ACFW Conference

I've paid my registration fee. I've booked my hotel room. I've arranged for transportation. And I still have 82 days to wait.

I'm going to the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota September 18 - 21, 2008.

This is only my second ACFW Conference. I can't wait.

Going to a writers conference is a big boost to a writer.

1. You meet a whole lot of other people who are crazy enough to pursue writing as a career.


2. You take workshops that actually help you become a better writer.


3. You meet a whole lot of other people who have rejection letter stories.


4. You network with editors and agents and get valuable clues as to what to do right in order to get published.


5. You meet a whole lot of people you know only by name on the e-loop.


6. You get inspired by speakers who know God and know what your life is like as a writer.


7. You meet a whole lot of people who are willing to cry with you when your heroine loses her chance to win Mr. Right.


8. You get recharged to tackle that manuscript one more time with the back-up of all the new things you have learned.

I'm a believer in going to conferences to learn and to network, but God has always been busier connecting me with fellow writers rather than a contract.

I know for a fact that most non-writers don't have a clue as to the strange state writers call normal. I'm looking forward to talking to people about how my WIP has lost its snap. I'll discuss arc, both character and plot, and get nods of approval. Then I'll comehome and settle into speaking humanese and plunge into my next writing project with more confidence.

http://www.acfw.com/conference/