ACFW Tips: Conference Dos

Having fun at the MBT Pizza Party at the 2010 ACFW conference

I'm making my list, checking it twice.
No, I'm not talking about my Christmas wish list.
I'm prepping for ACFW, which is the talk of the CBA writing world right now.
I'm no conference newbie, not with more than a decade of conference attendance behind me (and a drawer full of name tags to prove it. Not really. I tossed 'em in an organizing frenzy a couple of years ago.)
Over at the MBT Ponderers blog, I posted about what I'm packing for the conference. Hint: I'm not limiting myself to a carry on bag.
There's a lot of chatter on the Internet--Twitter and various writers' blogs--about how to enjoy the conference. How to succeed, whether you're an introvert or an extrovert or somewhere in between. Me? I'm an introvert who doesn't mind taking center stage, so long as I'm promised downtime afterward. Realizing you're likely dashing from blog to blog and taking frantic notes, I'm going to give you my ACFW To Do list:

1. Be yourself. You're the only you attending the conference. I'd like to meet you when we say hi--not you-pretending-to-be-someone-else. 
2. Ask questions. Here's a good question to ask when you meet someone new: What do you write? Then sit back and listen to their answer. Don't worry about preparing your answer just in case they ask you about your writing--and they probably will. You've been me-focused for so many weeks pre-conference. Isn't it nice to think about someone else?
3. Reach out. Odds are there's someone at the conference who's even more overwhelmed than you are. Maybe they are a first-timer. Or maybe they're pitching their novel for the first time. Encourage someone else. Let them practice their pitch with you and then pray with them before they head off for that nerve-wracking 15 minute appointment. 
4. Have fun. There's fun to be had at the conference. Enjoy the workshops. Enjoy the keynote speakers. Pitch your book.(Yes, this can be fun! Get excited about sharing your idea!) But take time to meet with friends for coffee. Browse the bookstore together or go work out at the exercise room. It's okay to go off-schedule and focus on relationships. 
5. Slow down. Before you know it, you'll be packing your suitcase for the trip home.Wait! Didn't you just get here? Start each day by asking yourself: What do I want to accomplish today? And then leave room for God to change your plans. End each day by looking back and savoring the unexpected blessings He revealed.

What about you? What's on your conference To Do list? On Thursday I'll share my ACFW conference "To Don't" list.

The Summertime To Do and Don't List

It's May.


Which means the school days are winding down for Christa.


Which means I've got to figure out what she's doing this summer.


It's always a challenge: The delicate balance between too much to do and not enough. The last thing I want is to have a bored nine-year-old dragging around behind me asking, "What can I do? What can I do?" all day, every day until I announce, "Time to shop for school supplies!"


But I also don't want to drag Christa out of bed every morning and run full-tilt through the supposedly lazy days of summer.



So I try to plan the perfect summer of just enough planned activities and just enough unplanned free time. Too be honest, I haven't gotten it right yet.



Should we do the library reading program? Christa loves to read, so that's an easy yes. Sure, I'll be making multiple trips to the library, but it's doable.

I've signed her up for a three-week writing class with one of her closest friends. After I convinced her it really was fun, not summer school, she was all about journals and blogs and writing her memoir. Of course, the first week of the class falls during the week of her dance recital, so I am going to be crazy-busy that week, what with dance practices and writing class. Oh, well. It will be worth it. And I will just keep telling myself that--and plan on eating out a lot that week.



That leaves the rest of the summer. And deciding between want tos and have tos and oh, well, let's not. I want Christa to have time to sleep in (wishful thinking) and to ride bikes and to read books and to build forts in the living room that stay up all day long. She wants to go to soccer camp and take karate and take art class and swim class--her list could go on for pages.



Thinking Out Loud: Summertime. Another chance to make wise choices about the dos and the don'ts. I don't want Christa's life to be a flurry of activities--so that her days whiz by her in fast-forward motion. Sure, I want her to experience a lot of things. But I also want her to experience rest. Relaxation. Days when she wakes up and asks, "What are we doing today?" and I answer, "Nothing." Those can be good days too.