From First-timer to Faculty, a Unique Look at Writing Conferences

by Lynn Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn

When I started writing for The Write Conversation in 2010, I had just attended my very first conference—the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian WritersConference.

In the years since, I’ve gone from conference newbie to conference regular to published author to . . . conference faculty. This year I’ll be serving on the faculty of three different conferences ranging from small and intimate to huge.

I consider myself to be a faculty newbie so I thought it might be fun to pull back the curtain on the faculty experience.

Here are a few things you should know about the faculty of many of the conferences you’re attending:

1. They have prayed for you before you get there. Sometimes by name if it’s a smaller conference or if you’ve signed up for a practicum or a critique. Sometimes they don’t have names but they have prayed for the conferees in general. Always they have prayed for you to be open to whatever God has for you and for wisdom as they advise you.

2. They have worked hard before they arrived at the conference. Many of them do lots of critiques, prep handouts, and develop courses. Others help judge contests. And all are doing this extra work on top of their own book deadlines.

3. They remember what it’s like to be new and terrified. They really do. They aren’t oblivious to how scary it is to sit down for a critique or how hard it can be to work up the nerve to introduce yourself.

4. They are nervous about your critiques, too. They don’t know you and they have no idea how you’re going to respond to what they have to tell you. But…

5. They are NOT willing to lie to you to spare your feelings. Because as much as they remember how scary it is to show your writing to someone (see #3) they know the best thing they can do for you and your career is to be honest about what you need to do to improve your craft.

6. They are nervous about the classes, too—at least this newbie faculty was. They understand that you have had to make some tough choices. The class schedule is full of amazing options so when you choose to come to their class, they really want you to be glad you came—they hope you find what you were looking for when your steps turned in their direction. Because . . .

7. They want you to succeed. I was completely unprepared for my own reaction when the conferees who had taken my classes or had appointments with me won awards. I couldn’t stop smiling each time a name was called that I recognized. And I know I’ll be fan-girling with the best of them when I see one of their books in a bookstore.

8. They cherish your thank you notes. I’ve always kept every note anyone has sent me about my writing. Now I have a new stack of notes from the conferees I met. Some of them made me cry.

9. They really do hate cutting in line. It’s just so awkward. A million thanks to the conferees who are looking for faculty and insist they come get in front of them. It makes it so much easier.

10. And because I know you’re wondering . . . Yes, they DO talk about you later. But probably not the way you think. The things I heard went something like this . . . “She’s really good.” “He’s got talent.” “She’s going to be published soon…”

And here’s a bonus observation . . .Sometimes, they wish they could be a conferee again. In the same way published authors will say they kind of miss the days when they wrote for the fun of it or before they knew the “rules”—faculty sometimes wish for the days when they went to class when they wanted to, sat where they wanted to, etc.

Being on the faculty of a conference is incredibly challenging and incredibly rewarding. It’s an experience I will cherish . . . and can’t wait to have again.

So what kinds of things have you always wanted to know about the faculty experience? Let’s talk about it in the comments!

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

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Lynn Huggins Blackburn believes in the power of stories, especially those that remind us that true love exists, a gift from the Truest Love. She’s passionate about CrossFit, coffee, and chocolate (don’t make her choose) and experimenting with recipes that feed both body and soul. She lives in South Carolina with her true love, Brian, and their three children. Her first book, Covert Justice, won the 2016 Selah Award for Mystery and Suspense and the 2016 Carol Award for Short Novel. Her second book, Hidden Legacy, releases June 2017. You can follow her real life happily ever after on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and at lynnhugginsblackburn.com.