Volunteering at a Writer's Conference

If you are a writer, attend writer's conferences. And, once you have attended a conference once, go back as a volunteer. This is what I just experienced at the Oklahoma Writer's Federation Write On! 2007 Conference. Last year, at the OWFI Conference, I soaked in the wonderful atmosphere of being surrounded by a few hundred writers in one room, met agents and editors, and hobnobbed with like-minded people from all over the U.S. It was a great time. This year I did the same, with the added bonus of volunteering as a committee chair and a shepherd for a speaker. One of my most enjoyable highlights was getting to know the sweetest children's book author, Gwendolyn Hooks, the author I served as shepherd. Another huge blessing was listening to a lady in the bathroom pour out her heart about the death of her husband. Since the main theme of my memoir is grief and I've lived through quite a bit of that myself, I felt God had placed us both strategically in the bathroom at the same time. I missed half of a lunch workshop and it was so worth it. This was a tiny taste of what God does when we move out of the way and seek to be hidden in Him. This is my continuing goal as a writer and as His child. You truly do get back what you give, and then some.