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.
