How the Catholic Writers Conference Made a Gardener into a Writer
Registration is still open for the Catholic Writers Conference Online, March 4-6. Get the details and sign up here.
Attending a writing conference is an investment of time and money. How can you be sure you’ll get anything from it? The Catholic Writers Guild has had dozens of success stories, from writers who found their inspiration to those who landed book contracts. One of the most touching and inspiring stories is that of Guild member Margaret Realy. But we’ll let her tell you:
How could I possibly glorify the Lord by writing? I was only a gardener, and rapidly losing my identity as one because of encroaching arthritic disability.
The life change from landscapes to laptops was nothing I had anticipated. It began in the Adoration chapel with tearful prayers for direction and guidance. That guidance came through the Catholic Writers Guild.
In 2009 when I attended the CWG Live Conference, I set aside my fears and entered the unfamiliar world of publishing. I listened intently to those who guided me into an industry I knew nothing about.
There were seminars, workshops, and pitch sessions. I was introduced to professional writers and acquisition editors. Each opportunity that the CWG offered, I seized. As an introvert, the hardest event to manage—and most significant—was the informal networking that took place in hallways and at meals.
Through the guidance of Guild members and their willingness to mentor, my anxiety and insecurities began to lessen. My words became manuscripts which became book summaries and proposals. These were groomed for pitch sessions through the CWG support system.
The graces and blessings of the Guild have allowed me to develop as a writer, to serve God with words instead of a trowel. Left to my own devices, I would never have realized the seed planted in me to be a spiritual gardening author. The CWG members gave breath to my prayers.
Margaret Rose Realy, Obl. OSB, is a lay hermit and award winning author of three books: A Garden of Visible Prayer, Cultivating God’s Garden through Lent, and A Catholic Gardener’s Spiritual Almanac. She is a columnist, presenter, retreat leader, and a regular contributor to Aleteia, Catholic Mom, and Catholic Digest. Margaret blogs at Morning Rose Prayer Gardens on Patheos.
Margaret’s amazing transformation came at the live conference, but others have found blessings at the online one as well. The online conference offers instruction, networking, and even pitch session opportunities at a fraction of the cost and without the hassle of travel.
If you haven’t signed up yet, do it now. Go to http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=EC51DE87844F3B and fill out the form. We’ll see you there!
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- How the Catholic Writers Conference Made a Gardener into a Writer - February 20, 2016
Margaret, I am so glad you attended that conference as your writings have been inspiring me in many ways. I was drawn to your writing because of our shared interests in gardening and painting.
Because of your sharing so openingly, I realized recently that maybe this urge that I have to write about Christ, and in particular his Mother, could actually be a prompting from God. It is consistent over a period of years and I am now starting to allow myself to ignore the voice inside that says, “Who are you to write?!!”. Reading your stories has allowed me to hear these promptings and I cannot wait to engage myself in my first conference.
Thank you for sharing yourself with us…and don’t stop painting! or gardening!
Karina, thank YOU, for sharing about Margaret.