A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the schedule for the upcoming Franklin Graham Festivals, and I got a note back from a friend in the Philippines who’s planning on attending the one in Manila next month. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!

So, I was thinking today that maybe there are some of you in the U.S. who may be interested in attending another one of my favorite conferences. I’ve been to two American Christian Writers’ conferences, and they’re fantastic. I love going to a meeting where I can be around other like-minded people.

These conferences are shorter than many and are also relatively inexpensive. If you enjoy books and writing, there are so many fascinating people out there who share your same interests. It doesn’t matter what level you are, you can always learn from the experiences of someone else — and have a great time doing it.

Here’s what happened to me. I went to my first ACW conference a couple of years ago and heard author Carmen Leal speak. She makes her living as a full-time writer and told our group this: if you want to write a book, you need to start writing smaller pieces, like magazine articles. If you want to break into national magazines, you need to start with smaller, local markets. She told us how she broke into publishing by writing a funny story about her dog for a single parent magazine.

I took her advice by sending a query to a women’s magazine in my hometown and started a new column, “Mom 2 Mom Connection.” Sound familiar? I discovered that I love writing specifically to women, and from that I started this blog — which has given me a voice I never had. This all came as a result of God prompting my heart after attending four of Carmen Leal’s writing workshops.

The second ACW conference I went to, I didn’t go alone. I invited one of my high school friends, who is a great writer. If I compiled all of her letters to me (in the days we handwrote things before email!), I’d have a bestselling book. She came to the conference and was so inspired that now she’s sold several articles to parenting publications and is working for a newspaper! And we can encourage each other.

The speakers are great, and one thing I like about this conference is that Reg Forder and his wife Eleonore bring a bookstore with them. They pick and choose from thousands of the very best writing books and tools — and offer them to you at the lowest prices. I bought a new dictionary last summer — is it possible for me to say I’m in love with a dictionary? My other one was almost 20 years old. I also discovered several of my favorite writing books there — the ones that I loan out and then bug people about returning them.

Unlike workshops and retreats that are located in quiet, off-the-beaten-path locations, these are held right in a big city. So you can save the cost of the hotel and commute if you need to. That’s what I’ve done. They also allow you to attend only one day and pay significantly less. I’ve seen my tuition from this conference paid back many times over in the professional help I’ve received. And I can’t wait to go back this year and hear a new round of speakers.

Also, if there are editors in attendance, this is a great chance to meet with one and share your book proposal or article query. The editors who come to conferences are actively seeking good writing. For example, Len Goss of Broadman & Holman publishers came to one conference — and he told us what types of books he prefers. At another conference, Diedre Knight of The Knight Agency came. She explained to us that her agency only accepts one-page email queries — so you’d be wasting your time and money to ship off your entire manuscript. (Hey, I just discovered Diedre has a blog — how interesting!)

Here’s the 2006 ACW Schedule. Go to their website for more details and to see who the speakers and editors are. There’s also an annual ACW cruise held at the end of the year. Now wouldn’t that be a fun excuse to take a “working vacation?” (We’d all sit around reading books and getting sunburned together — and talk about how we’re having withdrawal symptoms from being offline.)

February 17-18, 2006 Dallas, TX Dallas Plaza Hotel

February 24-25, 2006 Oklahoma City, OK La Quinta Inn

March 10-11, 2006 Richmond, VA Wyndham Richmond Airport

March 17-18, 2006 Charlotte, NC Marriott Executive Park

March 25, 2006 (Saturday only) Pittsburgh, PA Holiday Inn Pittsburgh Airport

March 31-April 1, 2006 South Bend, IN Holiday Inn City Center

April 7-8, 2006 Fort Wayne, IN Holiday Inn Downtown

April 29, 2006 Memphis, TN First Baptist Church, Collierville

May 19-20, 2006 Atlanta, GA Comfort Inn Airport

June 2-3, 2006 Nashville, TN, Mentoring Opryland Radisson

June 9-10, 2006 Columbus, OH Midwest Hotel

June 23-24, 2006 Grand Rapids, MI Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel

July 22, 2006 (Saturday only) Louisville, KY Executive West Airport

July 29, 2006 (Saturday only) Indianapolis, IN Holiday Inn on Victory Drive

August 4-5, 2006 Minneapolis, MN Best Western Kelly Inn in St. Paul

August 12, 2006 (Saturday only) Springfield, MO Marriott Courtyard

September 8-9, 2006 Colorado Springs, CO Clarion Downtown

September 15-16, 2006 Spokane, WA Hampton Inn Airport

October 13-14, 2006 Anaheim, CA Desert Palms Hotel

October 20-21, 2006 Phoenix, AZ Best Western Grace Inn

November 18, 2005 (Saturday only) Orlando, FL Ramada Maingate

November 25-December 3, 2005 Caribbean Cruise Carnival South Caribbean

P.S. You know it would thrill me to find out that someone reading this post goes to one of these conferences — so don’t forget to let me know!
😉