Post-Conference Evaluation

 by Mindy Obenhaus

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the American Christian Fiction Writers annual conference in St. Louis. Something we haven't been able to do since 2019, so there was a whole lot of this going on.

Writers' conferences can be exhilarating and uplifting. They can rejuvenate your writing. But they can also be overwhelming. With so much information packed into just a few days, one can come home wondering what to do and where to start implementing all that you've learned. So here are a few tips for wading into those post-conference waters.

Rest - This is number one not only because you've been put through the paces physically, running from one workshop to the next, but because it's important for your mind. While you sleep, your mind processes all of that information you took in so when you finally review your notes, your recall will be better.

Break it down - Instead of reviewing your notes as a whole, focus on the workshops you attended one by one. Otherwise, they'll all blend together. By recalling individual sessions, you're apt to trigger even more recollections. Questions someone asked that you failed to write down (I'm the worst at notetaking). Comments from the presenter that weren't on the PowerPoint. 

Try out what you learned - Once you've reviewed the sessions you attended, contemplate how you can apply your new knowledge to your writing/publication process. Strategize each one by asking where it might fit or how you can best utilize them and then test them out.

Be realistic - I've been to a lot of writers' conferences over the last sixteen years and heard many stellar ideas. Ideas other people raved about. Yet didn't work for me. Everyone has to find their own writing process. What works for someone else might boost your productivity, or it might styme you. And no writer wants to feel stymied. So don't beat yourself up, simply set those notes aside and move on.

Writers' conferences can be beneficial no matter where you are in your writing career. We never stop learning. I can't tell you how many times I've walked into a workshop to find well-known, multi-published, best-selling authors among the students. Yet we all learn differently. So gather all the information you can, evaluate it, try it, then take what works for you and set aside the rest. Because we're always evolving, always moving forward, pressing on to that which God has called us to. 

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com