Writers on Repeat: Don’t give up!

by Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites

Bill Murray’s classic romantic comedy, Groundhog Day, played in the background (as an alternative to the Super Bowl) on one of those movie channels when I sat down to ponder my February post for The Write Conversation. With conference season on my mind, I couldn’t help but compare the lessons learned by meteorologist Phil Connors with some of my takeaways of conferencing. Be nice to othersBill Murray, as Phil Connors, learns that the best way for him to achieve greatness is to befriend and help others. A writing conference is a great place to meet fellow comrades on similar writing journeys. And, sometimes, not-so-similar. As in, a completely different genre than you’re familiar with and leaning towards, but a compatriot, nonetheless. 
Attendees and faculty go the extra mile to treat others with kindness and to share the knowledge they’ve gleaned thus far on their writing trek. In a variety of stages of published and almost-published, conferees delight in sharing tips and techniques and story plots and industry jargon and prayer requests and so much more. 
To achieve greatness in the writing world is to befriend and help others, to stand shoulder to shoulder with writers in the trenches. To link arms, share fellowship, and encourage with words and deeds. Whatever conference or conferences you plan to attend this season, make it a goal to “take home” a host of new friendships and lots of renewed ones, too.
Make the most of your timeThe meteorologist stuck in Groundhog Day-repeat learned to make the most of every day, with an introduction to piano lessons, ice sculpting, and a new language. Conferences offer a plethora of classes and workshops. Take advantage of the wisdom of experienced instructors by sitting in as many classes as your brain can handle and purchase recordings of other classes. And, by all means, if you need “me” time to survive, do so, but don’t miss out on the valuable information available to you around practically every corner.
Keep trying new things to get the job doneThough Murray’s character mostly wanted to break free from another Groundhog Day, he also wanted to “get the girl.” He continued to try new things to accomplish his goal. Repeat conferees know that what you learn one year and put into action may be completely different the next year. Heed the advice of those in the know. Follow suggestions and instructions of experienced faculty, because they have your best interest at heart. They want you to succeed. 
I learned that lesson personally with a manuscript proposal I shared with Vicki Crumpton, Revell editor, four years ago for the first time at Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. I mentioned to her that I’d spoken earlier that day with Cyle Young, Hartline Literary Agency, and she said if I signed with him, to have him send it to her. She also made some suggestions for changes to my non-fiction book idea. 
I did eventually sign with Cyle Young, a month or so after the conference, and I made the changes she suggested and worked on getting more active on several social media sites and starting a blog, as she also suggested. 
The next year at Blue Ridge, I spoke with Vicki again, sharing the work I’d done, at her request. She made other suggestions – secure more social media followers, as well as a more regular, interactive presence on several sites. And we talked about “borrowed platform.”
Last year at the Florida Christian Writers Conference, the third time I sat down with Vicki Crumpton at a one-on-one session, I showed her the numbers of followers for two of the three homeschooling sites that I blog for monthly – the “borrowed platform” she suggested – and she said those marvelous words every writer wants to hear, “Tell Cyle to send it to me again. I’d like to publish it.”
Had I not tried each of those “new” tips she suggested, I wouldn’t have accomplished the goal I set out to achieve. My book, 365 Ways to Love Your Child: Turning Little Moments into Lasting Memories, releases in October of this year. I’m thrilled, to say the least! 
Don’t Give Up! Phil Connors doesn’t give up. He “gets the girl,” makes a ton of new friends, takes advantage of new opportunities, and eventually wakes up to a new, grand day! But he had to keep plugging along to get there. You can do this! You got this! Keep praying and keep on keeping on! You’ll be so glad you did! 
I hope to see lots of you at conferences this season! But in the meantime, why not share something you learned about your writing journey from a new movie or an old classic!   
TWEETABLEWriters on Repeat: Don’t give up! - @JLavenderWrites on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Julie Lavender – whose favorite color as a child was any shade of purple  – reluctantly took off the homeschooling hat she’d worn over twenty-five years when her youngest of four started college a couple of years ago. That child is a senior, and the threat of the dreaded “empty nest” is imminent. Julie delights in filling her almost-empty nest, however, with new writing friends that she loves to connect with online or at writing conferences. 
Her newest book, 365 Ways to Love Your Child, published by Revell, releases in the fall. Julie co-authored two devotionals in the last six months with Michelle Cox, best-selling author of the When God Calls the Heart devotional books, inspired by the Hallmark series “When Calls the Heart.” 
Julie won a Guideposts Writing Contest in 2014, joining eleven other winners in Rye, New York to study under top, New York-based Guideposts editors. One of those fellow winners just happened to be the amazing Edie Melson! Since winning that contest, Julie has been chosen for six Guideposts Refresher Workshops and been published in all four of their major publications, as well as online. Additionally, Julie writes for her hometown newspaper, the Statesboro Herald, contributing over 800 faith-based and local feature articles, a monthly family column, and a monthly women’s feature. 
She is the author of 365 Days of Celebration and Praise and Creative Sleepovers for Kids and three teacher resource books for the religious division of Carson-Dellosa Publishers. She also contributes to compilations like Chicken Soup for the Soul, Heart Reno, Short and Sweet, and Guideposts collections. Julie’s magazine credits include Clubhouse, Today’s Christian Woman, Refresh, Homeschooling Today, The Upper Room, Secret Place, Southern Writers, BookFun, Focus on the Family, Mature Living, Country Woman, ParentLife, and Taste of Home.Julie and husband David have two sons, two daughters, one son-in-love, and one precious grandson. Julie has a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education and taught public school before becoming a stay-at-home mom and homeschooling mommy. Julie and her husband, a former entomologist for the United States Navy and a current wildlife biologist at an army base, traveled about the country with their four children as Uncle Sam directed for twenty years before returning to their hometown of Statesboro, Georgia. 
Connect with Julie on Facebook, Twitter at @JLavenderwrites, Instagram at JulieLavenderwrites, and follow her nature blog, On My Walk With God, at julielavender.blogspot.com