Coaches, Cheerleaders and Cutting Class

I was asked about my association with West Coast Christian Writers Conference, and wanted to take a moment to talk about that here, because they really have a tremendous ministry that has impacted my life. I am so happy to get to attend again this year!

I first heard of the group when my husband and I were missionaries on our way to Bolivia. We were financially supported in part by Redwood Chapel in Castro Valley, California, which is the church where the WCCW seminars used to be held and WCCW founder Jon Drury used to be a pastor. My grandmother’s cousin Norma was his assistant at the time and thought the classes would be a blessing to me. I was leaving soon, and there was no online conference option available back then. So, she generously provided me with an expensive set of cassette recordings of the presentations to take to South America and study. 

About four years later, Norma got me a ticket to attend a conference in person. It was amazing. Lee Roddy spoke that year, the author of more than 70 books, including The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams. Lee taught us how to begin our first chapters right in the middle of the action. 

"They call me Mad Jack, and if there is anybody in these mountains that knows the real story about James Adams, that'd be me."

--The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams.  

(Doesn't that make you want to know more?)

 He also taught us how to pitch a story in a single sentence. It went something like this: "My book is about _(insert full name here)_, who wants to _(insert goal or desire here)_, but is blocked by ___(insert obstacle or challenge here_.") 

While Mr. Roddy signed a book for my sons, we chatted about his wife and cheerleader, Cicely. He said we writers need a person who spurs us on and supports us. I told him I had someone like that, too, and he said he was glad, because it was important.

A few years later, I was back at the conference, thanks to my mother. She had registered herself and me as a Christmas gift! We had SO much fun. Susy Flory was directing in Jon Drury’s place by then, and Kathi Lipp was the keynote speaker. The theme was "Be Brave." 

Mom and I chose a breakout session, but honestly, it didn’t resonate with us. So, being "brave" and untrue to my rule-following nature, we ducked out of it. We ended up in a class with Marci Seither instead, and it was so helpful that we decided to attend her breakouts exclusively for the rest of the day. She talked about submitting articles to Guideposts and how she had learned to dream big, work hard and be patient, trusting God’s timing. Then, she gave us each a rock. 

She didn't know this, but I was working on a memoir about God’s faithfulness at the time, titled "Stacking Stones." It was themed around Joshua 4's narrative about the Israelites building a stone marker to remind themselves of God’s goodness to them. 

Well, Marci started talking about that same passage of Scripture, then gave us rocks to symbolize God’s work in our lives. 

It was perfect!

 

After that, we went to the closing session with Kathi Lipp, who was talking about bravery in our writing. I needed that challenge. Publishing a memoir to be read by family, friends, coworkers and strangers required some courage. 

Well, Kathi started talking about the stone of Ebenezer from I Samuel 7:12, which is also about a stone marker. It reminded the people, "Thus far the Lord has helped us." Kathi wanted us to look at our life, remember how God helped us with something in the past, and know he could help us with something new, too. Then, guess what? She gave us each another rock.

I went home and emailed Marci for the name of an editor, and she was very encouraging and supportive of me and of the memoir. My husband and I published it the following year, and PRAISE GOD it has been well-received and a help to people. (It was also knocked off by another author. . . down to the font and color scheme, but that's not the point of this post. :) ) 

This year, that book is available at the conference book fair! Look what God did! But He wasn’t done yet. 

In 2023, I didn’t have money to attend the conference. I tend to be the kind of person who doesn't say anything in that type of situation. However, I decided to be BRAVE and apply for a scholarship. Guess what? I got one! I also stepped out and entered a poem in the writing contest that year, and won first place, which floored me. Susy Flory said wonderful things about my work and it was such an encouragement for me to keep writing. The same year, Guideposts magazine purchased rights to two articles I wrote, and when the first was published, guess who was on the cover? Marci Seither! Very cool.

This year, I am stepping out even further. I'm working on a historical novel and really want to publish it traditionally. So, even though I dread small talk with strangers, I am networking in that same brave spirit. I'm volunteering for a video interview, sharing some of my worst paragraphs with a coach so I can improve them, and meeting with two agents to see if they have any advice or interest. 

I'm a little terrified of these giant leaps, but trust West Coast Christian Writers as a safe, encouraging place to learn, grow and get nudged forward. I can become lazy on my own at home. Having deadlines and people to ask what I’m working on. . . all of that helps me avoid shrinking back. I guess in a way, WCCW is a cheerleader for me, too. It's good to take a minute to reflect on the people behind the organization. They have spent 25 years praying for me and fanning flames in me, when most of them have never even met me or know who I am. :) I am so grateful for them all.

Now, I gotta' get back to writing that query letter. . . .