Call for judges in the 2024 CALEB Award The CALEB Award from Omega Writers recognises the best in Australasian Christian writing each year. The awards are an opportunity to celebrate excellence within our Christian writing community. We invite you to help us celebrate the talent within our community by volunteering to be a judge of the 2024 Award.  Entries will open on 1 April and instructions for writers wanting to enter will be available shortly on the Omega Writers website. Why be a judge? There are so many reasons! If you are a writer, it helps you interact with some of the best Aust ..read more

 "I am a Yarigai Logophile”   As a school Chaplain I work with parents, students and teachers to ensure families that may be finding the back-to-school effort and outlays a little challenging are supported. Starting school or transitioning back to school after the summer holiday break can be stressful for some. Add to that the potential financial pressure on families of getting all the necessary items on the book list, school uniforms, computers, getting routines organized, and things can be a little difficult. For students this may be compounded by social and emotional stresses ..read more

  I began my writing journey in earnest almost twenty years ago now. Back then, if you had told me I would have ten books published by 2024, I would not have believed you. I thought I had one novel burning inside me, but that turned out to be seven in the end. I also remember declaring back then that I could never see myself writing non-fiction. Yet, just last week, my third non-fiction book, Swansong, was released. Some have asked me why – and how – I keep going with all my writing and speaking. I usually respond by saying that I still feel I have things to say that I hope will encourag ..read more

 A message from Meredith Resce, Acting President of Omega Writers Omega Writers: Australia’s Christian Writers Network has had a wonderful year––full of activities, successes and a few challenges. I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Omega Writers management team who have worked tirelessly around their own day jobs and family responsibilities to make the year a success. Please pray for our team as we continue to plan for activities for next year, including our bi-annual face-to-face conference, planned for September 20-22rd 2024. Lots of work still to do for t ..read more

by Charis Joy Jackson  Earlier this Autumn (or summer depending on which side of the world you’re in) I found myself stuck. It wasn’t exactly writers block per se but a paralyzing fear that kept me writing a sentence only to delete it and start over again. And again, and again. I’d been asked to write an article for a magazine read by missions leaders around the world and the topic was close and heavy, and out of reach. One of the founders, Loren Cunningham, of Youth With A Mission, the movement I’ve worked with for over 15 years, and been around since I was six, passed away and they ..read more

by Claire Bell  I said to a fellow writer recently that creative writing is my counselling room. As a long-time counsellor and a new writer, he got my analogy straight away. It’s not that I have had an especially hard life or a history of trauma. I considered myself a relatively even-tempered person, with some good coping strategies and a great God who is the foundation of all the wonderful support I receive from others. So how do I end up in this unexpected counselling room? I've not had to work as hard at any other role in my life as I do in professional writing. I love writing; the ac ..read more

 by Anusha Atukorala Recently, my phone seems to have a bumble bee buzzing blearily inside its bright blue bouncy bonnet! (A bee in its bonnet?) When its battery power falls below 50%, a red light starts to flash, warning me that my battery will soon be flat. My phone then switches into power-saving mode and its google chat function‘s background turns dark. In actual fact, there’s absolutely nothing to worry about. It can function very well for the rest of the day even with the charge dropping steadily.   When my phone was new, the warning was given only when its charge was below 15 ..read more

  By Jen Richards The 2023 Omega Writers online retreat was a fantastic time of togetherness for Australia’s Christian Writers Network. The 2023 Annual General Meeting… The retreat started on Friday night with the 2023 Omega Writers AGM, where members gained updates on the business side of the network. President Penny Reeve announced she was stepping down midterm, which was a great loss to the network.  Thankfully, Meredith Resce is willing to step in as interim president, bringing with her a wealth of experience and a passion for supporting Christian writers, while the committee s ..read more

  Christian Writers Downunder is a diverse group of writers, editors, bloggers, illustrators. As a group we support each other through our Facebook page and blog. Today's blog will highlight some of the achievements of our members from April-October 2023 New Releases & Launches Elizabeth Klein Dreamscape: Saving Mermaid Lagoon Book 3  Dreamscape: Saving Mermaid Lagoon Book 3 on August 31st, 2023. Paperback on September 9th 2023. Against his will, Sam Flynn is sent on a crazy mission by a bumbling fairy godmother to save a colony of mermaids. Instead, a group of pirat ..read more

 It’s that time of year! Spring has sprung. The trees are blossoming, the bees are busy, it’s time to plant tomatoes, the agricultural shows are popping up all around the countryside AND Omega Writers’ Zoom Retreat is happening. I read a lament – or maybe just an observation – that many people prefer face-to-face. It’s true. There’s nothing like getting away from the grind of daily routine, settling into an accommodation with writing friends, sharing meals together, and generally enjoying not only the input and teaching, but also the fellowship. Omega Writers management committee had b ..read more