Writing is a solitary activity, but like anything else, my writing is better when I have a group of people who can provide feedback and cheer me on. Attending a writing conference is a great way to meet like-minded people, learn more about the craft of writing, and learn more about the business side of writing.

This weekend, I attended WriterCon, an annual writing conference in Oklahoma City. Even though I’ve been attending writing conferences for years (and even helped organize a few), I learn new lessons each time.

Conferences such as this one give writers unparalleled access to agents and editors from publishing houses. Writers can pitch, which means we give a brief summary of our book. If the agent or editor likes what we have to say, they can request to see more. In addition to these pitch sessions, we have opportunities to talk to the agents and editors in between workshops and make deeper connections.

This past May, I pitched for the first time to an editor, who liked the sound of my cozy mystery and requested more. Since I’d already done that part, I wanted to do something a little different at this conference. I decided to submit the first page of my current short story mystery to something called the first page panel. At this session, agents critique the first page of all the anonymously submitted entries and tell the audience where they would stop reading and why. It’s a great tool to get into the mind of an agent. It can also be quite brutal.

Putting my work out to be critiqued publicly was a risk, but one I felt was necessary to grow as a writer. Suffice it to say, the agents didn’t like my first page. Because I like to process things, I mulled things over internally before settling on a reaction. Honestly, my first reaction was that my feelings were hurt, and the voice in my head said, “See! They confirmed what you’ve always known. You’re a terrible writer!” But with Jesus’ help, I squelched those thoughts almost immediately.

Instead of focusing on the negative, I decided to view this as a teaching moment. There was a problem with my opening line, and I needed to make it stronger. The agents offered several suggestions for a better way to open the story, which I plan to use. Changing my perspective helped me turn my thoughts around and put my focus back where it belonged―on Jesus, the one who gave me the gift of writing and who will help me through the process of refining this gift.

Dear Jesus, thank you for helping me to capture the negative thoughts and move forward with a positive perspective. Amen.