Heading Home

Tomorrow I head home from the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, exhausted and exhilarated.

I have made some great connections with agents and publishers and now I get to go home and do some hard work. I had two different industry professionals express interest in seeing more of my manuscript. I'm walking on air.

For those writers out there wondering whether or not conferences are worth the cost, the answer is YES. 100 percent -- yes, yes, yes! I have learned more at these two visits to Mount Hermon than I have learned from any learn-to-write book or any class I've ever taken. You know how they say that the best way to learn a foreign language is to be immersed in it? That's what conferences are for writers. You are immersed in the world of writing. You study the craft of writing, the business of writing and the ministry of writing. You make friends with future authors, current authors, agents and publishers.

Do you want to be a better writer? Do you want to take your writing to the next level? Do you want to learn what you need to do to get yourself published? Then, get thee to a conference. There are wonderful ones in almost every corner of the country.

And, who knows? Maybe, I'll see you there!

More from Mount Hermon

 Today was another fantastic day at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference 2010. I woke up way too early (4 AM) because my room had been invaded by a mouse that seemed desperate to eat a fiber one bar wrapper that I had dropped in my trash can. Here are some other highlights:

We had a great first session with our mentor, author Brandilyn Collins. She is a wonderful, gifted teacher and I know that my writing will improve because of her instruction. I did have to slip out fifteen minutes early to make my appointment with a literary agent. The meeting was a huge blessing. She had already decided that she like my proposal and wants me to mail her the full manuscript so that she can consider it. I also had fun just getting to know her as a person. So, even if she ends up rejecting the manuscript, I feel like I've made a friend.

I had a blast sitting with the Guideposts folks at lunch. Now that I've been published there, I felt welcomed like one of the family. They weren't away of the full story of how God moved to make sure that story landed in their magazine (see earlier post) and were tickled when I shared it with the table. She wants me to come share the story at her Guidepost session tomorrow.

To avoid the crush of people waiting to retrieve manuscripts after lunch, I waited until dinnertime to pick mine up. I opened it to find a note from the publisher... "Let's meet at 1:30 to discuss this." Ummm... it's now six o'clock. Whoops. I caught up with her after dinner and we rescheduled for Monday. I'm really curious to see what she has to say.

Lots of other wonderful things happened -- great conversations with fellow writers, amazing worship and prayer time, great teaching on the craft of writing, and another inspiring session with keynote speaker Charlie Peacock.

I have to say that even with all these amazing blessings, one of the most powerful moments came during the closing worship session. Dave Talbot led us in the hymn, "I surrender all." I was overwhelmed in that moment. Yes -- I thought -- that's it! I surrender. I surrender this conference. I surrender to You my hopes, dreams, fantasies, and goals for this week. God, sweep all my desires away so that Your desires can rush in and fill their place. Don't let my dreams get in the way of Your dreams. I know You have plans for me -- better and sweeter plans than those I can dream up for myself. I surrender all.

Good night! I'm praying for sweet dreams and no mice!

Updates from Mount Hermon

It's the first official day of the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference (2010) and once again I am amazed and humbled by the marvelous blessings that God pours out during this event. Here are a few highlights (for me) so far.

Last night I got the nerve to volunteer during a earlybird session for "pitching practice." And no, that doesn't have anything to do with baseball. Pitching is where you give a quick synopsis of your writing -- carefully worded and practiced so that you knock an editors socks off and force them to offer you a contract. Well, maybe not exactly, but you get the idea. My pitch wasn't spectacular, but I think I get some points for getting up in front of a crowd to try it. I think you could hear my words over the sound of my knees knocking.

Today I spoke with an agent who had the joy (ahem) of reading my material before the conference and she asked to meet with me tomorrow. That sounds promising to me. It's at 10:30 am Pacific Time, if you'd like to pray for me. I could definitely use it.

At dinner I sat with author Bill Myers, who has written hundreds of children's titles, including the Wally McDoogle series (aka the "My life as..." series) and an animated series for television "The Adventures of McGee and Me." It was fascinating to listen to him talk about writing for children and how the market has changed in recent years. He had good suggestions for all of us (at the table) as to how to improve our writing and our pitches.

Our keynote speaker is legendary Christian musician Charlie Peacock. He is an amazing speaker, but when he turned to the piano, it blew us all away. He wrapped up the session by singing one of my favorite songs,  "In the Light."

