Away at Writers Conference

I attended in 2005 what was probably the last of several Writers Conferences I was privileged to attend through the years. This one took place at the Wesleyan Church Headquarters in Indianapolis, IN, coincidentally, the same year my wife’s health crashed and I became more confined to home and retirement.Among the host of writers and inspirational speakers in attendance that year were (Dr.) Gloria Gaither from Gaither Music and Dr. Keith Drury, Wesleyan Church Theologian, Author, and popular Indiana Wesleyan University Professor. Gloria was compelling as always. Drury, a new discovery for me, 

Much of what we Chog folk" remember about D. S. Warner was not his pulpit preaching per se, but what I call his "pen preaching," the publishing ministry that did so much in furthering our cause of church reformation Christian unity, and holiness (above is the publishing plant of Warner's era), I found new acquaintance Keith Drury especially interesting for his pithy thoughts that I thought applicable to the everyday Christian writer. Following are several solid punch-lines he delivered that struck home with me. 

Several are what we could call good one-liners and I hope you find them as helpful as I did.

1.  The door to good writing is great reading. This is foundational.

2.  Ideas are the writers’ raw materials; i.e. most writers find themselves managing an idea farm. Were you to visit me in my small retirement home and examine my shoe-box files and my file cabinets of writings, you would understand this immediately. I have a lifetime accumulation of cards, file folders, and notes from which I will mine for the rest of my life and not find the end.

Gloria Gaither reminded conferees that a "fact" is what happened once; a "story" is what always happens.  She called Jesus a "walking story." To the writer, the fact has value only in accord with what you can do with it, and Gloria has long been known for her skill as a story-teller.

3.  Writers need to know something about a subject before writing about that subject.

4.  You are a writer if you have readers.

5.  Writers who can write on demand are in demand.

6. ”I’d give an hour a day to be that good.” Did you ever say that? Did you ever schedule and manage that time in a disciplined manner?
7. Fill your attic before you fill your pockets.
8.  Write 24-7 even if you only type one.
9.  Schedule your inspiration.
10. Mundane routine triggers magical inspiration.
11. A Critic is your best friend coming in the uniform of an enemy. I discovered that an Editor that will take the time to add suggestions to his or her rejection slip is any writer’s truest and best friend. Editors are an overworked lot but there are genuinely interested in helping you produce. I found this especially true of denominational magazine writers.

12. Most great writers are actually great re-writers. Always be willing to re-write. Most often you will be the one with the most gain.

13. Self-publishing is the test of one’s conviction of greatness.

14. The great satisfaction of writing is more than a thing of utility; it is making it a thing of     structured beauty.

15. Writing is like having kids; the hard work comes early but the benefits pay long after you’ve done the labor.

Every writer worth his or her salt quickly learns that a rejection slip seldom means failure. It may be unsuitable to one editor but the very thing another editor desperately needs. That rejection slip may be your first step to success as a writer. I have been utterly astounded in looking back at the evolution of an article as it started out in one direction and after several re-rewrites ended up becoming a totally different article.

And, I would be untrue to the reader if I did not leave you with this word of warning. I have known “good writers, brilliant in their own right who would not let any editor change a single word of their “inspired writing.” One such friend was well published and I found him brilliant. That was his option, but I also watched his vanity cut off his nose to spite his face. Don’t be afraid to defend your ideas, but never fear accepting the exchange that takes place between you and a helpful editor.

Your editor wants you to be successful as badly as you want to succeed. And, in this digital age, be aware that some of our finest works today are self-published. Self-publishing is no longer merely a “vanity” publication. By the way, a good way to personally meet potential editors is to put forth the effort to attend a popular Writer’s Conference.

J I am

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