Ever since I heard about the Realm Makers writer’s conference, I’ve dreamed of attending. This year, a scholarship has made that possible! In July, I’ll be at Realm Makers, virtually speaking anyway!

I’m so looking forward to hearing all of the great sessions they have lined up, including Frank Peretti as the keynote speaker! I also have a virtual mentor appointment and a critique appointment.

In preparation for the second, I’ve been trying to polish up the first chapter of The Mechanic and the King. Editing is easier for me on paper, so I’ve been printing out those first 10 pages and marking them up with an excess of red ink.

Submitting anything is terrifying. Even though this is a critique and not a pitch submission, it‘s still terrifying. I’ve learned a lot from the feedback of editors over the years regarding articles I’ve written. Their feedback made my writing better, and made me a better writer. Sometimes it’s made me want to hide under my desk and drown my sorrows in a pint of ice cream, but in the end, the editor was usually right.

I still have so much to learn—particularly in the realm of fiction. Part of me recognizes that this will be a great opportunity to improve my writing. Then there’s the part of me that will want to reach for that pint of ice cream when the editorial comments arrive!

My IT staff asked me a couple of evenings ago when I was panicking over editing whether I enjoyed writing. Admittedly, there are parts of the writing process that I don’t particularly find to be fun. There are parts that I love though. When it comes down to it, I love these characters, and I want to know what their story is. More importantly, I want to tell their story, and tell it well.

That, and I sort of promised my daughter that I’d write a follow-up to “The Librarian Who Would be King”. I can’t exactly back out now, can I?