By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

Entering with Purpose, not Pressure

Writers often arrive at conferences armed with pitches, one-sheets, business cards, and a heart full of expectations. But too often they forget to pack peace, humility, a listening heart, and surrendered plans to God.

Set the tone for the 2026 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference with Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

• The conference is so much more than a time to sharpen your professionalism, it’s a spiritual assignment.
• God cares as much about who you become there as what you gain in the publishing world.

Let’s begin by clarifying why you want to attend the conference. There will be times you might feel overwhelmed–and all the negativity that accompanies the emotion.

Purpose anchors the heart when pressure hits.

• Am I going to be validated as the next bestselling author—or to be shaped?
• Am I seeking agent and publishing doors to fling open—or direction?
• Am I pursuing success—or obedience?
• Am I chasing fame—or obedience?

Writing as a calling versus platform.

• Do I seek writing as an ambition—or ministry?
• Do I value fame—or faithfulness?
• Do I crave building my ego—or excellence?

I challenge you to fill in the blanks with this prayer: “Lord, if nothing goes my way at this conference, I still want You to________”

Preparing our hearts for relationships, not just agents and publishers. Every encounter is divine.

• Editors, agents, faculty, volunteers, fellow writers—none are accidental. *This is how Edie and I met.
• Ephesians 2:10: ^“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
• Evening gatherings at Mount Laurel are a time of making new friends and an opportunity to help another writer.

Guarding against comparison. You are unique, so don’t destroy your:

• Joy
• Confidence
• Calling
• Relationships with God and other writers

I challenge you to this prayer: “God, what are You teaching me?”

Prayer focus—it’s not about me!

• Divine appointments
• Humility in success
• Grace in disappointments
• Ways to help other writers—kindness, encouragement,
• Show me how to handle manuscript requests, contracts, and praise. Success is obedience to God.
• Understand God’s silence is not God’s absence
• Treasure God is the source of our growth—physically, mentally, spiritually, and professionally
• Live to show our faith

The Open-Handed Writer

• Hold your manuscript loosely (that means edits and revisions)
• Hold your dreams as sacred
• Hold this Scripture in your heart: James 4:13-15 ¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— ¹⁴ yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Spiritual armor for the conference. Spiritual warfare may attempt to discourage us.

• Truth: Know who you are in Christ, not in publishing
• Peace: Walk into every appointment anchored, not anxious
• Faith: Trust God’s timing over industry timelines

• Putting on the Armor: Ephesians 6:10–18 I encourage you to read and pray through this Scripture

Advice for courageous writers before, during, and after the conference.

• Morning Scripture
• Silent moments between sessions
• Evening reflection
• Worship with a full heart
• Schedule rest when needed. Even God rested!
• Listen for God’s voice
• Download a phone lock screen verse
• Journal
• Practice integrity
• Surrender fear
• Memorize Psalm 37:5 “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.”

A simple daily prayer: Lord, You are good, and You have called me to write. I am unworthy but grateful. Give me grace to learn, help others, and show my love for You. Empower me with Your strength to accomplish what I can’t on my own. Increase my hunger and thirst for You. Here I am; send me. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Friends, you can do this. Come prepared, prayed up, and filled with a divine purpose.

Read the other Mentoring Moments posts here:

Make The Most Of A Writing Conference

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who invites her readers to step into stories where suspense meets adventure and romance warms the heart. Known for crafting unforgettable characters tangled in unpredictable plots, DiAnn believes every breath we take unfolds a story waiting to be told—so why not make it thrilling?