ACFW Conference in September

Imagine a bedroom, its stark white walls bare except for a decorative light switch plate. Clean white sheets and a non-descript blanket are folded and perched on the top corner of the mattress leaning against a wall. White linoleum floor, sparkling clean, made less lonely by a trumpet-shaped floor lamp near the mattress and a wire hanger thrown carelessly into a corner.

The setting is basically a blank page, full of anticipation, waiting for a story to begin. Writers begin their career journey with a blank page, but the light switch plate and floor lamp in the setting above are evidence that we at least have an idea of where we want to go. The hanger is evidence that we all have something we need to get rid of because it doesn’t add to the plan. Building an interesting and colorful career takes effort, a plan, tools, good advice, and persistence. ACFW, according to their website, is Where Christian Fiction Begins.

Hundreds of writers are going to the American Christian Fiction Writers conference in Dallas this September to keep their ears open for new details that will guide them further down the road to success. With every publisher’s rejection, with every personal crisis, there are many more notes of encouragement and pats on the back that keep us going.

One who has made a mistake may hear the voice of doom calling out, “You’ve made your bed, now you have to lie in it.” However at the ACFW conference, writers will hear, “In order to lie in it, you first have to make the bed. Here’s how:…” Success often comes after strategic planning meetings with advisors.

Many writers’ success stories include a road bump or two. Overcoming conflict on a personal and professional level colors the road they’re on. New writers need mentors to help them decorate the stark white room of their unadorned career and help them avoid problems.

Most people want the road to success to be completely rosy, but when we hastily embrace the roses, we wince at the thorns that we notice only after it’s too late. How can we keep moving down the road to success and still enjoy the roses? We listen to experienced voices in the community.

ACFW is a community of Christian fiction writers who care enough for each other to hand out the necessary tools we all need along the way. The rose-grabbers can listen to the voices that warn of the need for appropriate tools. “Take this and snip off those thorns,” experienced voices say. When writers accumulate new tools and learn to use them well, they’re able to help others. When each member helps another, we work in unity, speeding the growth of all writers and building the quality of fiction along the way.

More importantly, ACFW is a Christian community of like-minded professionals who seek God’s best. Newbies and best-sellers go hand-in-hand before Almighty God, singing together and praying with a humble heart.

The ACFW community wants to help all fiction writers transform the stark white room of their career into a dazzling room that’s ready for the cover of House Beautiful or Creative Home magazine.