Experience Writing 2024 EQUIP!
Experience Writing EQUIP was two days of heaven on earth as 45 writers gathered to be equipped with the skills and tools they needed to write their stories!
Here are a few of this year’s highlights to give a taste of the experience…
Instruction:
This year, our speakers guided us on a phenomenal eight-session journey, creating space for conversation and an environment for application and growth where the Lord could speak to hearts.
- Laurel Thomas—Laurel, novelist and coach of Write Your Heart Out!, walked us through a four-talk series on The Journey of Discovering Your Voice as she helped us learn to identify and grow our unique expression through developing daily writing disciplines and building our personal “image bank.”
- Rachel Bradley—Rachel, editor and indexer of Revisions by Rachel, explained how to work with an editor to get the most out of your editorial process in How to Work with an Editor.
- Janice Buswell—Janice, co-founder of Experience Writing and Paradoxon series novelist, showed us How to Think Like a Writer and the six mindsets of successful writers as well as how to leverage constructive criticism to grow our story instead of kill it in Handle with Care: Growing from Constructive Criticism!
- Lindi Collins—Lindi, creativity coach and creator of My Mayberry Lane, finished the conference off strong with what it takes to be a writer who publishes in True Grit: How to Forge Ahead When It Seems Impossible!
- Norma Jean Lutz—This year, author, speaker, writing instructor, and novel critique consultant, Norma Jean Lutz joined us our student guide and hosted a workshop, Ingredients to Stir up a Plot, especially for our young writers!
The greater number of Norma Jean’s books are aimed at teens and pre-teens and can be found at www.njnotations.myshopify.com!
Wish you could have heard those talks? We have good news. You can! Our full conference and individual talks are available for purchase in the Experience Writing store on Gumroad! Follow the link below!
Connection:
The conversations in and out of sessions were rich and deep! Attendees came from as far as Tennessee and as close as just a mile away. Our extended meal times were robust laughter-filled occasions for making friends, gaining and giving encouragement, and growing in community as many writers opted to stay in touch or to meet periodically to help one another along their writing journey!
Our Professionals Meet-n-Greet was vibrant with top-notch industry pros who brought critical expertise and perspective to help us navigate the world of editing, publishing, marketing, and more! This year’s professionals included…
- Dee Selby, Format My Stuff
- Crystal Ifekoya, Boss Encounters
- Rachel Bradley, Revisions by Rachel
- Tammie O’Neal, O’Neal Design
- Daniel Casella, Web Designer
- Krista Johnston, Writers Coach
- Gina Conroy, Release the Writer
We also had excellent out-of-state pros represented, including Dawn Kopa of Aletheia Press Books, Jim Holmes of Great Writing Services, and Staci Mauney of Prestige Prose!
Inspiration:
By far, the greatest thing about this year’s EQUIP conference was the presence of God among us and the space the Lord had to speak. Our writers gave some amazing reviews and testimonies on day two of what the Lord had begun to do! Here are just a few of them…
This was a powerfully encouraging conference. Every speaker was so loving, the food so thoughtfully prepared, and every detail so well executed. Thank you for speaking into our lives! We’ll be talking with you in the future! – Angelique Kelley (with Joseph, 16)
This conference has been very encouraging and has helped to stir up faith in me to “prime the pump” and cultivate gifts and potential that I have placed on the shelf from years ago. Whether you are a beginner writer, a seasoned writer, or somewhere in between, this conference has something for everyone, and helps you to become a vessel for the creative flow of the creator. – Anonymous
God here opened my eyes to the world of book publishing. – Dean Helland
This conference is rich in information, inspiration, and joy! …I feel God is nudging me forward in this transition period—Praise God! Onward Christian solder fulfilling my purpose in the Lord!—I’m ready to do new creative things! – Anonymous
Outstanding conference and presentations! I came away with a new impetus to go forward inspired with so many helpful guidelines and personal contacts. – Jane E.
Somewhere between loving the joy of writing and the trauma of life, I lost the joy, and writing became a chore required for therapy. This conference helped me to re-think—literally to re-pent—and believe that writing is not a chore but rather, it is literally WORSHIP, as the Spirit of Truth guides us, and we colabor with Our Father in Heaven writing “the story” which God gave us. – Billy Wiland
Now for 2025…
God bless!
Janice Buswell
Co-Founder of Experience Writing
