Last weekend, around 80 Christian writers converged at Peppers Kingscliff, New South Wales, for a weekend of writing craft, connections, and Christ. Around half hadn’t attended before, so it was great to meet lots of new people!
In our final host group meeting, we talked about what we’d each got out of conference.
Here are some of the highlights from the people I talked to:
- Ella found it both a privilege and humbling to be in the room with so many talented and joyful people, and was encouraged to keep writing now she has lots of practical nuts and bolts to apply to her writing.
- Tamara was inspired by Steven James’s insight that each scene is a mini-story, and feels now she has the information and courage she needs to rewrite her first draft.
- Jen loved all the presentations from Steven James, especially his point about how we can construct stories without having a linear outline, and the importance of trusting God, submitting to God, and responding to God as we write.
- Amanda loved the community feel of conference and being around fellow Christian writers.
- Carmen was encouraged to learn that if your book takes a long time, that’s a good thing. I found that encouraging as well, especially after seeing so many articles and blog posts about writing and releasing quickly.
- Mindy shared about how coming to conference was an act of obedience to God. One of her big learning points came from Steven James, reminding her that she is meant to write and therefore has a responsibility to not leave this planet before she’s done what God created her to do.
Sixteen-year-old Megan, our youngest attendee, said “the presentations were really helpful for me to learn how to write. I haven’t been taught how to specifically write a novel. Everyone I met was lovely and encouraging. I’d love to attend the next conference.”
One attendee said “I’ve enjoyed the relaxed resort environment and catching up with friends. I’ve loved being around likeminded people. I have felt lifted up.”
That’s great to hear, because I know that’s what the organisers wanted.
Another said “Soaking in a writerly environment. I learned things I wasn’t aware of before. I met people like me and I felt understood. It was inspiring and encouraging. I’m not surrounded by writers in my normal life.”
Yes, those are the blessings of the Omega conference.
Everyone I talked to said that while there was a lot to take in, they felt encouraged and refreshed by attending the conference, and they enjoyed meeting new people or reconnecting with friends from previous conferences.
I think that’s the strength of an in-person conference: the ability to connect with people, and that often comes through the casual conversations during presentations, over meals, in host groups. It’s always great to hear about the writer who has just met the person they’d prayed to meet, whether that was a specific person or just “someone from where my novel is set.”
We also had the opportunity to bless Australian authors by buying their books (lots of books!), and to attend a delicious dinner and celebrate the winners of the 2022 CALEB Awards.
Speaking of awards, the First Impressions contest from American Christian Fiction Writers is currently open for entries in a range of genre categories. If you’re an unpublished fiction writer, give it a go! Click here to find out more. Entries close on October 15, 2022 at 4:00 PM Central Time (that’s a US timezone).
If you attended the 2022 conference, I hope you had a great time, learned heaps, and made at least one new friend. I look forward to seeing you all again (along with some new faces) from 20 to 22 September 2024 in Sydney.
Great roundup Iola! The conference was wonderful, I definitely appreciated the chance to catch up with so many lovely people in person. I dubbed it the ‘crying conference’ because I barely stopped crying the whole time—the Holy Spirit was speaking to me and bringing healing to my life, and other writers were inspiring and validating me too. Sooo moving 😭 Thank you writers of Omega, and thank you God!
You’ve summed up many of the wonders of an in-person conference, Iola. I hope I might make the next one in 2024.
Hi Iola, It was an excellent conference! Many thanks to Andrea, Penny, and everyone who helped organise the conference. Thanks for sharing your roundup. 😊