The Write His Answers Christian Writer’s Conference for 2024 has come and gone. It was another four days packed with useful information and valuable networking with other writers, agents, editors, and publishers. All of this coming at you like a firehose rather than a water fountain. Looking back and reviewing notes is vital for the information to really penetrate.

I anxiously anticipated receiving all this information and incredible teaching, hoping to take a huge step forward with my craft. I was looking forward to the appointments with people in the industry, looking for constructive critiques on my work. Instead, a huge detour blocked my path. “You won’t be able to get this topic published. It’s too heavy,” I was told. “You might consider writing magazine articles on it and completely remove that theme from your book.” I tried to stay positive and take this cheerfully, thinking about the upside of this detour.

So, I started to pursue sessions on writing nonfiction articles and devotionals while feeling down about my fiction book and its possibilities. I found good information for when I want to write some article, but my heart wasn’t in it. I even considered writing devotionals about forgiveness. Boy, did I need that now.

Then, I started musing. Isn’t this exactly what I’m writing about? What do you do when someone pulls the rug out from under you? What do you do when your world comes crashing down because of a comment or action? All these things happen in my book, in a different scenario, but the same theme, nonetheless. What do I know about forgiveness?

There were people at the conference who helped me get back on my horse and start riding again. I began to see that the possibilities were endless. I wasn’t familiar with writing for magazines, but I learned. I wasn’t familiar with writing devotionals, but I learned. Other people helped me see that my style could, and should, carry into non-fiction as well as fiction. My horizons opened to a whole new other world.

When we fall, we need other people to help us up. They won’t always give you the perspective you think you need, but if you let God take the lead, they will direct you in the way God wants you to go. Trust him to direct your paths.