Guest Blogger: Tracy Crump

The Write Start

Every seat in the auditorium was full, and still people kept coming through the doors. Standing alone at the side of the room, I looked out over the crowd. Not one familiar face. I had chosen one of the largest Christian writers conferences in the country to attend as my first conference. What was I thinking?

Though overwhelming, the conference turned out to be a good experience and jump-started my career. But after attending conferences of varying sizes since, I know a smaller one would have been a better first choice.

The Mid-South Christian Writers Conference is also starting out, just as I was a few years ago. The number of attendees is limited, which will allow us to provide the closeness and one-on-one attention writers need to get “the write start.” At the same time, we’ve attracted a diverse group of workshop leaders that will minister not only to new writers’ needs but also to those of more experienced writers. Most importantly, we’ve wrapped the entire conference in prayer, asking God to oversee the proceedings.

We’ll have veteran authors presenting on writing novels, marketing through social media, and many other topics. But remembering those early days, I asked to present a workshop on query letters—a term I didn’t even know existed when I attended that first conference. (Boy, was I green!) A query letter introduces the writer to an editor and starts that writer down the road to publication.

Please join us on March 8, 2014, for the first Mid-South Christian Writers Conference and get the “write” start to your writing career. For more information, go to http://www.midsouthchristianwriters.com/index.html.

Tracy Crump

MSCWC Registrar

Tracy Crump has published in Focus on the Family, Mature Living, Parent Life, Light & Life, and other magazines. A dozen of her stories have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and she has written numerous devotions for publication. Tracy has served on staff at writers conferences and co-founded Write to Life Workshops with Marylane Wade Koch. Together, they present one-day workshops and webinars and co-edit The Write Life, a free monthly e-newsletter which includes story callouts. Visit Tracy at www.WriteLifeWorkshops.com