by Tiffany Amber Stockton Many know that I’m a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). It’s the premier Christian fiction organization, and I owe a great deal of thanks to the members for helping me get published. Every year, they hold a national conference, and this year it’s just about in my back yard. Denver, Colorado is only about …
Navigating the conference waters by Dana Mentink
by Dana Mentink I’m a shy person by nature. People who know me might not suspect it, but I need to really work at being outgoing. As I tell my husband, being charming is exhausting! I’ve been to three ACFW conferences and the first one I was petrified. I stuck to mostly lurking and such. If it weren’t for the …
HELP! I’m Shy! How to Overcome a Shy Personality at Conference
By Michelle Shocklee I am naturally shy. I would rather eat worms than talk to people I don’t know. Does that surprise you? Most people would not describe me as shy. A little on the quiet side maybe, but not shy. It’s true though. It goes against my grain to be outgoing and talkative. I’d rather sit in a dark …
Is Donald Maass worth $99?
By Debby Giusti Registration for the American Fiction Writers Conference is in progress and many of you have probably signed up for the workshops being offered this year. But what about the early bird session? Literary agent and story-guru Donald Maass is presenting the full-day program. Cost for the event is $99. With the economy in a downward spiral, money …
Enhancing Your Conference Experience Through Volunteering
by Margaret Daley, ACFW Volunteer Officer One of the most important aspects of the conference is the role of volunteers in making it a success. In fact, the conference wouldn’t be possible without its volunteers. There are a lot of opportunities to volunteer this year. I have already put out a call for people to be hostesses/hosts for the classes …
Conference Checklist from Rachelle Gardner
Many of us will be heading to the ACFW conference in about a week, so I wanted to give you a handy checklist of things to make sure you bring. Even if you’re not attending ACFW, you might find this useful sometime in the future for another conference. Some concise and fascinating answers to questions like, “So, what do you …
Ready or Not, it’s Time!
It was a given in our home for years. When my husband (Daddy to our three kids) prepared to head out for his annual canoe trip to Canada, the last few days before the trip found him uncharacteristically crabby. Miserably so. The more organized he became about his trips (checklists and preplanning and no longer leaving everything to the last …
Part Two: The One Sheet
by Dineen Miller Last week I talked about identifying your genre and/or niche so as to help you create your “mood.” This week let’s talk about the one sheet. Every year I see the questions start a couple months before conference. We’re gearing up and getting ready. We want to make a great first impression on those agents and editors …
Who Are You?
The ACFW Conference is just weeks away, so I know many of you are wondering what you need or even where to start. Each Thursday for the next four weeks, I’ll be posting some basics to help you get prepared. We’ll talk about identifying your genre or brand, one sheets, business cards, and how to apply this later on to …
ACFW: I’ll be Back This Year
I missed ACFW last year, but a newborn was a good excuse, right? 🙂 I’m very excited to meet up with everyone again, experience the awesome general sessions and worship time, and just soak in all I can about Christian publishing to help me be a better fiction editor. Getting to check out the Mall of America is a nice …