Jeanette Hanscome

Jeanette Hanscome

Happy Monday from Jeanette. I’m finally getting caught up after the Mount Hermon Writers Conference. This year I didn’t come home nearly as exhausted as I have in the past. Knowing that I could not afford to return to my family completely wiped out, I made up my mind to pace myself. And this time I actually did it.

Instead of making appointments with every editor that came to mind, I waited for my pre-submitted book proposals to come back and met with the one who said, “I like this. Let’s talk.”

Instead of trying to flag down every magazine editor to get updates on their current needs, I attended a panel discussion with ALL the magazine editors and took good notes.

And when my friends mentioned all the appointments they had scheduled, instead of giving into the mean voices in my head, demanding that I needed to do the same if I expected to get anywhere in the publishing business, I reminded myself of the things I’d determined to focus on:
1) Learning
2) Serving (through the First Timers’ Buddy System)
3) Getting refreshed
4) Staying open to what God’s plan

As a result, I had time to:
• Have new author photos taken (thanks Mary!)
• Take a walk with a friend then sit for an hour catching up
• Be more available to first-timers
• Attend prayer and praise times
• Hear some new things from God
• Unwind after a stressful few weeks leading up to the conference

On top of that:
• I went into my one appointment confident that God had orchestrated it—that it wasn’t a door that I tried to force open.
• I had less “low points” during the conference. Okay, I did cry once, but that had to do with life stuff, not conference-related discouragement or disappointment.
• I was more relaxed, enjoying each conversation, opportunity to learn, and surprise from God.
• The post-conference let down was much less intense.
• I went home eager to dive into new ideas and opportunities and actually had the energy to get started.

This reminded me how beneficial it is to make a plan and stick to it, especially at writers’ conferences. What have you learned from similar experiences?

2 thoughts on “Sticking to the Plan

Marti Pieper

April 6, 2010 - 12 : 34 : 07

These are great words for me as I head to the Quad-Cities Writers’ Conference later this week. I didn’t have a plan for the Florida Christian Writers Conference in March, but I did have some prayers. Those helped me pursue my encounters intentionally and allowed me to watch for God along the way.
I’ll be talking to God about my conference plans–and watching for the plans he’s already put in place.
Thanks, Jeanette!

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Judy Gann

April 6, 2010 - 14 : 10 : 18

Jeanette, it was wonderful to see you at Mount Hermon!
I find my best conferences are the ones when I don’t arrive with my own agenda, but trust the Lord for His plan. This year at Mount Hermon God accomplished above and beyond anything I could EVER imagine.
I also paced myself–one workshop per afternoon and a nap each day.

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