by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted

I’ve said this before. Conferences are around the corner, and more than anything, I want to impress upon you the critical things to remember.

Conferences are wonderful. They bring us immense teaching, opportunities to excel in our writing, and publication possibilities. We tend to bring out the positives in attending a conference, and we sweep those things that aren’t so positive under the rug. This post will look at the negative things we might deal with at a conference and hopefully turn them around. They all affect you and help define you as a writer. Strap on your life jacket, and let’s take a swim in the river that tries to drown us—negativity.

You’re not good enough

Wow. Not good enough, it is a tough one because we can be more than confident about our writing when we crawl in the car to drive to a conference, but when we get out, things take a turn. Suddenly, we’re thrust into a group of what we may label as “overachievers.” We begin to mill around, talking to others, and we hear how so-and-so got a contract last year, how someone published twenty articles, or how one writer had three agents pursuing her. And. We. Feel. Inferior. We’re caught in an eddy, spinning around and round, wondering when we’ll be sucked to the bottom.

We realized that we’ve accomplished nothing like that during our previous writing year. But does that mean we aren’t good enough? Of course not. Start to kick a little to the side and break free of the spinning water, and you’ll see the positive side. Remember, when you attend a conference, you will see success and failure all around you. This is not your writing unless you’ve chosen not to type one word intentionally. Then, you may have something to chew on, considering your career. Don’t look at the things you have not accomplished when you begin to see the success of others. Instead, seek them out, pick their brains, and share their joy. Take the time to gather inspiration from those folks, and remember they’ve been where you are. The difference is time. Timing plays such an intricate part of being a writer. It takes time to learn the craft. Time to submit, time to be accepted, time to publish. Time. Time. Time. You are good enough. You can become published, but it begins by believing in yourself and rejoicing with others. Why rejoice with others? Because enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm. When you find joy and excitement in your work, you suddenly see that you are good enough.

Woe is me

Oh, I’ve been here. Who hasn’t? It follows right behind “You’re not good enough.” Let me share a story. My first novel finaled for Selah. I was thrilled. My prayer all along was that God would use the work to His glory and that it would be His glory that shone, not mine. All my writer friends and even the industry professionals told me the book was worthy of a Christie Award. If it was good enough for a Christie nomination, surely it could win a Selah Award. I sat with my husband, my agent, and my editor at the awards, believing that the book would win, but when the announcement was made, it wasn’t my name that was read as the winner. We were all disappointed, and after the ceremony, my writer friends continued to say they were dumbfounded that the book didn’t win. I fell into that “woe is me” mindset. Then I remembered my prayer. I’d asked God for the glory to be His, not mine. And that is precisely what happened. I learned a valuable lesson that night. Losing didn’t mean I wasn’t a good writer. It meant I needed to grow.

I recall standing with a dear friend two years prior and saying, “I don’t think I’ll ever be published.” Her response was simple, “Is that the only reason you write—to be published?” What an eye-opener. It’s okay to feel bad for a minute over a loss or rejection, but it’s not a room you are to camp in. Instead, you kick harder and swim faster to free yourself from rough waters. When you don’t think you can take another stroke. You keep swimming. The water will smooth, and you will glide at some point. Have a momentary pity party, and then let it go! Be grateful for an almost win and recognize how you are growing as a writer and an individual.

Know-it-all-how-dare-you

Uh. No, you don’t. Lose the attitude before you walk through the doors of an appointment room. Take the chip off your shoulder and realize that there are reasons why an editor may not want your work.

*It’s not publication-ready

*It’s not what that agent represents

*It’s not what is trending

*It doesn’t fit the shelf of the publisher

*Publisher may have serval books similar and can’t use another

*It’s not a publisher’s loss if they refuse your work (this is just manipulation – don’t do it)

When you attend a conference, you will probably hear “No.” But no doesn’t mean that it is forever. It’s simply no for right now. This is not a bad word. We don’t like to hear it, but it doesn’t hold eternity —it only holds “for now.” It’s your cue to work harder, to strive to take your writing to a higher level. It’s a notification that your time is on the horizon, so look to the sun. Your attitude travels with you everywhere, and if it’s sour at a conference, it will be worse when you sit alone in your writing space. Remember the words of Paul, a man who suffered storms, shipwrecks, torture, jail, starvation, and even death. Take Philippians 3:8 (ESV) – What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. Look what you gain with a good attitude.

Finally, the positive word of hope. Writing is like any other profession. There are ups and downs, learning curves, time constraints, and deadlines. There is loss and success. When you feel yourself falling into the negative, remember hope. There is always the hope of what is to come, which may be a contract or the sale of an article. A speaking engagement may open the door to bigger things in your writing. What do we have if we do not have hope? We write because we feel called to do so. Most of us feel God has spoken a story that must be told, while others feel His leading is to educate through our writing with Bible studies and more. It may be to provide “clean reads” so that the world sees smut doesn’t look so good on individuals. The point is, go to a conference with the confidence that God is equipping you. Take hold of the experience and suck every ounce from it. Then, use that information to be obedient in your writing.

I hope that I have the opportunity to watch your writing grow and then to read about your success. Don’t let the negative pull you down. Focus on all the joy. And to quote our friend Paul again from Philippians 4:4 (ESV) – Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Good things are coming.

Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conference teacher. Having served for a number of years as a managing editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and Ironstream Media, Cindy now works as a mentor, coach, and freelance editor. She is the co-founder of Writing Right Author Mentoring Services with Lori Marett and the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Cindy is also the co-founder of Christian Devotions Ministries and www.christiandevotions.us, as well as www.inspireafire.com. Her devotions are in newspapers and magazines nationwide, and her novels have become award-winning, best-selling works. She is a popular speaker at conferences and a natural encourager. Cindy is a mountain girl, born and raised in the Appalachian mountains, where she and her husband still reside. She has raised four sons and now resorts to raising chickens where the pecking order is easier to manage. You can visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com or www.wramsforwriters.com.