Aspiring Novelists Seek Instruction, Inspiration At Writer's Conference

Written by Jenny Rice

RIDGECREST, N.C., 10/22/07 -- For most people, reading a novel is easy. Writing one can be much harder.

Just ask the 40-plus aspiring novelists who convened for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference held Oct. 7-11 at LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center. LifeWay has hosted for many years an annual writing conference at Ridgecrest in May, but this fall retreat targeted previously published Christian fiction writers or first-time writers with a completed first draft.

Writers came seeking technical training, constructive critique and inspiration to continue down the difficult path of novel writing.

"A writer is someone who cares so much about writing that it is difficult to write," professional author and conference speaker Alton Gansky. "Some of the best writers slave over their words. Books do not spring forth complete any more so than babies spring out as adults."

After 20 years of writing feature articles, conference attendee Sue Cameron from El Paso, Texas, attempted her first novel last year. Once her first draft was complete, Cameron put the novel on a shelf because the intimidation of suffering through the rewrite was too much to bear. Encouraged by what she learned at the conference, she was ready to take on the second draft.

"I have been to other conferences that were helpful, but I needed something that would help take me to the next level with my novel," said Cameron.

Mark Bittles from Louisville, Ky., is also a veteran of writing conferences. He has been working on his first novel for the past year, but needed practical advice on technical writing skills.

"I have learned so many great tips here," Bittles said. "They don’t just tell you that you need to develop the characters; they actually tell you how."

Character development was just one topic of interest during intense hands-on morning workshops offered at the conference. Other topics included plot development; how to write an effective first sentence or page; detailing professional prose; writing from the correct point of view; and the need for time management when incorporating a passion for writing into everyday life.

Each speaker was a published author - typically ones who have written 20-40 published novels apiece - and while they offered practical guidelines, each acknowledged that they had their own personal ways of writing.

"A good rule of thumb is ‘know thyself,’" said Gansky. "Our brains are uniquely wired. At conferences like this, you hear a lot about how to write, but you have to go home and customize it to fit your style."

He added, "Remember, the goal in the end is to have a great story that is told well."

Writing must be a priority

Around tables during meals or in hallways during breaks, conversations at the conference centered around one thing - writing. Conference participants excitedly spoke of plot lines in their stories, shared frustrations over writing difficulties, and even lamented over lack of time and places to write.

Preferred places to write varied from local coffee shops to private home offices where authors could steal a few minutes of time at the end of the day. But every place has its challenges, explained Bittles.

"I have to go to coffee shops where people don’t know me," he said. "And if someone comes in that I know, I will explain to them that I am in the middle of writing in the hopes that they will understand I don’t want to be disturbed. But they just keep talking to me."

"No one understands what we do," he said.

Conference speaker and accomplished author T. Davis Bunn sympathized with time management issues, something he faced early on in his professional writing career. Bunn became a Christian at the age of 26 while working as an international business consultant. For years he wrote in airports or hotel lobbies, wherever he could find a spare moment.

Familiar with the distractions and roadblocks authors face, Bunn challenged the new novelists to do whatever it takes to be able to write.

"You are going to face the issues of time management, lack of energy and outside pressures. You have to get over it and find a way to write every day," he said. "I know that other things pull for your time, but there has to be this understanding that your passion requires certain commitments and time is one of them. Writing has to be a daily discipline."

According to Bunn, many publishers expect authors to complete novels within a matter of months, requiring a writer to start working on the next book while editing the second draft of the current project. Mastering the art of time management is critical for professional authors.

"You have to learn how to produce and produce on time. You have to learn that discipline now. Publishers will not give you time to grow as a commercial writer after the contract is signed. You have to learn it now," Bunn said.

Differences between writers, professional authors

While many conference attendees were working on their first novels, Bunn challenged them to think beyond their current novels and instead hone skills that would allow them to have many published titles on bookstore shelves.

"Your goal is not to write this book; your goal is to become a professional author," he said.

According to Bunn, the first draft of a novel is for the benefit of the author alone. Speaking to the new authors, he said, "The first draft is your story. This is your chance to write the story that you want to tell."

The second draft, he says, is the opportunity to edit the story so that it will catch the attention of publishers and readers. To do this, a writer must stand apart as the writer of the book and instead look at the story as a professional author.

"You have to divorce yourself from being the author of the book so you can polish the book for the reader. You aren’t polishing the book for yourself, but for the reader," Bunn said.

For more information on 2008 Blue Ridge Mountain Writers Conferences, visit LifeWay.com/christianwriters.

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Jenny Rice

Jenny Rice is a corporate communications specialist in LifeWay's corporate communications department. Prior to LifeWay, she worked with Ronald Blue & Co., LLC as a communications coordinator and at Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes and Family Ministries in the public relations department. A Georgia native, Jenny graduated from the State University of West Georgia with a BA in mass communications. She currently lives in Franklin, Tenn.

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