rest of his days.” And, by extension, plenty to write about! In this interactive writing session, you’ll learn some techniques for mining your life for material to write about and discuss how to tell those bits of your story in the most compelling ways possible. This is especially helpful for those who are writing memoirs, personal articles, and devotionals.

Writing Short: How to Say a Lot in a Few Words

Sometimes the word counts are minimal, depending on the assignment. Believe it or not, it can be more difficult to write 200 words than 2000 words—especially if you are actually trying to make a point and give a complete thought. This session teaches how to write short but with punch.