I am a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW.) After finding this organization about fifteen years ago, I’ve made many friends, attended conferences, joined critique groups, and followed the writing careers of authors.
One of the joys of membership is going to the annual conference in different large cities. I don’t go every year but often enough to sharpen my skills and stay on top of new ideas in the writing and publishing world. Last week I traveled to San Antonio, Texas, one of my favorite cities, for a three-day conference. I really needed the break and the chance to mingle with other authors.
Since I already have a publisher, this year I concentrated on the workshops and learning all that I could on marketing, releasing new books, using Scrivener, left brain-right brain, and backlist. I had one presenter for three of the workshops, Misty Beller. I felt like I was stalking her, but she was so informative and knowledgeable. Lynn Blackburn gave insight into the use of Scrivener. And, Angela Hunt shared her expertise on the uses of the left brain, right brain–creative and organization skills.
The conference speaker was Frank Peretti–yes, the author of This Present Darkness. His life experiences and insights made for colorful speeches. I attended worship services with praise music and prayer that surely could be heard from the Hyatt down to the river walk. Awesome!
As always, I enjoyed meeting or even just seeing successful authors such as Misty Beller, Carrie Turansky, Sarah Ladd, Angela Hunt, Frank Peretti, Rachel Hauck, and James Scott Bell. Yet, I found the time I had around a table with new friends to have a lasting quality as we will now correspond, share, and follow each other from year to year.
I won’t be able to attend every conference, but a least I’ll know what blessings I’ll receive when I do.
Next year it’s in St. Louis. Hmmmm….sounds promising.
Do you have conferences or meetings that you LOVE to attend?
What fun you had! This blog post made me smile to see you so happy doing what you love! Having a conference in a city you adore must be the best! St Louis also sounds like a good one and it’s close, I bet you’ll go. I do not go to many conferences, except sometimes for teaching, but I always enjoy the multitude of options at conferences. A conference would be very attractive in San Francisco, Chicago, San Antonio or Seattle. I imagine for many my city, New Orleans, would be a fun conference destination!