Blogger: Rachel Kent
Location: Books & Such main office, Santa Rosa, Calif.
My favorite moments during the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers conference) all involved getting to know people. I sat near a wonderful editor during our 15-minute appointments with conferees, and the two of us became better acquainted. I also met with some of my clients in person for the first time. That was a delight! I loved spending time with them and my other clients too! I wish we could have had more time together, but they sure keep us busy during these conferences. 🙂
I enjoy making one-to-one connections with people; so most of the conference appointments were highlights for me as well. 🙂
What was your favorite moment at the last conference you attended?
What surprised you most about that conference?
What conference lows did you experience? (Let’s avoid mentioning names, however.)
If you’ve never attended a conference, which one is your top pick and why?
The recent ACFW conference was the biggest writing conference I’ve ever attended. It far surpassed my wildest expectations.
Fave moments: worship time, fellowship with other authors, thought-provoking workshops, visiting with my agency mates, and a super-fab, calorie-free chocolate dessert bar!
Pleasant surprise: EVERYONE demonstrated a Christ-like attitude. Unification for a common cause and celebrating one another’s successes were indeed sweet moments.
Low point? More of a faux pas really: When I called a beautiful lady I so admire by another “M” name. I knew her name, of course, but in my giddiness, the wrong name tumbled out. She was very gracious about it and laughed, which endeared her to me all the more! 🙂
Looking forward to Dallas, Rachel!
The best part of last year’s conference for me was meeting so many other writers who are also striving to put God first in their lives. Amazing.
My favorite part was the award’s banquet and watching a new friend win an award. To share in her joy was a wonderful privilege.
Thanks for these posts, Rachel!
My very favorite moment at my last conference (FaithWriters Conference) was a long, wonderful discussion with a dear writer friend who I really didn’t know that well. We really connected as sisters, and were able to help each other 🙂
Can’t really remember a low – other than sort of getting contradictory advice from two different people on the same subject. Kinda made me grumpy LOL But the REAL worst part was having to leave.
I really, REALLY want to make ACFW next year. Just don’t know if it’s possible.
A funny story I once heard from a fellow writer was from when they and a writer friend were attending the same conference; the friend had brought business cards which mistakenly had their pen name from another genre on it.
Good thing (I guess?) for the writer, no one had read their other books 🙂
The last conference I attended was in Denver and it was my first! Everyone was kind and helpful. I also had the chance to meet my agent, even though I didn’t know at the time she would be. 😉
I didn’t experience any lows.
I’m looking forward to Dallas and I’d like to attend the RWA conference. I think that would be a blast.
Since I work from home, getting to attend conferences is important to me. I don’t have a lot of social outlets right now.
I enjoy spending time at the lunch table talking about projects. I rarely sit with anyone I know, so it’s nice to learn more about new people.
There was one workshop I attended a couple of years ago that didn’t quite meet the description. I felt a bit let down.
Thanks for all your insights this week, Rachel. With two conferences coming up for me next month, this will help remind me of what I should and should not be doing.
My favorite moment(s) were the one-on-one connections as well. I was absolutely blown away at how real people were. There was Liz Curtis Higgs just walking around with the rest of us. There was someone saying, “When Terri Blackstock critiqued my novel…” just as though it were an everyday thing, no hint of show-off whatsoever. There was an agent taking time to teach me as a first-timer.
Even my low moment wasn’t low, just lower… frustration trying to physically hear a particular agent at an agent table during lunch.
Enjoyable to hear an agent’s take on the whole process. Thanks, Rachel.
Blessings,
Voni
My high moments from the ACFW Conference last weekend were reconnecting with my critique partners, receiving one-on-one advice from Randy Ingermanson (even if that was done publicly in his workshop), meeting writer friends who I’ve only conversed with on-line and meeting two conference attendees in the Seattle airport on the way to St. Louis—a God connection between flight connections.
The low moment for me was the exhaustion. From the jet lag to the stress of being in a strange environment surrounded by strangers, I was almost too tired to enjoy some parts. A four-hour nap took up one of my afternoons. I feel guilty about that nap and what I missed during that time, but in the moment, I was too tired to care.
Oh, I also enjoyed the Starbucks on the first floor of the hotel. 🙂
I love the energy at conferences. It’s so much fun to be around so many energetic, creative people.
The lows? Honestly, when it’s over. Sometimes it’s hard to go back home and do laundry after being so stimulated. Like, really, I can’t just study my workshop notes and write my book, I have to do the dishes too? 🙂
Have a wonderful weekend! Loved this week’s posts!
I really wanted to attend this years ACFW conference, but was unable to. Next year though, I’m planning on it. I can’t even fathom how wonderful it’d be to meet fellow writers, people who are odd like myself in a good, dreamworld sort of way. 🙂
I’d love to meet, in person, an author that I’ve been corresponding with for a couple years now. I’d also really like to meet you in person! Hopefully next year. 🙂
Wow, these conferences come prepacked with so many fun moments waiting to happen that it’s tough picking a favorite. In general, I’ll echo those who said meeting and fellowshiping with others in the industry. Since no one else in my family is afflicted with the obsession to make up non-existent people and then to record their lives, I need at least one good conference per year to enjoy others like myself.
P.S. For those at my lunch table on Saturday: no, I really don’t plan to write about teenage nuclear zombie hobbits planning a high school musical. 😉
I love conferences. Meeting people, getting new perspectives, making connections — all great.
The low part for me is that I can’t be triplets. Too much to do, too little time, too little of me (despite my physical size) to go around.
Why can’t I be three places at once? Who made up that silly rule?
I had such a great time at the conference this year! This was the first time I didn’t have to pitch!
A few of my highlights:
-Going to dinner on Friday night with my uber fun editor and other amazingly wonderful Waterbrook Multnomah authors
-Meeting, reconnecting, and laughing with so many writers who over the years have become dear, dear friends
– Getting a sneak peek of my debut cover and falling in love with it!
If I had to sum up the good, the bad, and the ugly at my first writing conference, the majority of the fifty page essay would weigh on the side of “good.” And even the bad and ugly seemed to make sense and direct my steps away from some and toward others. I laughed. I cried. I ate a lot of chocolate covered pomegranates.
If I had a low point, it was not meeting you. You were my first choice pick for Agent appointments. 🙁
So many gems. So little time. Wish I had looked for you. When I read your Bio page, made me think we would connect instantly. Sigh. Next time. Fo sho! 🙂