ACWC Writers Blog

WHY SHOULD I ATTEND THE ASHEVILLE CHRISTIAN WRITERS’ CONFERENCE?
Wednesday, August 17, 2016 by by Cindy Sproles

“Tell me why I should go to the Asheville Christian Writers Conference,” my friend Melissa asked. “I’m swamped at work, discouraged about my writing, and behind on my W.I.P. (Work In Progress). I’m not sure I can afford the time away.”

Melissa and I have commiserated on the ups and downs of the writing life for years. She’s a seasoned writer who could probably teach most of the workshops at the conference. She doesn’t need another class on self-editing or how to write dialogue. Yet I still encouraged her to attend.

Here’s why:

1. A writer’s life is hard. We get weary. We lose sight of the big picture. Sometimes we’re not even sure what the big picture is. A strategically timed Christian writers conference reminds us that we are not the genesis of our work—God is. It is “God, who is working in you, enabling you, both to will and to act for His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).

I get discouraged when I think it’s all up to me—that it’s my ideas, my creativity, my energy that propels my writing life forward. The wise mentors at a good Christian writers’ conference remind me this is backward. My responsibility is to pray hard, work hard, and trust God with the results.

2. If left to myself, I would work all day every day, always pouring out, and never taking in. And I would be an empty vessel with nothing left to give. Writers’ conferences fill me up again. Instead of wasting time, I’m actually investing time in my future writing. I come away inspired, encouraged, and filled with enthusiasm. I think I’m losing time, when in reality, I’m actually I’m gaining time, because the energy and inspiration I receive empowers and propels me forward.

3. Writers’ conferences remind me of why I love being a writer. From the starry-eyed newbies who just wrote their first blog post to the seasoned authors working on their tenth book, my fellow writers share the crazy desire to change the world through the written world and help me believe it can be done.

Who else cares whether I should use a serial comma? Who else spends 30 minutes combing through a thesaurus to find THE word? Who else goes without sleep, food, or showers to birth a book baby? Only crazy writers, God-called writers, God-inspired writers who get it and really understand that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word WAS God,” and that God is still using words to change the world.

4. Writers conferences give me space to breathe, and dream, and hope. The grind of the daily writing life squeezes this out. The beautiful mountains and wide sky of The Cove in Asheville lift my eyes beyond the page, my desk, and my life. They remind me that the world is big and beautiful, God is even bigger and more beautiful, and he created me to be part of his big, beautiful work in the world.

5. Writers’ conferences provide the opportunity to give back. Eddie Jones, one of the founders of this conference, was the first person who said to me, “This could be a book.” Two years later, it was. Cindy Sproles taught me a simple method for writing a Christian devotion. Three years later, a magazine paid me for my writing. Fellow writers I’ve met at this conference have become my mentors, colleagues, and friends. I wouldn’t be where I am today in my writing life if I hadn’t attended the Asheville Christian Writers Conference every year since 2011.

Whether I’m volunteering at the registration table, leading a workshop on how to use Pinterest to grow your blog, or praying for the conference leaders and directors, attending writers’ conferences gives me a chance to pay it forward. It allows me to invest in others the way others have invested in me—and repay a debt of gratitude.

6. Writers’ conferences introduce me to friends—friends who are interested in what God has called me to do. Friends who will talk me off the ledge when I’m ready to end it all. Friends who will snatch my manuscript out of my hands the second before I toss it into the flames. And friends who will help me feed it into the flames when necessary while simultaneously helping me plan the next, better, stronger project.

I don’t have the time or the money to attend a Christian writers’ conference every year, but I go anyway. The way I see it, I can’t afford not to.

I hope I’ll see you there.

Lori Hatcher is an author, blogger, and women’s ministry speaker. She’s the editor of South Carolina’s Reach Out, Columbia magazine, and has authored two devotional books, Hungry for God … Starving for Time, Five-Minute Devotions for Busy Women and Joy in the Journey – Encouragement for Homeschooling Moms. An award-winning Toastmasters International speaker and Christian Communicators grad, she uses her speaking and writing ministry to help busy women connect with God in the craziness of life. You’ll find her pondering the marvelous and the mundane on her blog, Hungry for God. . . Starving for Time (www.LoriHatcher.com).


