Janet McHenry
Author Mentor
Janet McHenry is an award-winning author of 28 traditionally published books, including the following genres: Christian living, Bible studies, devotionals, gift books, and fiction for children and adults.
Get To Know Janet
Janet McHenry is an award-winning author of 28 traditionally published books, including the following genres: Christian living, Bible studies, devotionals, gift books, and fiction for children and adults. Two of those were on bestseller lists: PrayerWalk and 50 Life Lessons for Grads. With a journalism degree from Berkeley, she formerly worked as a newspaper reporter and editor. However, she says she learned to write books at Christian writers conferences and has become an expert at helping others understand writing form and create structure for any kind of writing. Janet is a former educator, writing coach, book editor, creator of the Teachable course Prayer School, and host of the Sierra Valley Writers Retreat. She and her husband, Craig, a cattle rancher, live in the Sierra Valley in northern California, where they raised their four kids. She serves as the prayer ministries director at The Bridge Church in Reno and on the California leadership team for the National Day of Prayer. Besides kayaking on mountain lakes in the Sierra with her husband, Janet’s favorite thing is watching lightbulbs go on in writers’ eyes.
Pre-Conference Session
Structuring Your Nonfiction Book
This clinic will teach three different skill sets. First, you will learn how to structure five different nonfiction genres: Bible studies, devotionals, Christian living books, gift books, and memoirs. Writers hear the expression “Just write the book,” but when we understand the genre form, we not only know how to put a book together, but also save a whole lot of time in the editing process and meet the expectations of potential editors and agents. Second, you will learn how to build a chapter. We also hear the expression “Study the form.” This hands-on clinic will teach writers how to study a book’s form in a hands-on exercise using a real mentor book chapter so you can see how to weave anecdote, teaching points, scripture, exposition of scripture, examples, and more. Lastly, you will learn how to storyboard an entire book outline in a dynamic exercise using sticky notes and the help of a few friends.
15-Minute Appointments
Janet McHenry: Structure Specialist
Janet has written 28 books for traditional publishers, including Christian living books, devotionals, Bible studies, gift books, as well as children’s books and fiction for adults. She can review your proposal, one sheet, or outline and give you counsel to make your project winningly more effective. A seasoned writers conference speaker and the host of the Sierra Valley Writers Retreat, she loves encouraging writers as she helps them understand the form of various genres.
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