It's been a full day -- and I've only given you a taste of everything I've experienced. Tomorrow, besides meeting with an agent, I will begin my mentorship sessions with suspense author Brandilyn Collins and get to attend several workshops. I hope I get some sleep tonight so I can actually look and sound intelligent tomorrow! I'll let you know what happens!

Mount Hermon, Here I come!

I'm running around today, finishing all those last minute details before flying out tomorrow to attend the Mount Hermon Christian Writer's Conference. This is my second year attending the conference. To keep my nerves in check, I keep reminding myself of the amazing things that happened last year. I kept my expectations low, but God blew my socks off. I need to remember that I'm not going alone.

For those of you who are new to my blog, here is an edited version of what happened last year:

Well, my week at Mount Hermon is almost done and I have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams. I arrived Thursday scared out of my wits. I felt a bit like a freshman on her first day of high school and I was pretty certain that at any minute I would be shoved into a locker or duct taped to a flagpole.

Imagine my shock (surprise? delight?) to learn that this conference is not the intimidating, competitive scene that I had been dreading. The people here (writers, editors, agents, mentors, etc) are supportive, friendly and real. They want to see you succeed. They worship and pray with more intensity than they "network." It's remarkable. This conference is not only about the business of writing, it's about the call of writing. It's about furthering the kingdom. One person praying tonight at the main session said it best, "Thank you Father that my name is already on a book -- the book of life." Wow. That's really sums it up.

Here are some more blessings:

By Saturday's lunch, I was feeling completely overwhelmed and on the brink of tears. At lunch and dinner meals, you choose which editor/agent/faculty table you want to sit with and "impress." I wasn't feeling impressive and did not want ruin my future chances with a book editor, so I tagged along with a friend and sat at the table with a representative of Guideposts Magazine. I knew she would have no interest in my book, so I could eat in peace, reveling in my misery. While there, we began talking about my blog and I told her about one of my posts. She said, "That's great. I want you to write it up and send it. That's a Guideposts story."  [That story became Birthday Wish, printed in Guideposts in February 2010.]

Isn't that just like our God? Feeling down? Feeling discouraged? Boom! How about something unexpected to bring some delight to your day?

After lunch, I walked downstairs to retrieve my critique submissions. Critiques are always a useful tool, but they are often emotionally difficult to read. I wanted to enjoy the feeling of success for awhile longer, so I put them away to read later. After about an hour my curiosity got the better of me and as I walked to another workshop, I pulled them out. Scrawled on the top was this note: "I showed this to ____ agent and she wants to meet with you."

I had to sit down and read that a dozen more times.

God is so good to us. I did not walk away from the conference with a contract. But, I didn't expect really expect that. What I did walk away with was new friends, a better knowledge of "the business," the possibility of an article submission, a sense of what I needed to do next, new direction on my book and most of all... HOPE.

I can't wait to see what I have to report this year! I will try to post some updates from Mount Hermon over the next week. Stay tuned!

Lies, lies, lies!

Okay writers (and wanna-be writers), time to 'fess up. What lies do you tell yourself that keep you from writing?

The other day, I was listening to my MP3 recordings of workshops from the 2009 Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, and I discovered a true gem. Author Joseph Bentz presented a workshop that he called, "Overcoming the Three Big Lies of Writing." You can learn more about the workshop on his website, http://www.josephbentz.com/ and click on "speaking."

I've heard other authors talk about organizing your time, self-discipline and how to create a good work atmosphere.

Joe Bentz tackled the lies that we tell ourselves to keep us from writing. I've taken these three "lies" from his website. I'm not comfortable sharing more than that without his permission.

• "I will write this project as soon as. . . ." 
• "I can write only when. . . ."  
• "Now that I am finally sitting at the computer, I realize I can't write because. . . ."  

How many times have I said these words? I couldn't count them. How many years did I procrastinate because I didn't think I could write with kids underfoot?  I have met writers who not only do so, but they home-school on top of it! Why do we make so many excuses?

In reality, these lies apply to much more than writing. They apply to any dream that we have a desire to follow, but that frightens us into procrastination. I'll start exercising after the New Year. I'll start that business when the economy turns around. I'll go back to school when things are less hectic. I'll make peace with this person when the time feels right.

It's important to realize when we are lying to ourselves. We need to ask ourselves a few questions. Are there other ways I could handle this? What reasonable goals could I set? Do I really need my situation to be perfect to accomplish something? Can I learn to work through the distractions? Will things really get less hectic if I wait?

So, what lies do you tell yourself?

