My Top FIVE Moments at ACFW 2015

I got home on Sunday from my first ever ACFW conference, and let me tell you, it was an incredible, life-changing weekend. I felt so favored by God, and I know I was blessed because my experience could have turned out very differently. 

I could have been told by an agent that I have no talent for writing. But that didn’t happen. 

I could have been told by an editor that my story is uninteresting and won’t sell. But that didn’t happen. 

I could have sat next to Bill Meyers at dinner on Thursday, and I could have dropped my phone so far under the table that I had to literally crawl on my knees, in my brown slacks, to get it while Bill held up the table cloth. But that didn’t—oh wait, maybe that one did…

I guess if I’m making a list of top five moments, that definitely goes on the list.

Number Five: Embarrassing myself in front of Bill Meyers. Sure, it’s an embarrassing moment—but it’s a memorable moment nonetheless, and I’m pretty sure he thought nothing of it because in our hour-and-a-half dinner conversation, I found out he is the most down-to-earth, easy-to-talk-to guy. And encouraging. He gave me a word from the Lord before we parted ways, and it was exactly what I needed to hear in that moment.

Number Four: Seeing Francine Rivers win the Lifetime Achievement Award. I was never brave enough to meet her (apart from the Gala, I actually only saw her for a millisecond in passing)—but Howell met her!! Her acceptance speech was beautiful and humble and reminded me why I have loved her and her books for almost 20 years.

Number Three: Meeting amazing new friends—many of whom were in my shoes. I’ve been timid about this process of calling myself a writer (read part one and part two here). But I’m so thankful to be a part of an organization that supports my dreams, and I believe God gave me divine appointments with new friends (especially you, Simone! :)).

Number Two: Getting to meet Kristen Heitzmann. She hugged me. She sat next to me at lunch. She got to meet my husband. And although Howell told me I wasn’t allowed to gush when I met her, I may have swooned a little. She is my all-time favorite author, y’all. And I’m not just saying that because she was there, and I met her. I’m saying, ask anyone who knows me. She’s my favorite. I’ve read all her books. I think she does amazing work with dialogue and character perspective.

Number One: Learning invaluable information for my fiction writing career. I learned so much about story writing and honing my craft, and I gained new knowledge about the publishing process, working with agents, and building my platform.

For now, this introvert is happy to be back in farm country...

...But my work is certainly cut out for me as I begin polishing my manuscript before I send it to potential agent contacts I made.

Check back next week for the top FIVE pieces of advice I received at ACFW, and if you want to share your TOP FIVE moments from the conference, please comment below!

Calling Myself a Writer - Part Two

So, I wrote a book. A work of fiction actually. And it's a little known fact about me because I've been timid about saying so and especially about calling myself a writer. (Need proof: see THIS post five years ago or THIS post six years ago!)

Last weekend I went to a writer's conference where (in addition to meeting my all-time favorite author!!) I got to meet with agents and editors and learn so much about the publishing process. To call it a life-changing weekend only scratches the surface.

One of the things I learned is that I need to create a platform for myself. I had never heard of this term, which is probably why I could safely say I didn't have one. A platform is a big thing for nonfiction, but it's becoming a thing for fiction too. And it's a catch 22. You kinda have to publish a book to get a platform. But editors at traditional publishing houses want to see that you have a platform before they buy your manuscript.

So I'm working on my "platform," which means I'm going to be blogging more regularly. Y'all have been so supportive of my blogs about infertility, and I'm still going to blog, but it'll look a little different. Howell and I will blog about marriage on Mondays. To be honest, this has been our heart for over five years. We actually kept a marriage blog for a while (another little known fact. :)) And I'll be blogging personally on Thursdays. Sometimes about writerly stuff. Sometimes just about me.

I promise I won't spam your Facebook newsfeed with my blogs, especially my writer blogs. I am going to keep Facebook for me personally--not as a "platform."

BUT if you are interested in following me on this journey as I work to publish my first manuscript (yes, I actually had people who wanted to see it! Eeeek!) and if you want to help me build my "platform," here are some ways you can help:

1. Subscribe to my blog, even if all my posts aren't interesting to you. You don't have to always read them, but it shows I have readers. :)
2. Follow me on Twitter (@Grace2Write), even if you don't tweet or look at Twitter or get it. I don't either sometimes, but if you have an account, follow me!
3. Follow me on Google+ (Laura C. Brandenburg), even if I don't get what Google+ is! Ha! The app is new to me, but if you have it and you use it, Follow me? Friend me?  Put me in your circle? Whatever the wording is--do that. :)

All of the links to subscribe (follow by email) or follow (on Twitter or Google+) are on the right sidebar of my blog site. (Over there! --->) (Note: If you're viewing the mobile site, you may have to click the "view full site" link at the bottom.)

Follow and share and share and share--especially if you have reader-friends who like feel-good romantic fiction (think: Charles Martin, not Danielle Steele :)).

I aspire to write about life events that are real and relatable. Life is not always pretty, but God is always good. I have experienced the pain of loss and the heartache of unexpected outcomes. I know what anger and bitterness and unforgiveness look like. But I have found freedom in Christ, and I hope, through the stories I tell, my readers can encounter the grace and the power of Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

Thank you for your support! 

