In
February 2016 I began searching writers conferences to attend this year. I had
finally finished my Bachelors of Art Degree and was ready to begin anew
promoting my writing career. I located the Kentucky Christian Writers
Conference in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. It was a drivable distance, and the
dates made it a long weekend. The best part of all in my choosing was the Key Note
speaker, Sandra Aldrich.
Sandra has
been one of my best friends for nearly twenty years, mostly by email. I first
met her at a Focus on the Family Single Parent Conference many years ago when
my kids were still kids. She was such an encourager and a down to earth woman,
not some celebrity ego. I wrote to her later and sent her something I had
written, and she told me I should to submit it for publication. She is the
first professional to take my writing seriously. I was very anxious to see her
in person again.
There was
one road block to any conference however, and that was money. I wasn’t sure if
I could eek out the money necessary for the conference, hotel accommodations,
and miscellaneous expenses. Then I found the link to apply for a scholarship,
so I completed it. I provided a little information about myself and simply
stated I didn’t believe I could attend without the help of a scholarship. I was
very excited a few months later when they notified me that I had been granted a
partial scholarship. I quickly went to work on my other finances to make certain
I would be able to attend.
My delight
began the first night at the meet and greet. Everyone was so very welcoming. I
tend to be a bit shy when I meet someone brand new, especially if I am the new
one in a crowd of people who know each other. It was also a joy to meet with
people who spoke my language. Most people I know tend to either change the
subject or get a “deer in the headlights” look when I get beyond the basics of
being a writer. “Oh that’s nice. I guess that’s ok if it’s something you like
to do,” they tell me.
Over the
next two days I had to opportunity to take advantage of various workshops for
fiction, non-fiction, marketing, and editor Q & A panels. We also had the
wonderful experience of three keynote messages by Sandra Aldrich. Last, but not
least, we had the opportunity to sign up for a 15 minute one on one appointment
with a faculty member. Since I am a non-fiction author I signed up to meet with
Dr. Dennis “Doc” Hensley, a literature professor, conference speaker, and
author of more than 60 published books. I was very excited when Doc Hensley
told me my writing is good, I have my “one sheet,” and my outline and the
beginning of my first chapter are strong. He told me that with this, combined
with my full rights to my first book, it is time I sought out an agent.
He
suggested I attend the August conference at Taylor University where he teaches
because there will be agents and editors there. I have already registered. It
is my time to more proactively pursue my writing career, and attending the
Kentucky Christian Writers Conference has given me the confidence to take the
next steps.
Thank you,
Kentucky Christian Writers, for the opportunity to be a part of this year’s
conference. I’ll be certain to tell everyone what a great experience I had and
encourage other writers to attend next year.
--Mina Raulston
