Notes from ACFW 2010

A couple weeks ago, I attended the annual American Christian Fiction Writers conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. As always, it was an interesting mix of ups and downs, an exhilarating and stressful rollercoaster of emotions.

One of the things I especially enjoyed this year was the classes/speakers. So here’s a small sampling of what I heard this year:

(These are probably not exact quotes, but as accurate as I could get based off the notes I took; I apologize for any errors in advance.)

Marketing is making people like me.
Insult is the price of clarity.
Figure out where your audience is and stand in front of them.
(Jim Rubart & Chip MacGregor, Marketing Your Fiction)

Ideas must be bigger than the page you’re trying to capture it on.
(Tim Downs, Keynote Speaker)

A non-sequential series is easier to sell.
(Thomas Nelson Team, Inside an Acquisitions Meeting)

Sometimes we don’t see [God’s answer] as the answer.
You only have in the wilderness what you brought in with you.
(Susan Meissner, Writing in the Wilderness)

Relish the journey [of writing a novel], even when hard and painful.
Writing is not clear because it’s not clear in the writer’s mind.
Don’t edit [the book] to death.
(Barbara Scott, The Art of Self-Editing)