Welcome to Marriage Mondays

 

We believe that God has blessed us with an extraordinary marriage. No, we haven’t been married 30 years. But over the last seven years, we have experienced the fullness of God in our marriage—through trials and joys, through lessons learned, through roads less traveled, and, above all, through God's grace. Our heart is simply to share what we have learned, to share what we feel so many marriages are missing. Our lessons may be simplistic, but we truly believe that when we put into practice the things we’ve learned, we begin to see God transform our marriages from ordinary to extraordinary.

ACFW Pre-Conference Mix and Mingle

This year I'll be attending a conference for Christian fiction writers (ACFW). I've never attended before, and as way to get to know other members and attendees, Author Laurie Tomlinson is hosting a pre-conference mix and mingle. Here are my responses: 

Name: Laura C. Brandenburg (The 'C.' is only important because there's another Laura Brandenburg on all the social media sites, Amazon, etc.)

Location: West Texas (small town :))

What you write/tagline/trademark: Contemporary Christian Fiction

Place in the book world: I have a completed manuscript that I'll be pitching at the ACFW conference. I'm currently unrepresented.

On a scale of hugger to 10-foot-pole, please rate your personal space: I am a big hugger! How else do you greet someone?

The unique talking point that will get you going for hours: College football, dogs, grammar, and Gilmore Girls

Loved ones at home you’ll be missing: My husband is joining me over the weekend, but I will definitely miss snuggles from my two dogs, Rizzoli and Charlie. 

Conference goals we can pray for? Pray for my heart to be prepared for whatever may happen. I've never been to a writer's conference before, and I want to have realistic expectations.  I also want to learn as much as I can about the publication process, and above all, I want to grow as a writer.

Anything we can celebrate with you? That I'm following through with this? I am generally an introverted, reserved person, and this conference (pitching!!!)  is definitely going to be out of my comfort zone!

One or two ways we can help you build your platform? You can follow me on Twitter, follow my blog, or visit my website to learn more about me.

So now what? Copy and paste the questions (or some subset thereof) into your own blog or website, copy the page url, then go to Laurie Tomlinson’s page (our lovely host for this mix and mingle) and click the “An InLinkz Link-up” link to share it – it’ll pop up with everyone else who’s participating!

A Letter to My Mom-Friends

Hey mom-friend. I see you, and this week, this month, my heart is filled with compassion for you. Your job is hard work, and it never stops. Even when your kiddo sleeps, you’re not done. There are bottles to be washed, laundry to be done, adult-conversations to be had.

I’m not there yet—but I see you.

I see you when your kid is sick and your whole routine is thrown off, when you miss work and that lunch date and the social event you hoped to go to. I see you when you can’t make it to the party because you can’t find childcare or when you take your kid out and hope to God he or she behaves. But then they don’t, and you wish the earth would open up and swallow you inside, and you think, Why did I think we could eat out or go to the grocery store or do anything in public—ever.

I see you when you feel like you are doing a hundred things, but not one thing very well, when you feel like a failure at work because your attention is at home or when you feel like a failure at home because your attention is at work. I see you when you feel alone, like no one else is failing like you are, when you make your mom-of-the-year joke about forgetting this or being late to that.

I see you.

Tuesday night Hal and I got home from work. I grilled chicken outside while he trimmed the bushes. After we ate, we went for a three-mile walk, and then spontaneously decided to get Sonic shakes (yeah—I know, good choice after exercising). We sat on the porch and drank our shakes and watched the sun set.

You probably can’t remember the last time you watched the sun set with your husband. And if dinner gets cooked at all, there’s a lot of shared work involved. Multitasking takes on a whole new level as you hope, fingers crossed, that the kid stays entertained while you chop veggies or flip the meat. 

Your meal always waits anyway—if it happens at all, until your kid is fed, maybe even bathed and put to bed. It’s 9:00, and you think, Did I eat tonight?

Impulsive decisions aren’t really an option anymore, especially when it involves a car seat. That quick trip just added several more minutes to the tab. Every choice is balanced with—is it worth it?

So, I want to say this to you, my mom-friend:

You have permission to miss your social life. And your consecutive eight hours of sleep. And any few minutes of peace and quiet. And sunsets with your husband.

You have permission to feel: Feel tired. Feel overwhelmed. Feel nostalgic for those yesteryears.

But please don’t ever feel inadequate. Never feel guilty. Never feel alone.

You have permission to be: Be late. Be scatterbrained. Be distracted.

But don’t ever beat yourself up. Never lose sight of who you are in Christ—you are enough. You are full of grace and power. You are equipped to train and raise up your child in the way he should go.

I am proud of you, of the work you’re doing. It’s worth the investment.

Someday I’ll join you, and I hope you’ll encourage me, too, when I feel discouraged, when I feel overworked, when I feel like the job never stops. You’ll remind me that we’re equipped for this work. You’ll remind me that it’s a blessing and a privilege.

And so today—I want you to remind you. You are tucked securely and safely in your Father’s hands. He’s holding you—and He’s holding your kid, too. He is filling you with all the fullness of Christ, grace upon grace.

I see you—but more than that, He is El Roi: The God Who Sees.

He sees every dream, every hope, every plan. He sees every thought, every perceived failure, every fear.

Show him your heart today and let him exchange it with His grace.

I love you my friend.