My Wonderful, Terrifying Journey at NGU’S WRITERS CONFERENCE


BY CELESTE HAWKINS (’11)


As I opened the doors to check in to the first writers conference of my life, I held a print-out of my book draft in one arm and the park- ing-line-yellow purse that makes me feel more optimistic in the other, pulling it closer to my side as I searched the crowd of faces.


I spotted her and let out the breath I’d been holding in, unaware, then sifted my way to her quieter spot off to the side of the chatter- ing writers and editors and publishers, who all seemed to be pulling out their schedules again and looking over the first session options: • Tessa Emily Hall – “Common Mistakes Newbie Writers Make in Teir Manuscripts” • Kim Peterson – “Is My Manuscript Ready for an Agent?”


• Jean Matthew Hall – “Children’s Book Categories” • Lori Hatcher – “Te Day I Wanted to Quit: Tackling the Mind Games Tat Discourage and Defeat Writers”


When I reached her, Leah and I hugged and caught up on life since we’d last seen each other at a birthday party over the summer. Tat’s when we’d discovered we were both working on our first books.


We looked at our schedules, too. Tis felt like trying to order ice cream: you know you can pick any one and be happy, but you kind of wish you could pick all of them, instead.


Finally, we agreed Kim Peterson’s was perfect for us. And for the next 45 minutes, Kim shared the top reasons manuscripts got trashed in her time at the Leslie Stobbe Literary Agency.


I took three pages of notes.


Later, Leah and I sat together again at our first keynote with Jenny Cote, award-winning author of the popular children’s fantasy series


12 | NGU.EDU


“Te Amazing Tales of Max and Liz” and “Epic Order of the Seven.”


As she took the stage, I noticed her springy blonde hair. Now I know it matches her person- ality inch for inch. She presented like the En- ergizer Bunny, clicking through slide after slide of quirky quotes and reviewing the pros and cons of each option in the publishing world in detail — in a talk she’d titled “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Deadlines.”


It’s the question every writer must grapple with: do you want to call the shots, or let someone else? And I’d been grappling with it myself.


Instinctively, I began to reflect on the answer I’d reached. Originally, I’d considered co-pub- lishing my book. Next, I’d staunchly decided on self-publishing. As Jenny went on, the realiza- tion sank in like a rock to the bottom of a lake: I’d defaulted to those options because, deep down, I didn’t believe a “real publisher” would ever publish my book.


Te familiar fear remained as I drove off at the end of that first day, curving around the dark rural backroads to home.


But the next day, I couldn’t help feeling renewed hope as I walked into a session with my former classmate Daniel Blackaby (’10), who’d pub- lished eight books since I saw him last in Shake- spearean Tragedies my junior year.


If he did it, why can’t I? I told myself.


Te chairs were filled, and we had to bring in more from next door to seat the lot of teenagers on up to 60-somethings. Daniel encouraged us to write even when we don’t feel inspired. He gave us silly prompts, and the results were side-hurting laughs at soon-to-be stories by creative people I was glad to be beside:


• You’re the coach of a basketball team that’s about to lose. Write the worst pep talk ever.


• You just woke up, looked in the mirror, and screamed. Write what you saw.


• Write a back-of-the-book description for this picture. (It was an old-timey ship, a long tentacle rising up out of the surrounding tempestuous waves.)


After the session, Daniel and I talked for a min- ute about our current projects. He even offered to read my book and share his feedback, to my surprise.


I’ll never forget the next session with Jenny.


She took us step by step through her writing process — from jotting down initial concepts on an idea page, outlining, and planning out chapters to finding a critique team, knowing when to stop editing, and even soliciting en- dorsements for your book cover.


We do all of it first for God, and the results are ultimately up to Him, she reminded us.


“My book will get rejected by publishers. But if I give God 100 percent of the steps, then when my book gets rejected, they’ve rejected God’s plan,” I scribbled down in big letters.


Te words entered my soul as if they’d been meant only for me.


I rehearsed those words as I waited at the large conference table, pulling out my binder and re-reading the title on the front.


Ten he came in, the quiet man with the blue eyes and a tie. I stood, and we introduced ourselves.


“Hey, I’m Celeste,” I said, sure to give what one of our family friends used to call “the famous


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