Previous Posts

Get Rid of Gimmicks
Denise Loock

3/15/2024

Avoid Pronoun-Antecedent Dysphoria
Cindy Sproles

3/13/2024

Assignment 6 - Self-Editing Is Not For the Faint of Heart
Andrea Merrell

2/17/2024

Assignment 5 - What in the World is a One Sheet - Andrea Merrell
Cindy Sproles

2/8/2024

Assignment 4 - Storytelling Your Life Lessons
Lucinda Secrest McDowell

2/3/2024

Learn to Show, Not Tell Your Story
Cindy Sproles

1/26/2024

Spit shine that Work - Assignment 3
Cindy Sproles

1/20/2024

Oh! I Need a Professional Email Address?
Cindy Sproles

1/16/2024

Bio, Bio, Who's Got the Bio
Cindy Sproles

1/4/2024

Get in the Mood to Write - Assignment 5
Cindy Sproles

2/13/2023

Assignment 4 - The 5 Cs of an Elevator Pitch
Cindy Sproles

2/2/2023

Appropriate Emails - [email protected] - Assignment 3
Cindy Sproles

1/21/2023

Assignment 2 - Creative Non-Fiction
Cindy Sproles

1/15/2023

Don't Write Your Bio - Write WHY ME? - Assignment 1
Bob Hostetler

1/4/2023

How to Make the Most of Your Conference Experience - Assignment 7
Cindy Sproles

2/12/2022

Sensory Perception Enhances Your Writing - Assignment 4
Cindy Sproles

1/22/2022

January 16, Assignment 3 - Bring Your Characters to Life
Cindy Sproles

1/16/2022

Assignment 2 - Titles & Sentences - Nancy Lohr
Cindy Sproles

1/8/2022

An Adjective Safari - Assignment 1
Denise Loock

1/5/2022

Assignment 5 - Don't Waste Your Conference Experience
Cindy Sproles

2/6/2021

January 24, Assignment Four - Time to Shoot the Weasel Words
Cindy Sproles

1/24/2021

Assignment 3 - The Role of Speaker Tags and Beats
Cindy Sproles

1/21/2021

January 10, Assignment 2 (1 of 2 assignments)
Cindy Sproles

1/10/2021

Assignment 1 - ACWC January 5 - Let's Start with a Bio
Cindy Sproles

1/5/2021

February 1 - Assignments 5 & 6 - Linda Glaz
Cindy Sproles

2/1/2020

How Not to Get an Agent - Assignment 7
Bob Hostetler

2/10/2019

It's Not What You Know; It's Who You Know - Assignment 4
Bob Hostetler

1/20/2019

Stay on Track with a Writing Schedule - Assignment 3
Larry Leech

1/13/2019

Assignment 2 - Finding Speaker Topics
Beth Fortune

1/5/2019

IMAGERY–WHEN THIS IS LIKE THAT
By Ann Tatlock

12/30/2018

Asheville Christian Writers Conference Privacy Policy
Cindy Sproles

6/4/2018

2018 Writers Charge
Cindy

2/18/2018

Getting Rid of “I” Disease - Assignment 3
Andrea Merrell

1/14/2018

Curb Your Adverb Addiction - Assignment 2
Denise Loock

1/7/2018

WHO ARE YOU? - Writing Your Bio
Cindy Sproles

11/17/2017

WRITING IN A PICKLE
Cindy Sproles

11/13/2017

THE NaNoWriMo CHALLENGE
Cindy Sproles

11/10/2017

BRINGING YOUR CHARACTERS TO LIFE
By Andrea Merrell

2/12/2017

DON’T LET SPEAKER BEATS RUIN YOUR MANUSCRIPT
By Andrea Merrell

2/5/2017

HOW TO CRAFT GREAT DIALOGUE
By Andrea Merrell

1/30/2017

AVOID REPETITION AND WRITE TIGHT
By Andrea Merrell

1/20/2017

THE QUOTATION QUOTA – ASSIGNMENT 2
By Andrea Merrell

1/13/2017

ELIMINATE THE EXCLAMATION POINTS – ASSIGNMENT 1
By Andrea Merrell

1/7/2017

WRITING ADVICE FROM MARK TWAIN: WRITE WITHOUT PAY UNTIL SOMEBODY OFFERS TO PAY
By Sandra Merville Hart

12/22/2016

WHEN THE STORY STALLS IN THE MIDDLE
by Sandra Merville Hart

12/20/2016

WHO REALLY SELLS YOUR BOOKS ?
by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted

9/20/2016

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR 15-MINUTE APPOINTMENTS
by Cindy Sproles

9/16/2016

ARRRGH! ANOTHER REJECTION – CINDY SPROLES
by Cindy Sproles

9/12/2016

FROZEN IN PLACE – ICEY SELF-TALK TO FREEZE YOUR WRITING
By Cindy Sproles

9/8/2016

THE BIO – THE FRAGRANCE OF WHO YOU ARE
by Cindy Sproles

9/3/2016

THE PAIN OF UNSOLICITED
by Cindy Sproles

8/29/2016

REDUNDANCY: AN EXCESSIVE, OPPRESSIVE, PERVASIVE DISEASE
By Denise Loock

8/26/2016

7 THINGS TO DO NOW TO BE READY WHEN WRITING INSPIRATION STRIKES – EDIE MELSON
by Edie Melson

8/23/2016

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR 15-MINUTE CONFERENCE APPOINTMENTS
by Cindy Sproles

8/20/2016

WHY SHOULD I ATTEND THE ASHEVILLE CHRISTIAN WRITERS’ CONFERENCE?
by Cindy Sproles

8/17/2016

YOU NEED A PLATFORM – LIVING A STORY- ASSIGNMENT 3
By La-tan Murphy

1/20/2016

THE ONE SHEET
by Cindy Sproles

1/8/2016

OVER-EDIT?
By Steven James

11/4/2015