By Sue Schlesman @Sueschlesman

I just came home from the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference. I feel a little like Moses descending Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments—I’ve got a full heart and a full notebook. And I might be glowing a little.

I have been decompressing emotionally and mentally (maybe also spiritually). I’m back to my real life where manuscripts don’t write themselves and my inner demons tell me I can’t do everything. But I knew this was coming.

A writers’ conference—particularly a Christian writers’ conference—carries emotional and spiritual impact, so you must prepare for a spiritual and emotional attack once you leave. Whatever you feel inspired to accomplish is now a sizable threat to the enemy of God. You’re excited. You’re resourced. You’re motivated.

You’re dangerous.

Spirit-filled writers disrupt the temporal world. You must prepare yourself for the writing war–for surviving your descent into a chaotic world that chants a different message than the one God’s given you. Prepare for the doubt, the fear, the work that awaits you at the mountain’s base.

To help you incorporate what you’ve learned after a conference, here are 10 Commandments for post-conference productivity:

1. Give yourself a couple days to re-enter your regular life. Your brain needs a break to process what you’ve learned before you put pressure on yourself to implement everything you want to do.
2. Write a thank you email to every person you had an appointment with. Thank them for their time and be specific about what you appreciated. Don’t re-pitch something they said “no” to at the conference. A real thank you is appreciative, not manipulative.
3. Organize your notes and highlight your top priorities. Then develop a plan for incorporating new information, practices, or strategies. Compartmentalizing your tasks keeps you from feeling overwhelmed.
4. Make a list of the proposals or articles you need to prepare and where you’re sending them. First research how to write proposals; then verify specific instructions for each publisher, editor, or agent you intend to approach. Don’t rush and send out something poorly-done.
5. Add your new contacts to your contact list or files. If you don’t have a system, create one. I like to categorize people by their descriptions (agent, writer, publisher, editor, coach, etc.) I keep their business cards and attach them to 3×5 cards with notes about our interactions, the publisher/agent’s needs, and the conference name and date. 
6. Follow, like, and friend every contact you made that you’d like to maintain. You can interact with tweets and posts without becoming a stalker or a nuisance. Repost their messages and support their work.
7. List your specific writing priorities and review them. For example, “Tweet at 10, 4, and 7 pm each day” is a specific goal. “Build a platform” or “Improve social media” are not specific. Make goals you can actually accomplish or ask someone to help you.
8. Create a writing calendar and set deadlines for yourself. Regular deadlines are more beneficial than lofty deadlines. Start with 1 page per day or 300 words per day if you’re new to having a writing schedule. Choose a time, place, and goal. Routines eliminate writer’s block.
9. Start writing every day, if you can. Journal or brainstorm to get ideas flowing, then just keep writing. You can edit later.
10. Pray over your craft and calling. Pray against oppression, discouragement, and interruptions. Pray for wisdom and courage. Pray for your dreams and trust God’s plans for you. 

Whenever you’ve been to a mountain, you will experience some disappointment and discouragement at the bottom. Prepare for it and beat it with a plan for productive writing.

Sue Schlesman is an award-winning author, speaker, blogger, English teacher, and pastor’s wife. Her second book, Soulspeak: Praying Change into Unexpected Places, won a Selah Award in 2020. She has a passion for poetry, missions, justice, traveling, reading, her family, and the local church. You can find her writing about life, compassion, and Jesus at .