You’v
e seen it mentioned on our blog many times, and I know many of you reading this are ACFW members, but for those who aren’t, I’d like to introduce you to this organization and the upcoming conference in September.
ACFW stands for American Christian Fiction Writers, but not all members are writers. Some are agents, editors, and librarians–and all are fiction readers. I wanted to mention that because there is so much for readers in this organization: book clubs, author highlights, an author list by genre, and a feature called Fiction Finder. You can find these these things on the organization’s homepage.
ACFW’s mission statement: To promote Christian Fiction through developing the skills of its authors, educating them in the market, and serving as an advocate in the traditional publishing industry.
If you write inspirational fiction, you simply must be a part of this group. You can find fellow writers near you by joining state and regional chapter e-loops. You can find a critique partner, bounce ideas off other writers, and even find an expert to help you with your research. I’m quite sure in the years that I’ve been a member, I haven’t explored all the resources ACFW has to offer.
If you’re looking for a great writers conference, and every serious writer should attend a conference, ACFW is the premier conference for Christian fiction. Unlike other conferences, this one is focused only on fiction. There is a tremendous list of faculty you won’t find anywhere else. You have the opportunity to meet with editors, agents, and/or even a well-published mentor.
The workshops and continuing classes are so varied and identified by experience level that it’s impossible not to find something you will learn from. In fact, you might find more than you can get to, but that’s okay. All classes are recorded and available on CD or mp3.
Because this is a Christian organization, there is fabulous worship time and a prayer room. I even had fellow attendees in a workshop stop and pray for me because I was about to leave for an editor appointment. I had never even met them before that class! I’m trying, but I’m not sure I can adequately convey just how inspired I was by attending my last ACFW conference.
This year the conference will be in Indianapolis. The direct link to the conference site is here. It’s an investment in time and money, but so worth it. By the way, there is even a workshop on historical fiction this year: Fact Into Fiction: Tips & Tools for Writing Historical Novels, taught by Dorothy Love and Margaret Brownley.
Many of PASTimes staff will there, including me. Look us up if you go!
To learn more about Cindy Thomson and her writing, be sure to stop by her website.