While you're busy lying to yourself, check out Debbie Ridpath Ohi's Will Write For Chocolate!

From peace to panic in 10 seconds flat

My cats were quietly snoozing nearby when I checked my e-mail yesterday. In my inbox I found a pleasant note from the manuscript submission coordinator of the Mount Hermon Christian Writer's Conference. She was informing me that my manuscripts had arrived and that I still have twelve days to relax before the conference begins. At first I smiled. My manuscripts made it safely there. That was fast!

 Then I shrieked. The cats jumped up, looking up at me with big round eyes, their backs arched.

"Twelve days? TWELVE DAYS? It can't be only twelve days!"

I went to my calendar and counted. Oh. She was wrong. It's NOT twelve days.

It's TEN!

"Nooooooo!" My cats fled the room.

Okay, so here's what I still have to do. I must print and critique 20 pages for each of the other members of my mentorship class. I must write, polish, memorize and practice my two sentence elevator pitch so that it sounds natural, compelling and confident. I must pack for every conceivable type of weather. I need to re-design my one-sheet (not a requirement, but I found it very helpful last year). I need to decide which worskshops I hope to attend and print out the necessary handouts. I should go over the faculty list and decide who I need to get appointments with and who I should try to sit with at one of the mealtime sessions.

I can do that in ten days. Right?

Oh, yes. And I need to pray. Pray that my heart is calm. Pray that I am confident, but not overbearing. Pray that my manuscript gets placed in the right hands. Pray that I am able to meet the "right" people (by God's standards, not mine). Pray that my plane doesn't crash on the way there. Or on the way home.

I informed my hubbie last night that I had entered full panic mode. I loved his response -- so filled with wisdom, as always. "Why panic? What happens at the conference is not really up to you. Is it?"

At first I sputtered. "Well, no it's not up to me . . . but . . . but . . ." I took a deep breath. He is right. He's always right. It drives me batty sometimes, but over the years, I've come to accept it. He's right. This is not my show -- it's God's. My list seems a bit less important when I think of it that way.

So, I think I'll move that prayer part up to the top of my list. I'll probably still find myself hyperventilating from time to time over the next few days, but I will try to remind myself of my hubby's words. It's not up to me. Whether or not I get everything done. Whether or not I pack the right stuff. Whether my elevator pitch is stellar or a confusing mess. . . If God wants great things to come out of this conference, they will. If this isn't the right time -- then I will have to wait.

So, I'm off to focus my mind, my heart and my soul. Later today I will work on focusing the other extraneous details.

Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

More Free Books!

Still looking for free e-book bargains? Another of my favorite books is being offered for free on Amazon (kindle) this week. Check out Sushi for One?, the first in Camy Tang's Sushi series. This book was one of my Friday Book Picks last year and you can read my description of it here.  Read this earlier post for my "Friday Book Pick" description of another book from the series, Only Uni.  Sushi for One? is also being offered for free download to the Nook Reader by Barnes and Noble.

Don't have a Kindle or Nook? No problem. You can download free "e-reader" software for your PC, Mac, iPhone, iTouch, blackberry, etc by going to Amazon.com (scroll to the bottom and choose your device) or BarnesandNoble.com (on right side of screen).

Another free title, A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist, looks intriguing-- though I haven't read it yet, so don't take my word for it.

If you are curious about why authors are choosing to give away their books for free, check out "The Effect of Free E-Books on Sales" found on author Brandilyn Collins' blog. She was one of the first Christian authors to jump on the free book bandwagon. Happy reading!

Broken, but Beautiful

I just returned from our church's annual women's retreat, and all I can say is, "Wow." God showed up in a big and mighty way and the women of our church responded by baring their hearts, revealing many of their painful memories and heartbreaks and how God has worked through their scars. Today, I feel raw and broken -- but in a good way. A writer friend "retweeted" (don't ask... it's a "twitter" thing) a quote that she had read, "Your message is birthed through your brokenness. If you don’t believe me ask a fortune cookie." (D.Denson).

But, I have work to accomplish today. I can't sit here and wallow in my brokenness. I tried to pull myself together, but failed miserably. So, I prayed, "God, put me back together." And that's when it dawned on me -- that is exactly what He wants to do. But He doesn't want to put me back together like I was...  rather like He wants me to be.

An amazingly artistic woman named Patty led a craft activity during our retreat, helping people put together beautiful stepping stones decorated with broken shards of stained glass. I remember sitting at a meal, trying to hold an intelligent conversation with someone while Patty was nearby preparing the glass for the craft. Smash! Smash! Smash!

