Write-to-Publish Conference

LOVE
I'm just back from Write-to-Publish, a conference for writers held at Wheaton College in Illinois. There, I spoke on a panel titled The Writing Life; and taught two classes (poetry and co-authoring). CDs of these and numerous other informative and inspiring classes are available for purchase at http://www.writetopublish.com/.

After a year of fallow ground (writing & submitting poetry, revising old manuscripts, doodling in my journal, crafting new queries, mourning, waiting, hoping), Write-to-Publish has geared me up to start writing seriously - dare I say zealously - again. I returned to my Writing Room brimming with creative ideas, instilled with a renewed sense of commitment to my craft.

As I caught up on e-mail correspondence and a few of my favorite Writer's Almanacs, I stumbled upon a quote from Turkish author (winner of the Nobel prize in literature), Orhan Pamuk. He says, "For me, a good day is a day like any other, when I have written one page well. Except for the hours I spend writing, life seems to me to be flawed, deficient, and senseless."

The voracious writer in me resonates with this statement. But, the mom, friend, daughter, sister, and woman of prayer in me is almost repulsed by it. As I enter back into a disciplined writing regime, I want to take my season of fallow ground with me. I want to embrace sunsets and good glasses of wine and bedtime stories with my children. I long for the satisfaction of one page well written. More importantly, though, I want to honor God with a life well lived in service and love, in sacrifice and celebration.

A poem I wrote for one of my friends this summer comes to mind. A breeze rushed in through the window by my writing desk, refreshing my face as I re-read it this morning. Perhaps the poem was given for me, and all of my new aspiring writer friends from WTP:


Butterfly Wishes

Be free to fly and rest
like she does, unencumbered by agenda
and deadline or public opinion

Let the Wind blow you from
one sticky gold, crimson or
cornflower blue stamen to the next

Drink in Sweet as you do your long
curly proboscised work
with Grace and Intuition

Be yourself in full, colorful, feminine
creativity: embracing Process
and summer days, the Organic Way

Then, when your wings are tattered edged
unable to ride Wind as easily, readily
as on the day they dried

Flutter down to tree shaded ground
where it's cool and green
and safe

Sleep there
surrounded by the colors of
divine cross-pollination


Blessings on all of you who received prayer and information and good words at Write-to-Publish!