Home from the Colorado Christian Writers Conference

Posted on May 29, 2018May 29, 2018 by Chris

It was a long month of preparation for CCWC, followed by a few days of hectic activity. And that was followed by a few days of recovering from exhaustion.

Since I have chosen to be part of the team of volunteers who help with the conference, my husband, Roy and I arrived at Ruesch Auditorium at the YMCA camp in Estes Park on Tuesday. We helped set up the bookstore and print what was needed for the faculty and conferee packets.

Wednesday through Saturday was constant interaction, movement, and taking care of problems. No matter how carefully we prepare, little things always come up during conference needing to be fixed.

With over 50% of our conferees attending for the first time, many people had questions about where things were or who to talk to or what to do next.

My time was taken by a combination of talking to other authors about my work, talking to other authors about their writing, selling books in the bookstore, helping those in need, etc. Did I have anytime to attend any classes? No, not one. Do I feel going to the conference was a waste of my time since I didn’t go to a class? No, I don’t.

I came home with CDs of the classes and keynotes I missed, so I’ll be able to get the desired knowledge. I gained a lot in the contacts I made. I received a lot of confirmation I am on the right path in the projects I’m working on. I gained a lot of knowledge about how to complete what the Lord has told me to do. I had many opportunities to bless others by helping them.

It was a great conference.

Elevator pitch

Posted on May 8, 2018May 8, 2018 by Chris

Today, like many times before, I was asked what an author should include in his or her one-minute pitch. As usual, what they wanted was write their pitch for them which I will not do. Below is my answer:

Imagine you get on an elevator (not the high-speed kind) in the lobby of a hotel at the same time as a publisher who would make your book an instant best seller, pay for you to go on a worldwide book tour, and pay you 50% royalties. No one else is on the elevator. The publisher is getting off on the 20^th floor with no stops in between. He asks what you are writing. What do you want him to know so he will want to know more and will ask you to talk to him after the elevator ride?

Just so I don’t give anyone the wrong idea, I don’t know of any publisher like that, nor have I ever heard of one and doubt one exists. But it helps to think that way when creating your pitch.

Gardening

Posted on May 4, 2018May 4, 2018 by Chris

Been thinking a lot about our garden as it’s looking more and more like spring. But there are obstacles to conquer before the garden will be planted.

First, Colorado weather. The general rule here is never plant before Mother’s Day. My husband and grandkiddos have been looking and getting seeds for a couple months. They are anxious to start planning. But Mother’s Day is still a week away. However, we also have to think about last year. We planted two weeks after Mother’s Day. The following week we had snow and a hard freeze. Most of our seeds were okay, but we had to repurchase and replant all the small vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

Second, Colorado weather. The last three weeks the plan has been to rototill the garden on the day the garden to prepare for planting. Our nine-year-old grandson wants to help and is excited about the opportunity. Although he is too young to handle a rototill on his own, he can help with supervision and Grandpa also holding the equipment. This keeps getting canceled due to rain or snow on the day each week he come to visit.

Third, Colorado weather. Each of the three grandchildren who come down each week gets a small section of the garden of their own to plant whatever they want. Their sections need to be dug up and prepared for planting since they are too small and have too many perennials to use the rototill in them. Why isn’t this getting done on the days they are down to visit? You guessed it. For the last three weeks there has been either rain or snow on the days they come.

But not to worry. Colorado weather never stays the same. Soon I’ll be able to look out my front window and see flowers and vegetables growing in the garden.

Getting Ready for a Conference

Posted on May 1, 2018May 1, 2018 by Chris

I’m getting nervous. I have a list of so many things to do I’m afraid to put numbers on the list because I don’t want to know how many things there are. The Colorado Christian Writers Conference is less than two weeks away. I need to have everything ready to pitch two books, team-teach one class, sell my novel, my chapter book, and the new journal I’ve created, help my husband run the bookstore, and take appointments with other writers. Wow! That is a long sentence and way too many things for which to prepare.

My time to work on all the above is being interrupted by visits to my eighty-nine-year old mother who fell and broke her shoulder last week and preparations for an AWANA Awards Night this Sunday. And no, I don’t consider visiting my mother as a negative. In this context I’m just talking about an addition to my schedule that I was planning to do over the phone this week, not make the hour each way drive.

In addition to all the above, I need to remember to breathe as well as remember God is in control and He will see to it I have time to do all that is truly necessary to accomplish. I’ve realized His list of what I need in preparation for CCWC is different than mine. My list is concerned with meeting my goals and having everything perfect. His list is about my having what is needed to keep me on His path for my writing and my life while I’m there.

I know which list I need to follow – His. I just need to remember to be obedient. As a reminder, I’m putting up these two pictures of elk, one from the YMCA in Estes Park where CCWC is held.