Thursday, March 28, 2013

Looking Back...

Well, the conference is over and I'm utterly exhausted. But it was all worth it! I'm very glad that I was able to go this year and only God can receive credit for everything coming together for me. He is an awesome God and knows exactly what we need.

There were a lot of amazing workshops and I'm rather sorry that I missed some of them. But the ones I did go to were hosted by fantastic people such as Mona Hodgson, Ramona Richards, Steve Laube, and Karen Ball. They had great things to say about the publishing process, writing well, and techniques for telling a good story. Good stuff!

But all of that feels kind of flat in light of Saturday. I sent in two manuscripts this year (well, technically the same manuscript twice). One to Mona and the other to an agent. Mona is one of the sweetest people on earth and her stories are equally sweet. I really do recommend looking her up on amazon, google books or christianbook.com. Mona gave me a lot of great feedback on my story, all of which I hope to implement over the next few days. But even in its current state, I got some very encouraging feedback from the agent I sent Aura Lea to.

I met with her on Saturday... hence why Saturday was such a good day for me.

Saturday morning, after lunch, I was able to retrieve my manuscript from the hospitality center at Mt. Hermon. Both of my envelopes were there - so of course my heart when off beat after that. When you send a manuscript in for editorial review, you either receive a "yes" or a "no." So I was rather afraid to open that manila envelope! But of course, I did...

I sat down on the bench over near Newton Hall and took a deep breath. There was a blue slip of paper at the front of my manuscript which had my answer. On that slip was a check mark and a meeting time. The agent liked my writing!

Nothing could contain my excitement after that. So of course, I skipped about for a while and then sat down to do some editing (but I didn't really get anything done). My meeting was at 5:30. There were several hours of anxiety for me to sit through.

Thankfully, those hours did pass. at 5:20, I packed up my stuff and went to wait in hospitality for the agent to arrive. When the agent came through the doors, I got a smile and together we went out to sit on a planter outside the coffee house.

I assume many other authors sent in manuscript submissions to this particular agent, so it took some memory jogging for the agent to differentiate mine from the others. After that, I was asked to talk a little bit about my story and writing style, as well as my history. One question however, made me pause. Aura Lea has never been read through by anyone. So while my writing style is noteworthy, my ability to craft a decent plot is untested.

The agent really wanted someone to read it all the way through. But, once I could get that accomplished, I can send in a proposal. (a proposal is a good thing to be asked for in the publishing world!)

I talked more with that agent throughout the rest of the conference. They even knew of a freelance editor who would be available to read Aura Lea for me. So, all that said, I am walking away from the conference very encouraged and excited about what is to come. I keep trusting God that he has the best for me and that he knows exactly what he's doing. I just have to wait and see.

Emily






Thursday, March 21, 2013

Packing

Everything comes together starting tomorrow. I've got some laundry in the dryer right now. After that's done I'll start tossing things into my suitcase. Lots to get done before I leave for the writers' conference tomorrow morning, bright and early. Have to be there before 12!

Oh! But it's gonna be lots of fun. After the past two years, I can't help but anticipate seeing their smiling faces. I've met several, wonderful, writer friends at this conference. And thank goodness William Jessup U is on spring break. I get to bring along another friend with me to experience the joy of the Mt. Hermon conference.

That's my week. After tuesday, I go home to my family. Lots of great stuff in store for me. I'll keep you posted.

Emily

Monday, March 18, 2013

Allison

 A year wished away is forever gone
A day wasted on worry can never be undone
An hour spent fussing over nonsense cannot be regained
A moment spent in silence is of more use than another spent spewing useless talk
A second of hesitation could save you a lifetime of regret

Have I thought my intentions through?
Will I regret them in some later year?
My heart pangs violently with anticipation. 
My future is before me, 
My past is behind.
The person I will become depends on me alone. 

Are the choices I have made wise?
Dear LORD, I pray that they are so!


Christian Teen Writers

I started going to Mt. Hermon two years ago. I was a Junior in High School and rather obsessive about my writing (actually, I was a terrible writer at the time, but that's not the point). The POINT I'm trying to make is that I learned so much while I was there. But after the conference, I felt like I needed to do something with the wealth of information I acquired. That's when "Christian Teen Writers" took shape.

I don't really know if I still fit into the category of a teen writer because for technicality's sake, I'm no longer a minor, but still, I continue to post to this facebook page I created. It's really easy to find actually, https://www.facebook.com/ChristianTeenWriters 

I've been posting to the page for a while, sharing what I call,  "writer funnies" and other pits of information on how to "write well." Most teen writers just don't get that very much - information of writing. It's just something to do after school gets out. There's no rhyme or reason to the writing. Sadly, this doesn't promote a very good environment for "good writing."

Part of me is extremely hopeful that teen writers will take advantage of this page and learn. I had to go to a conference to learn all the things I post about. The fact that I can share all of my information freely is quite amazing.

So there you have it Teen Writers! I encourage you and implore you to learn. Getting published is such an incredible dream to have, but not impossible. Learn all you can about how to write well so that agents and editors can't help but want to pick up your writing!

Hugs!

Emily

God Works In Mysterious Ways

This is gonna be short and sweet because it's almost 1am and I need to get up for an 8am class. Anyways... I have good news: GOD IS FAITHFUL. Maybe you knew that, maybe you didn't. I'm a worrier, so I'm in a whole 'nother category. I FORGET that He's faithful. But he certainly likes to remind me.

I'm officially registered for Mt. Hermon now and I'm going with one of my best friends this year (she's a real sweetheart). But I keep wondering where the money is going to come from so I can pay off what I owe. Jeez, you'd think I'd learn, but of course, money just keep showing up when I feel most discouraged. God is SO good and SO faithful.

I hope you see you at the conference.

Emily

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Saving

Little moments are slipping by and Mt. Hermon is steadily drawing closer and closer. Money is still an issue that I keep giving back over to God. I trust Him completely with this. I feel as if He wants me at the conference this year. Don't ask me how I know, I just feel it! Maybe that's wishful thinking on my part, but I really am praying that it's in His will.

Money just seems to have a way of never being an issue though when you trust it to God. I've been turning over recyclables to raise up money. More recyclables just keep getting laid in my lap! I'm very surprised at the ways they just turn up. God is doing SOMETHING. I swear it. He answers prayer when His children ask things in His name. We'll see what happens.

For now... I'm saving and praying. We'll just have to wait and see...