I attended my first writers’ conference in 2014. After joining Inscribe, I connected with the online community and wanted more of what I experienced there. A few short months later, I was on my way to Edmonton and Fall Conference.
As a newbie writer, I had much to learn and the workshops taught me skills I needed to become more proficient at my chosen craft. What I found there was much more than helpful teaching, though. I found my people!
Face to face connections with writers who share my Christian faith and values was priceless. The encouragement, support and acceptance filled a void I hadn’t fully identified.
Although I attended a local writers' group, as the only Christian I often felt like a misfit. My outlook and style of writing were very different from the others. I often wondered where I could find anyone similar to me.
Attending Fall Conference felt like coming home to much-loved family. I was no longer alone. Talking with others with thought processes like mine helped me to see I wasn’t crazy. There were others who prayed before writing, knew God guided their words and were amazed at the direction those words sometimes took. I was a Christian writer! This enabled me to fully embrace the calling that God had placed on my life.
Connections made turned into friendships. Nothing can come close to the relationships built when sitting beside a fellow writer and engaging in conversation. The mutual support is invaluable.
Finding my people has helped me unearth the confidence needed to keep writing and sharing the words God has given me and I owe it all to attending a writers’ conference.
Oh yes! So important to have 'your people' around you. And I know I need this, or I might start to think I'm a bit crazy, being so much in my head. Glad that through the conference, you found these connections that help create.
ReplyDeleteFinding people like me was profound! It also means I'll do whatever it takes to be at the next conference!
DeleteYou have expressed well what I feel about InScribe Christian Writer's Fellowship. Sometimes we need to stretch out our full title to really appreciate what it says. Here's a L.M. Montgomery quote: “Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.” It also helps if you look in the right places. InScribe is one of those "right" places for me too.
ReplyDeleteI like that quote, Sharon. It's all in knowing where to look, isn't it?
DeleteYour excitement is contagious, Tandy! This is something I have taken for granted. Today I will be thankful that I too have found my people!
ReplyDeletePam M.
God is so good to put us together in families of support and encouragement like Inscribe has become.
Deleteso glad you're one of our peeps!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm one of your peeps too!
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