40th Annual Christian Writer’s Conference Recap
The Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference is about increasing our knowledge, improving our writing skills, making new friends and exposing our best work to critique so it can one day be read by others. I came away realizing it was a “You had to be there!” experience. However, here are the highlights from my perspective.
Second, the talent available to learn our craft is staggering. I had the privilege of sitting at the feet of Mona Hodgson who has written multitudes of children’s books and articles. I learned more about the details of writing for children, including the nuance of manuscript submission for the genre, in nine hours than many months of self-education. I am armed with all I need to write and submit the next best-selling children’s book.
Lastly, the conference provided every opportunity to have my work critiqued. I submitted two manuscripts and had each one critiqued by two different faculty members. I was very encouraged to hear I write well, provide engaging dialogue and grab the reader’s attention. I also submitted my picture book manuscript for editorial review by Nick Harrison at Harvest House Publishers. Although it was not a fit for their house, he liked the story and referred me to other publishers where the fit was better. I also pitched two article ideas to Jesse Florea of Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. for Focus on the Family and he liked them.
I feel blessed by the whole experience. God had prepared me with a teachable spirit. I am grateful for that. It was very exciting to have such talented authors show such sincere interest in my work. Now I am ready to get back to work.
Chris Pedersen lives with her husband and a chocolate lab named Brandy in the beautiful Sierra foothills in California. With two grown children and three grandchildren, she has turned years of writing mostly technical material into writing for children. You can learn more about Chris by visiting her blog: Paws and Ponder.
