Philly Writers Conference - Part II

Marlene Bagnull's mission is to "Write His Answer." For 27 years, she's directed the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference. Her passion, dedication, and encouragement inspires countless writers to improve their craft and serve the Lord with their talents.

I selected Jeanette Windle's Continuing Session, "Focus on Fiction." Wow! If you ever get an opportunity to hear her teach, grab it. She writes political fiction, and her last novel, "Veiled Freedom," was nominated for a Christy Award.

Workshops I attended:

1) Rick Steele, from AMG, taught on Writing Tight and how to trim flabby writing.

2) Wanda Dyson's workshop on How to Write Gripping Suspense. I missed a chunk of this one because of an appointment.

3) Dr. John Perkins and Steve Lawson taught on Memoir Writing. I still have an interest in non-fiction and appreciated this class.

4) Bonnie Calhoun laced her class on Blogging, Facebook, and Twitter with a generous dose of humor.

5) Mike Dellosso, writer of supernatural suspense, talked about Creating Mood in Your Writing. I get goosebumps thinking about some of his examples.

6) Last, but not least, I signed up for Jesse Florea's (Focus on the Family) workshop on Begin & End With a Bang! He explored various types of leads and their effectiveness.

One thing I like about this conference is the availability of author/editor appointments. Depending on when you register and how many days you attend, you can get up to five 15-minute slots.

We all know how subjective writing evaluations and marketability assessments are, and this year was no exception. I got feedback ranging from: 1) Put this novel aside to 2) Send me the full manuscript. Of course, the last request came during my final appointment. I almost cancelled my meeting, but Clare convinced me to discuss the conflicting advice with the agent. I'm so glad I listened to her. Snoopy dance time!

I learned many lessons at this conference about perseverance and listening with my heart rather than my head. Ah, but that's a post for another day. What spiritual lessons have you learned at a conference?

Next Monday, I'll share some nuggets from the various keynote speakers and workshops.