Great Expectations

After three years of not meeting together, most writers held great expectations of what the Omega Writers Conference would look like this year.

I have to say, by day one my expectations had been exceeded and I still had two more days of the conference to go! It felt like a big reunion at the conference, which was held in Kingscliff NSW this year, and I was so grateful for all the writers who had cheered me on and followed my journey towards becoming a published author. Finally, I could hug them and thank them for all their encouragement. As the saying goes, “No man is an island” and Omega Writers Conference is a great way to connect with fellow scribes who just ‘get you’ and can walk alongside you in the journey.

Because of the lengthy wait to be checked into our hotel room at the conference, my friend and I each received a free drink voucher from the check-in lady to use during our stay at the resort. We planned to claim our free drinks just before the CALEB award night kicked off as we felt we deserved a well-earned celebrational moment. Reading the drinks menu with great expectations we chose from the range that was on offer and boldly told the waiter what we wanted as we handed in our vouchers.

“Sorry, these drink vouchers do not cover that beverage” the waiter kindly told us. A little disappointed, we decided to choose something else. “Erm, your vouchers do not cover that drink either” pointed out the waiter smiling. “Well, what does our free voucher cover then?” Asked my friend, hoping it wasn’t a small latte from the cafe. “You can claim anything from here down,” said the waiter pointing to a tiny selection on the menu. Our great expectations were dashed. Nevertheless, as always, I and my friend made the best of a disappointing moment and decided that we were gaining a free drink and we chose not to complain, even if the free voucher did not reach our great expectations.

As a writer, I always have my radar up, scanning for stories to write about in my blog posts, and the thought suddenly struck me as I sat down to enjoy my drink, that some new writers at the conference had come along with great expectations of how far they were in their writing journey, only to discover after listening to published authors and all the guest speakers, they were nowhere near where they wanted to be in their writing. Like myself and my friend, claiming our free drink vouchers, the newer writers attending the conference had felt that their great expectations had been dashed.

During one of the breaks in the sessions, I spotted one beautiful lady hiding in the corner of the room. She had tears rolling down her cheeks, so I immediately went up to her. “What’s happening here?” I asked gently. She told me that she didn’t feel like a writer now that she’d heard everyone else and was doing her best not to go to her hotel room, pack her bags and leave the conference. I gently said to her not to do that and told her that it’s okay to feel a little overwhelmed during your first Omega Conference experience. I shared how it was my third Omega Conference (not counting the online one last year) and how I had felt the same way when I first started my writing journey.

I had struggled to wonder if I was a writer after my first Omega Conference, and I struggled with the feelings of how God was going to use my writing to reach others. But through the journey, Omega writers were there for me, cheering me on and taking all my great expectations and moving me onward, upward toward a place where I finally believed that God could use me to write His words on all those blank pages staring at me on my computer, using my writing as a soothing balm to heal people’s broken, wounded hearts. The tearful lady softened, and I made her promise that she wasn’t going to leave the Omega Conference. “I see you. We see you,” I said gently as more tears came rolling down her cheeks.

“Fear brings a lack of confidence in God and in you” reminds Joyce Meyer, “It is a destructive, debilitating belief that you can’t. As a woman, you can do amazing things, but you will have to be confident. Replace your fears with confidence and watch what God can do!”  My great expectations of becoming a published author have been dashed, squashed, and re-routed. However, I have just published my first non-fiction Christian Living book with DOLL Ministries all because I didn’t give up and I did not allow fear to have the last say. The journey of writing sure does feel overwhelming at times, scary, and impossible, and a million other things that you have to face as you learn the craft of writing. Fear is always ready to remind you of the unknown and to whisper lies that you’re just not that great of a writer regardless of how many great expectations you’ve got in your head of becoming a published author.

Fear causes you to shrink back, stay small, and eventually give up. It makes you hide at writers’ conferences because you feel out of your depth or out of your league. However, if there is one thing I have learned over my time of being at Omega Writers conferences over the years, it’s this; God is with you every step of your journey and He never leaves you or forsakes you. The Voice Translation puts it like this, ‘Be strong and brave and don’t tremble in fear of them, because the Eternal your God is going with you. He’ll never fail you or abandon you!’ (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Whatever great expectations you have about writing, God will exceed them all, just as my expectations of what to expect at this year’s Omega Writers Conference were blown away by all the amazing ‘God moments’ I had at the conference this year!

So, don’t shrink back dear writer friend. Don’t hide, I see you; we see you, and most importantly, God sees you, and He is cheering you on every step of the way!

Wendy xo

Where do you find your great expectations dashed along your writing journey?

I pray that you will not give up or give in to fear. Fear is a liar. God is so for you and He sees you and He is cheering you on! Amen.