In many ways, that's what God was doing to me over the weekend. Every time I heard another woman's tale of brokenness, I felt myself smash into tiny shards. These weren't MY stories, but I still felt myself break a little with every tear that someone shed. Smash - smash - smash!

I walked up and down the tables in the dining hall, looking at the beautiful steppingstones that everyone was producing. Some women made intricate flower designs or crosses on their stones, others simply arranged the glass in a pleasing array of colors and shapes. They were all stunning. Beauty from brokenness -- from jagged shards that could slice and tear to stunning artwork meant to support our feet as we walk over the mud of the earth.

What a beautiful image of what God can do in our lives and with our lives -- if we allow Him to put us back together in the design of His choosing.

I am so thankful for the women who shared their hurts and pain this weekend. I am thankful for a God that can bring beauty from brokenness. As we return to the "mud" of our daily lives, I pray that we will continue to ask Him to put us back together into glittering new creations.

Friday Book Pick -- Daisy Chain by Mary DeMuth

Okay, I have to say it . . . Daisy Chain is one of those books that makes me want to give up writing. Do you know what I mean? Mary DeMuth's writing is so beautiful, so remarkable, and so heart-wrenching that it makes my writing look like a "unicorns and rainbows" story. Keep in mind that I'm currently writing about grief, earthquakes, fires and crises of faith.

Here is the back cover information:
The abrupt disappearance of young Daisy Chance from a small Texas town in 1973 spins three lives out of control---Jed, whose guilt over not protecting his friend Daisy strangles him; Emory Chance, who blames her own choices for her daughter's demise; and Ouisie Pepper, who is plagued by headaches while pierced by the shattered pieces of a family in crisis. In this first book in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy, fourteen-year-old Jed Pepper has a sickening secret: He's convinced it's his fault his best friend Daisy went missing. Jed's pain sends him on a quest for answers to mysteries woven through the fabric of his own life and the lives of the families of Defiance, Texas. When he finally confronts the terrible truths he's been denying all his life, Jed must choose between rebellion and love, anger and freedom. Daisy Chain is an achingly beautiful southern coming-of-age story crafted by a bright new literary talent. It offers a haunting yet hopeful backdrop for human depravity and beauty, for terrible secrets and God's surprising redemption.

This book is not like the typical light-hearted historical romances that so frequently grace my nightstand.  I feel like this book recommendation should come with a warning label: Daisy Chain is chock-full of heartache, so be prepared. But it is often through our brokenness that we find our redemption, and that is very true in this stunning novel.

If you would like to learn more about Daisy Chain, click here to watch the book trailer. It's beautiful and haunting in its own right!

Magic Detangling Spray for Writers

Do you remember that shampoo that promises, "No more tears?" It is a lie. Just so you know -- so is that spray that promises, "No more tangles."

My seven-year-old daughter can attest to both of those statements. She loves her long hair, but she hates to have it combed out after it's been washed. It's been that way since she was tiny. She tries to comb it, but eventually the job falls on Mom. That's when the tears show up.

I try to be gentle -- really! I comb a small section at at time, trying to tease out the knots without pulling at her scalp. It takes forever. And she still cries. She asks, "Do we HAVE to do this?"

We were going through this ritual the other night when it dawned on me how much this madness is like the painful re-writing process.

I wrote a great book. I showed it to a friend. She pointed out some "tangles." I combed some more, teased out some of the knots. I showed it to someone else: more tangles. I pulled and tugged, changed combs, sprayed in some conditioner, combed some more. I showed it to a few professionals. Whoa -- major rats nests. Back to work. I started up near the scalp, pulling the comb through small sections at a time. Tears flowed. I asked myself, "Do I HAVE to do this?" I stepped away and took a deep breath. The I grabbed the comb. I tugged, teased, yanked. Just like there is no magic detangling spray for hair (or one that really works, anyway) there's no such thing for writers, either.

Amazingly, after a lot of work and tears, it started to look a little better. I'm not sure that I can pull the comb through without hitting any tangles (that's the test I tell my daughter to use when she asks if she's combed enough). But, I think it's about ready to show someone again. It's not quite "prom hair," but, it might be ready for picture day at kindergarten.

At the end of the month, I will be going to the Mount Hermon Christian Writer's Conference for the second time. I will be showing off my new "do" to published writers, agents and editors. I sure hope they bring their curlers and styling gel.