Five days after returning home from Blue Ridge this year, I still needed sleep. My body was used to six hours of rest, and I kept waking up much sooner than I wanted to. Adjusting to life post-conference can be a feat. Not just in terms of physical rest, but in acclimating to our “normal” lives and its daily demands.
When we return home after a conference, we may have a conflicted heart. We may still be elated at seeing fellow writers, but then we deflate because they’re no longer around (at least in those numbers). We may be excited at the possibility of open doors in publishing, and at the same we’re overwhelmed with our new to-do list. We don’t quite want to return to doing the dishes, but we need time to mull over new ideas. Our routine calls to us, but we want to pursue the blessings we discovered—new projects, new friendships, new possibilities.
How can we maintain our joy and hopes after we’ve gone home? Here are three attitudes every writer needs when the conference ends and normal life kicks in again.
- “I will depend on God for the next step and do my part.”
Life is a partnership with God, and so is writing. God gives the ideas that speak to people’s hearts and minds, but He also wants us to take the right initiatives. Listening to the conference downloads, reading books on the writing craft, checking out publishers’ guidelines, tweaking our book proposals, writing the articles—we can do all these and progress our success in the writing journey. Yet each part needs God’s smile. His input. We can follow His lead as we take the next step, allowing Him to steer us and seeking His investment in all we do.
- “I will graft in new friendships and connections even with my busy schedule.”
One of the best initiatives I’ve ever taken is to keep in touch with new writer friends. Their friendships, encouragement, and prayers have helped to sustain me through years of writing and platform-building. Our new writing buddies make the journey more fun and build perseverance in the tough times, like when we receive that rejection letter or we don’t feel like rewriting one more page. Setting aside time to know our new friends better is worth every minute, and that leads us to the third attitude.
- “I will make pockets of time for my projects and stress less.”
Do you have layers of projects like I do? Although I’m still working on mastering this attitude, I’ve found that if I guard each project with its own “pocket” of time during the week, I stress less. Remembering to pace ourselves and our to-do list helps to reduce stress and builds adventure into life. Designate one to three hours each day or week to pursue a project, whether it’s connecting with new friends on social media or working on a book proposal. Alternate your projects to keep your heart engaged in the work and to make progress with your “layers.” Hopefully, stress will decrease and productivity will increase.
If you went to Blue Ridge this year or another conference, what was your initial reaction to being home again? Which of these three attitudes would help you to get back into the swing of things as you pursue your writing goals? Tell us in the comments below!
Katy Kauffman is an award-winning author, an editor of Refresh Bible Study Magazine, and a co-founder of Lighthouse Bible Studies. Her Bible studies tend to focus on winning life’s spiritual battles, and she has taught the Bible to women and teens. She also loves connecting with writers and creating compilations, such as Heart Renovation: A Construction Guide to Godly Characterwhich is a 2019 Selah Awards finalist and Director’s Choice finalist. Katy’s writing can be found at CBN.com, thoughts-about-God.com, the Arise Dailyblog, PursueMagazine.net, and two blogs on writing. She loves spending time with family and friends, making jewelry, and hunting for the best donuts. Connect with her at her blog, The Scrapbooked Bible Study, and on Facebookand Twitter.
The Conversation
Amen, Katy. I can’t believe how fast time evaporates. Your post convicted me to send my thank you emails to those who took the time to say hello and impart wisdom at the conference. I have that on my schedule for today. Thank you for all you do.
Thank you, Katy, for these three tips! I’m really glad you included the one about grating in time for writing friends. Sometimes, I feel guilty spending time with that communication, because I think I either need to be doing that writing that is calling my name or the household chores that scream out for me! But, you’re right – we need that tribe and that fellowship to encourage, sustain, and help us along the journey! Thanks for the reminders.