Young writer editors Aira Chilcott and Rebecca Moore with Cheryl McGrath at One Day in Melbourne
The 2017 annual young writer conference is being held at the Alexander Park Conference Centre at Alexander Headland on Saturday 12 August only three weeks away with a 'splendid' program.
These annual conferences are a special part of the Press Service International young writer program in association with Christian Today – that is Christian Today Australia and Christian Today New Zealand.
The first such conference was in 2010 on the Gold Coast with the five sport writers followed in 2011 with 'comment' writers. In both cases David Chang the editor of Christian Today attended, and in Melbourne 2013 when next conference was held David Chang attended along with Natalie Chu.
Natalie Chu took over the editorship of Christian Today in 2014 and attended that Gold Coast conference and thus so to this year, on the Sunshine Coast.
Russell Modlin – MC for the conference
Morning Seminars
MC for the conference is Russell Modlin who will introduce the two key note speakers for this 2017 annual young writer's conference are
Mr Mark Furler
Mark is the former editor of the Sunshine Coast Daily newspaper and is now with AAP. A serious career journalist.
His topic - News Angles
Mr John Lemmon
John is in itinerant ministries travelling across Australia into regional and rural areas speaking the love of Jesus and is a serious Christian blogger. He addressed 'One Day in Melbourne' in June on Blogging in a Christian context.
His Topic - Blogging to your audience
The subject, 'news angles' is a vital area for the young writers, always looking for fresh ideas to ponder when setting out to write their next article.
I recall writing 'hockey' for the Illawarra Mercury 1971-76 and the then Chief of Staff Mr Peter Newell wrote in a referee that I had a flair for 'news angles'. I then went on to write 'hockey' as a stringer for The Australian for 24 years.
Yes, news angles are critical and can turn an eye!
Mark Furler
Blogging
85% of our young writers have some form of a blog and therefore blogging is a vital part of their quiver in their personal ministries.
Blogs can be formal set out documents in an internet setting with feature articles and can be read by both a registered list of 'blog recipients' or indeed the public. Newspapers, Online News, Journals, Magazines of all sorts uses blogs, some of these have regular contributors, others less so.
When I commenced my online blog many years now, it had two purposes. The first was to weekly inform (Sunday afternoon) our faith finance support network what was on our ministry plate the week that had gone or the week that was to come.
In this sense it provided a weekly information note. It has one photo and short note. Therefore it is easy to read, everyone likes a good photo which replaces a thousand words, and it can be viewed and done-with in a very short time. If the photo is of particular note, it will be remembered, and so will our ministries.
The second purpose of this 'one photo and short note' Sunday weekly blog is to alert our support network if there is a specific financial need for a ministry project and in this case, it provides an avenue to raise mission funding.
Most of our young people who have blogs do so for numerous reasons. Some are involved in missionary activities and it lets family, friends and supporters know of their mission duties. Some write practical ministry outcomes or theological articles in their blogs.
John Lemmon at One Day in Melbourne speak in with Brad Quillian and Rex Dale
John Lemmon
John Lemmon spoke at One Day in Melbourne on 'Blogging in a Christian context' and a summary of this presentation may be read in Christian Today.
He is changing that presentation to a format to whit these young people are conversant with blogging and taking it to another level. He uses power point and other IT devices to communicate his message.
We look forward to the 2017 annual young writer conference with these plenaries, two very important subjects - News Angles - and - Blogging.
Young writers at One Day in Melbourne Bridget Brenton, Tim Price and Irenie How (NZ)
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at