The Spring COMPEL Book Club starts soon!


COMPEL Training Heather Holleman Seated With Christ

At COMPEL Training, we are excited to announce our spring COMPEL Book Club pick Seated With Christ: Living Freely in a Culture of Comparison starting on May 6th.We will be joined by the book’s author Heather Holleman, as well as Moody Publishers’ Senior Acquisitions Editor Judy Dunagan for four weeks of tips and teachings on the wisdom of writing and the process of publishing. 

This COMPEL Book Club is unique in that it’s not merely a discussion about a selected book, but rather a study of how the author wrote a book, including writing styles and techniques, editing wisdom and publishing tips and advice. It’s a place where writers are able to connect and engage with authors and editors, with the goal of improving their own writing and advancing their publishing dreams. We’ve included a message from Heather Holleman below so you can hear directly from her about what she plans on sharing with you during the next four weeks. 

A message from Heather Holleman

For the month of May, I’m thrilled to join the COMPEL Book Club to showcase my two passions: connecting women to Jesus and training writers to develop excellence in their craft. I spend my days in central Pennsylvania as a wife, mother of teen daughters, college instructor, author and speaker. I’m known as a lover of vivid verbs (I keep a growing list of my 500 favorite verbs) and one of the most enthusiastic professors around (I’ve been called a walking exclamation point!). Over the past 20 years, I’ve developed a particular method of helping others develop as writers that I cannot wait to share with you.

You’re about to become the writer you knew you could be.

But the best part of COMPEL Training this May isn’t only the writing instruction; you’re also invited to experience profound transformation in your spiritual journey as we read Seated with Christ: Living Freely in a Culture of Comparison. I wrote this book after an encounter with a single verb in scripture that God used to change nearly everything about me. In Ephesians 2:6 we read that “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” By exploring that tiny little word, “seated,” I realized I never lived as if I had a seat at the table. Everything about my life was fighting to belong as the seat I thought would finally bring me happiness. I wanted the table of beauty, wealth, and fame. I wanted attention. I wanted belonging. I wanted life to finally begin for me. I lived with so much comparison and jealousy that it poisoned my soul. I was like the woman described by psychologist Lauren Slater who said, “I ache for something I cannot name.”

I ache for something I cannot name.

After understanding that I already had a seat at the Greatest Table with the Greatest King, Jesus healed the ache in me and sent my life on a supernatural adventure that He’s beckoning you for as well. Readers from all over the world have discovered a fresh encounter with Jesus—and a new way to shape their lives—after reading Seated With Christ, and I’m praying God uses this book powerfully in your life, too.

Along the way, this COMPEL Book Club sets you on a path of confidence, creativity and increasing success in your writing life. During our month together, I plan to share all my advanced writing classroom secrets as well as my best writing assignments to hone your skills. With techniques I’ve tested over the last 20 years, I’ll guide you through easy, fun and effective writing strategies that correspond to each chapter we’ll read in Seated with Christ. Here’s a glimpse of what I’ve planned for you.

You’ll learn the following 10 skills:

  1. How to create a problem to solve to keep readers engaged
  2. How to bolster your authority as a writer
  3. How to ask questions to a reader to engage their logic
  4. How to respond with relevance to the culture
  5. How to create a mood in writing that makes a reader feel something
  6. How to transport readers using strong verbs and sensory detail
  7. How to generate a written voice using advanced grammar and varied sentence patterns
  8. How to employ special tricks like italics, repeated first words, and isolated sentences
  9. How to understand the effect of pronouns on a reader
  10. How to craft a story of transformation to invite change in the reader

Do you want to join us on our journey to writing wisdom?

The COMPEL Book Club is hosted on Facebook and is free and exclusive for all COMPEL members.  CLICK HERE to learn how you can join COMPEL Training for invaluable information on mastering the craft of writing and exclusive access to our COMPEL Book Club. We hope you join our COMPEL community as as a way to learn from bestselling authors, powerhouse speakers and master communicators on how to creatively and expertly share the message God has placed on your heart.

If you’re a current member and want to join the COMPEL Book Club, you can find the link to the private Facebook group and the password to join in the Weekly Word or you can always send us an email at [email protected] and we will be more than happy to help you!

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Tracie Miles has been the Director of COMPEL Training at Proverbs 31 Ministries since January 2017, and has been volunteering on the speaker and writer teams for Proverbs 31 since 2007. Tracie is an author coach who works one on one with writers of all levels to help them pursue their writing dreams, and can be found at www.traciemiles.com. She is the author of seven bestselling books, including Living Unbroken, Love Life Again, Unsinkable Faith, Stress Less Living and Your Life Still Counts, and has a new book releasing July 2024 called God's Got You: Embracing New Beginnings With Courage and Confidence. She is also the founder of the national Living Unbroken Divorce Recovery Program, a 7 week study series to help women heal and recover together. Tracie has three grown children, two of whom are married, and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. You can connect with Tracie on her website at www.traciemiles.com as well as on Facebook and Instagram.

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Comments

  1. andrea moody: May 13, 2019 at 11:40 am

    Hello There.

    I do believe that writing is a passion of mine, and would like to expand in that area. As a Christian, I believe that there is much that God wants me to share with others. How can I begin to brighten the life of someone else including my own journey and God’s Grace to strengthen their faith.

  2. Patricia Ortega: May 3, 2019 at 5:46 pm

    The book is sold out on Amazon, anywhere else I can get it before the 6th?

    Also… I do not have a Facebook. Is that the only way to join?
    Thanks!

    • Suzie Eller: May 6, 2019 at 4:40 pm

      Facebook is the only venue, Patricia. Would you consider setting up a temporary personal page so you can join? Also, you can check out sites such as christianbooks.com or bn.com and other book selling sites. Blessings!

  3. Is the BOGO offer still going on for the Compel Training for new users?

  4. I received my book on Saturday, and I can’t wait to get started!

  5. Good morning,
    I’m a man of years and considering writing a story about my life. Is COMPEL Training for me?
    Thank you and God bless!

    • Glynnis Whitwer: April 23, 2019 at 8:47 pm

      Hi Taryl, Yes it is!! The training we have is for writers at all stages of their journey, in life and writing!! We’d love to have you join us.