Today is day three of the Blue Ridge Christian Writer’s Conference. This voyage has been like no other. When I first arrived I was so excited, knowing that there was a reason I was here and that God was really orchestrating my steps. I had an agenda and view of what I needed to do. I needed to find out how to go about writing my book and meet the right people to make it happen. That was my agenda. The first day alone, opened my eyes to the reality that having my book published is not as easy as God saying to me “I want you to write it.” Published writer after published writer, editors and even publishers stood on the stage reminding us how difficult it is to be published. I was surrounded by a room full of men and women that had also been spoken to by God to write there books and some of them were on years 6 and 7 of trying to be published, not to mention all the writings that were out there that never were.
As I came back to my room overwhelmed by the days events and all that was about to take place, I really thought “Lord, am I going in the wrong direction? Is a book not really the answer to me telling my story?” I called someone close to me and talked to him to get perspective and answers that I really needed to hear. “Laura, have you ever thought your story is meant to be told in the form of an article or freelance, maybe even in devotional form?” Based on what I had already shared with my friend only days before, he saw something that I was not quite seeing myself.
Day two was full of confusion and not knowing what to think. “What is your plan, Lord? What do you want me to do here?” I felt so overwhelmed and unsure of myself at this point that being aggressive in my approaches to meet and market myself just was not an option. I scheduled to meet with one person and only one person in addition to the workshops I attended. Her name is Janet Roller. In the small 15 minutes of sitting in her presence and hearing her speak into my life, I heard the Lord say to me “Laura, it is time.” I have thought for a long time that God was calling me to speak, teach, council, write and pray. I knew he was forming a ministry in my life to women and young girls based on the trials I had gone through with Bipolar Disorder and the healing that came from it. I’ve known this for a while and God has really done a lot in that time to prepare me, but as I sat in front of this strong woman of God and heard this message, all I could think was “How do I have any of the credibility to do this?” I am not a professional. I do not have a degree. I’m not known by anyone but my family and friends. I even said to her, “Janet, I don’t know how to do that. You were Mrs. South Carolina. You were being asked to speak. They came to you. No one is going to come to me, and why would they find me credible to speak?” I wish I could give you the exact words that she spoke to me but I can not. All I know is that when I walked away from that table, I left with the clear truth that ‘your experience comes from having lived it and the desire to share it. They need to hear what you have to say, Laura, and it is not fair of you to put limits on what God is already in the process of doing.’
You know just a moment ago I was reading the daily email from Chuck Swindoll and he talked about Moses and the burning bush. Moses questioned God about being the one to go. “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you?’ (Exodus 4:1) Here God had made a plan. He had chosen who was to walk it out and it was Him that was going to do it all along. Yet Moses thought, “I can’t do this. Why are you choosing me?”
Today is day Three. I woke up with a whole new perspective. I was motivated and full of energy. God had spoken, I had listened, and now I was curious to know more. So in my bravery I went and signed up to speak to even more people. Eddie Melson is the Assistant Director to the conference and a freelance writer and editor. She is very friendly and personable and I spent 45 minutes getting to really know her and what I can do to begin my writing career. I shared my story with her. I shared what I wanted to write and why I wanted to write it, and she identified. My story spoke to even her and I realized in that moment that God really was at work and that He was working out and planning every detail long before I got to it. Eddie told me in so many words that I do have something valuable to share and that I can do that in many forms. It doesn’t have to be just a book or just articles but it can be both. She said you can do one while working on the other. She gave me so many ways to plug in. She really blessed my heart and the steps to come.
I also sat in on a very informative workshop with literary agent Jonathon Clements. We talked about the importance of marketing yourself, your ministry and your writing and ways to do that. Facebook, Twitter, and Blogging are really essential in the essence of building your market and former future readers. You HAVE to get your name out there in order to sell. And selling really isn’t about selling. It is about being invited in to someone’s influence and sharing what it is you have to share.
Then I met Ellen. Ellen is my new future writing accountability partner. I had passed her and said hi several times so as I saw her yet again in the bookstore I knew I needed to meet her. As we talked and shared all of our thoughts and feelings over the last few days, we realized that we are in the very same place with a very similar task. God had clearly set this meeting up. This week is full of encounters like that. There are many that I haven’t even told you about, and it is not just me. All of us are experiencing it. It is so amazing to see how God is working in all of this and how it is not about us at all really. We are simply the ones he has chosen to use. It is so amazing.
This week has been unbelievable and I have two more days to go. This is definitely a pivotal moment for me and can be for you too. If you have ever considered writing Christian fiction, non-fiction, freelance, greeting cards or anything; you should REALLY consider this event. It will open up doors that you never thought were possible and inspire you in ways that only the best can. Plus you can hike. ;)
Janet Powers Roller Jonathon Clements
Edie Melson Ellen Andersen
www.thewriteconversation.com (new writer)
Laura - this is exactly what I would have said if I had said it first! Wonderful blog - wonderful week, and I think - a wonderful new friend!
ReplyDeleteSuzanne