Writers’ Conference Musings

Hello, tender friends!

Here’s a debriefing of the writers’ conference that I attended in Bluefield, West Virginia, at the beginning of April. (Thank you so much for the request, Nancy!)

Let’s start with a quote by Hannah Anderson, a writer who actually lives in Roanoke, where we’ve been living for the past 5 years:

“Writers have a responsibility to observe and interpret the world.”

The word responsibility struck me. If I’m honest, I still feel spoiled and self-indulgent whenever I pursue personal writing, even if that personal writing isn’t focused on me. Writer’s block has often paralyzed me because the terror of falling into navel gazing is so great.

I consider writing a privilege, but I’ve never considered it a responsibility. I feel lucky to write in my journal, to write cringey vignettes on my Google docs and to keep up with this blog. But a responsibility? I wish I could feel like it’s a responsibility rather than a self-indulgence.

Another quote from Hannah that I wrote down was, “God has no circadian rhythm. Light and dark are the same to him.”

This quote is from Derwin Gray: “If you feel unlikely, then that’s how God is going to use you.” I’ve heard this in a thousand different versions over the years, but it hit differently when Derwin said it.

I’ve struggled my whole life with feeling unqualified for any job outside of food service. As Jacob gets ready to start full-time kindergarten next year, I’ve ramped up my job search. Because I hated working in education so much, I’ve spent all of my time trying to transition into full-time freelancing or a full-time position in publishing in any form.

I’ve attended writers’ conferences, like this one, after praying fervently that I might meet somebody who wants to hire me to work for them in publishing. I’ve spent a ton of time writing cover letters and tweaking my resume and applying for jobs. None of this has borne any fruit yet.

I have always envied people who “knew their calling.” I never have. (And I’ve spent time and money trying to figure it out). Deep down, after hearing this advice so many times, I thought that maybe the fact that I feel unqualified to work in publishing means that God actually would use me there. Deep down, this was what I wanted. But it hasn’t happened yet.

Here are some other quotes that I wrote down for various reasons:

1. “Do you want to be a writer or do you want to be published? If you’re writing to feel good about yourself, do something else,” and “We all have more than one calling.” -Dr. Karen Swallow Prior.

1. “God’s not a microwave; he’s more of a crock pot” and “the greatest form of revenge is not to become like the one who hurt you,” and “David brought down a giant but was brought down by lust when he was supposed to be at war.” -Derwin Gray. Who else is in crock pot season, waiting for a blessing you really thought God told you was on its way?

“Don’t stop creating amidst your pain.” – S.D. Smith.

“Proverbs emphasizes the rewards of diligence.” -Craig Keener

Ok, that’s all for today, tender friends! Thank you for stopping by, and thank you for sharing!

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