Countdown to ACFW 2012

As the season begins to change and the warmth of summer melds into Fall, there’s a buzz of excitement in the air.

For the 700+ creatives who are attending the American Christian Fiction Writers conference in Dallas next week, the buzz is more like a happy roar.

The ACFW conference is one of THE largest annual writing conferences in the world.

Authors, agents, editors, literary gurus, and  media and marketing teams come together under one roof to share, learn, teach, motivate, befriend, network, and worship. It’s an amazing time during which a unified body of believers gathers, not only with individual career aspirations in mind, but with the purpose of doing so while we glorify Christ.

Last year’s keynote speaker was the phenomenal Tracie Peterson. Tracie held us spellbound as she talked about her personal writing journey and challenged us to live out our dreams, despite setbacks or fear.

This year’s keynote is the fabulous Michael Hyatt, former chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers and bestselling author of Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World. (His book, by the way, is a must-have/must-read for authors, as well as for other creatives who want to be heard. I highly recommend it.)

The 2011 ACFW conference was held in St. Louis last year. I shared my impressions as a first-time attendee last year on my blog, and I’ll be sharing more about Dallas in the coming weeks.  (You can read more about ACFW 2011 here, here, and here.)

I’ll have a brief blog post on Monday, and I won’t post again until the following Monday after I return from the conference (Sept. 24th.) Also, while I’m at conference, I’m going on a four-day Twitter and FB fast because (A) my time will be limited and (B) I believe it’s important now and then to just disconnect from social media and clear our brains for a time. But…I WILL return–so stay tuned. I’ll check e-mail as I’m able, but again, I’m going to limit myself there, as well.

Now, I did want to REMIND everyone about SEPTEMBER’S BLOG GIVEAWAY!! If you’d like to be entered into this month’s drawing, you have until the end of this month. Be sure and check out the info and rules.

THIS MONTH’S GIVEAWAY: a nifty Barnes & Noble tote bag (just the right size for that favorite paperback) AND a $10 Barnes & Noble gift card.

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Have you ever been to a national writers’ conference?

If you’re attending ACFW this year, what are you most excited about?

For those of you who have another creative outlet, what do you do to further your craft?

Photo Credit: Federico Stevanin/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Have a super weekend!

Blessings Always,