Category: The Writing Journey by Denise Colby

Why Attending a Writer’s Conference is a Good Idea

I’m at the airport flying home from the Faith, Hope, Love Writers Conference in Phoenix, Arizona and I’m just over the moon with how much I enjoyed attending this event. And why I’m shouting from the rooftops that attending a writer’s conference is a good idea.

Reasons to attend a writer’s conference

I believe there are seasons in our writing journey. There are also many different types of writers conferences. So it’s important to discern which ones are the right ones to attend by looking at cost vs what you need to get out of a conference. For me, there were several reasons this was the right conference at this time.

First, this writing group is the most aligned with my genre and industry. I’ve been a part of the FHL writing community for over ten years. We are an online group, and so the idea of meeting my people in person was very appealing. This included a member from my critique group. We have been emailing each other for two years weekly, so getting a chance to interact in person was so much fun. Not only do we know each other’s writing very well, and could give encouragement with the pitches we made and throughout the sessions (“this is a great thing to apply to your book!”), we both felt we had a writing buddy to hang out with during the conference. 

I also know several other writers attending from other memberships, and it was so much fun to see them again and give them a hug. I actually had someone at this conference from all the different writing groups I belong to, so that was a lot of fun.

Writing can be a very isolating experience and being able to interact with other writers who struggle with the same feelings as I do was very refreshing. 

After taking a few months off of writing, I was really unsure about my writing future. I hoped that a focused weekend away from the distractions of home would help me discern my next steps. And I wasn’t wrong. Within the first few moments of registration I was in a conversation with another attendee and after hearing their story, I felt encouraged. And throughout the entire weekend it was the same story over and over again.

Expand Your Writing Craft

Being inspired with new techniques. Besides fellowship, the craft sessions are helpful in learning additional tips and tools for your everyday learning and hearing updates related to the industry from publishers. 

Pitching at a Writer’s Conference is Great Experience

I am at this stage of my writing career. Challenging myself to pitch in order to gain experience, glean feedback, and possibily move to the next step is crucial. I received some good feedback that helps me know my next steps. This information was invaluable for me as I make a gameplan for the rest of the year.

Time to regroup

My home is full of laughter and fun busyness. It’s also difficult to carve out a quiet space to focus and hear God’s direction in my writing life. This weekend gave me the space I needed to be encouraged. I received ideas of next steps, and flushed out a game plan. I’m so excited to know what I’m working on next and with new goals to work towards.

Now the real work begins. But that’s okay. I have a new quote I’m using right now to help me. My word this year is change. I recently read this quote and a light bulb went off in my brain. It’s perfect for what I’m trying to do. These next steps in writing will be challenging. But after this conference I feel ready to embrace the challenge knowing it needs to be this way if I’m going to move on to the next level. 

If you haven’t attended a conference, consider finding one in your area to participate in. Look at what the genre’s are, the speakers and the topics being presented. Do they interest you? Will there be industry professionals and others there who you can learn from? Then take a leap and have a great time!

Denise Colby loves to write about her word of the year and share quotes that include that specific word in them. Each word builds a new layer in her writing journey (and her life). In 2022, her word was Work. This year, her word is change.

A Season of Change

I chose the word Change this year because I knew I would have a large season of change in my life. Well, here I am, right in the thick of it and I couldn’t be more excited.

See, my youngest is graduating high school this week. And my middle son graduated college a few weeks ago. We’ve been busy with lots of lasts. Choir and theater performances, award shows, academic awards, you name it, we’ve been at it. It’s been chaos, but it’s been all worth it.

The chaos of getting everything ready and organizing schedules. Trying to get from one place to another and everyone fed on the way. The crazy after the event to go home and prep for what comes the next day. Hurrying from one event to another, getting in line early to get good seats, then finally settling in those seats ready to cheer on your child and their friends. It’s only then, when the show starts and you see it all come together. And all the chaos has changed into something great!

Many people think of the word change, negatively. But I found one definition stating change is to replace something with something else, especially something of the same thing that is newer or better.

There’s a lot of chaos in the sentences we write. We have more than one way we can portray a character or communicate a scene. And as we try different angles, chaos reigns. But if we stay with it, if we push through the chaos, we see great change. And that’s what we ultimately are striving for.