The Well-Rounded Magic of Writers' Conferences
Finding the right one can be a game changer
Last Tuesday, I didn’t publish on Substack. Instead, I enjoyed a few days of rest and enrichment after a long year of teaching. Rest is key, and I hope you’ll enjoy some for yourself this summer.
This past week, I was away at the St. Davids Christian Writers’ Conference. I’ve attended most years since discovering the organization in 2017. When my passion for writing resurfaced back then, I wanted to find a place to meet with other writers to learn more about the craft and industry.
Never could I have anticipated the abundance of benefits I’d reap from attending. It has become a highlight of my year and an important part of my creative life.
Special Interest Content
Finding a Christian writers’ conference was key in my search. Not all of who attend write exclusively Christian content. However, gathering with others who create through the lens of their faith helps me on both a spiritual and creative level. Enjoying chapel services and hemming the day in prayer along with discussing professional aspects of writing provides exactly what I was searching for.
Others may want to attend niche-specific conferences like one for humorists or poets, or even one as specific as Christian fantasy writers. If you have a special interest, there’s likely a conference for it. This list from The Write Life is a good place to start your search.
Industry Insights
Conferences like St. Davids provide workshops with an array of faculty from various areas of publishing. Authors, editors, agents, and other publishing professionals provide valuable information in their sessions. Faculty members also offer a schedule of 15-minute appointments for writers. Writers can meet with professionals one on one to pitch ideas, ask questions, and get feedback.
This year’s conference had experts in poetry, historical fiction, editing, self-publishing, traditional publishing, and speaking. Being able to choose from a menu of workshops geared towards my needs helps me progress on my projects and understand what to do with them once finished.
Headspace and Breathing Room
There’s something about getting away from daily life I find beneficial for my creativity. After a full and exhausting school year, conference is a well-timed respite to help revive my creative flow. It’s also a place to quiet my heart and soul.
Early morning strolls on a quiet campus and attending chapel services before breakfast provide a special kind of soul rest. Sleeping in a dorm room by myself with only a spare selection of possessions takes me away from the noise and clutter of everyday life. Quiet simplicity is a key factor in why I love attending St. Davids so much.
Friendships
Perhaps the most important thing to come from attending this writers’ conference is the group of people I’ve come to know and love. Several of the people from St. Davids have become extremely close friends who encourage me in both my faith and creative life. A few of us message daily and do a Bible study online. I number them among my closest friends.
As a midlifer, establishing new friendships of depth and substance is rare. I’ve attended the same church and worked at the same job for over two decades, so the friends I have are largely long-term ones. Coming to St. Davids has opened up a world of friendships based on both faith and writing, something I’d been missing.
I often think of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and their writerly group of friends —The Inklings. They met regularly at The Eagle and the Child, a pub in Oxford, where they read and critiqued one another’s work. They also discussed philosophy and faith. Their connection helped yield some of the most important writing of the 20th century, forged in part by friendly encouragement and “iron sharpens iron” discussions.
Though I don’t imagine ever being a household name like some members of The Inklings, I do feel I’ve struck gold in making friends by attending conference. It was the most unexpected benefit of attending—a special kind of magic.
Other Ways to Gather
You may want to consider creating an informal writers’ conference with friends. Do you have a writers’ group or critique group you attend regularly? Perhaps you could do an overnighter at a hotel and gather in a common area to talk shop.
Another option is a one-day event at a church or library with a few speakers, as my friends did in northwestern Pennsylvania a few times. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive—even a coffee shop gathering will do.
There’s magic in gathering with other writers and sharpening one another with encouragement and critique. Sharing experiences and expertise help us broaden our knowledge and spur one another to excellence. Hopefully the right kind of conference will present itself to you and bring you the satisfaction St. Davids has brought me.
Community Garden:
Join in the conversation by leaving a comment. Let’s get to know one another better as we continue on the writer’s journey.
Have you ever attended a writers’ conference? If not, is it something you’re curious about?
What kind of writing community are you currently connected to?
Perfectly written. I have met often with writers. That is special. But the St. David’s Christian Writers Conference rose that feeling to glowing. My first full time at this conference met more than my expectations.
Thinking about conferences this week, so this was spot on. The St. David's is new to me; I'll check it out for next time. I'm considering the in-person ACFW in Springfield this year.