Posts Tagged ‘She Speaks’

She Speaks Scholarship Giveaway

Friday, April 1st, 2011

She Speaks

I receive emails all the time from women of all ages who want to write and speak but have no clue how to get started. While I’m happy to help women of any age, I have a special place in my heart for the 20-something woman who feels this tug and desire.

At the age of nineteen I sat down at my laptop, alone in my dorm room, and tapped out the following words thinking I was just writing a journal entry:

In a busy, noisy world, a little girl walks onto a dark stage and begins to perform. She wears her pink princess costume with pride.

Will you love me? her actions ask. Will you hold me; will you keep me close to your heart forever?

The pain in her eyes screams at you. And with graceful pirouettes across the stage, she beckons you to choose her, to set her apart from the other performers, and to call her beloved.

She has wounds buried so deeply beneath her costume that she has almost forgotten they are there. But the laughter of her audiences echoes through her mind as she thinks of all the times she has tried and failed.

All she has ever wanted is acceptance, but she has never found it—at least not for long…

She has been missing the Divine Dance because she has been too busy dancing for men and princes to notice the king.

When I finished that night I had no idea God was beginning the process of calling me to write and speak for His glory. Over the course of the next year He took me on a journey that led me (butterflies in my stomach and all) to a writer’s conference where I sat before editors and agents and tried to figure out if the dream God placed in my heart was just my imagination. 

Turns out, it wasn’t. At the age of twenty, a real-life publisher offered me my very first book contract and God and I were off on an exciting adventure I could have never imagined. It’s been a whirlwind ever since.

In all of the conferences I‘ve been to since, one of my absolute favorites is the Proverbs 31 Ministries She Speaks Conference in Concord, NC. If you sense God beginning to tug on your heart and lead you in the direction of writing or speaking for Him, then you MUST attend this conference.

And, as a special treat, I want to let you know that the She Seeks division of Proverbs 31 is giving away a scholarship to one lucky 20-something woman who is willing to step out in faith and enter their contest. You can learn more about that here.

For those of you of any age who want to attend She Speaks you can head over to She Reads and read about they contest they are hosting here.

My story attests to the fact that God doesn’t look at us and see age. Instead, He looks for willingness, faithfulness and availability. Be willing to follow God down the path He is leading you on no matter how crazy it seems.

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Posted in Contests, Shannon Recommends, She Seeks, Writing | 8 Comments »

So You Want to Be a Writer/Speaker?

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

She Speaks

Eight years ago I was an unpublished girl with a dream of writing books and speaking to audiences across the nation. I had no clue about the realities of the publishing industry or the business aspect of speaking. All I knew was that God had put a dream in my heart and I wanted to pursue it with everything I had.

So I signed up and went to a local writers’ conference and pitched an idea I had to an editor from an actual publishing house. Surprisingly, she liked it. A few months later she offered me a contract and became my editor. She introduced me to another author who mentored me and introduced me to her agent. My career took off from there.

Sometimes I wonder where I would be if I never went to that first writer’s conference. I was so scared that I almost backed out multiple times. But that was the experience that God used to set me on the path He had for me. Had I let fear have its way I would have missed out on one of the most exciting adventures of my life.

Because of that, I’m a huge advocate of writers and speakers conferences. I often tell anyone who even dreams of writing and speaking to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to get to a conference near them. 

And conferences aren’t just for beginners. They are for any of us who need some help, improvement or encouragement along the way. For that reason I’m signed up to go to my two favorite conferences this year: Mt. Hermon Christian Writers’ Conference and She Speaks. Now, the registration deadline for Mt. Hermon has passed, so I won’t waste time telling you all about that one.

But I do want to encourage those of you who are thinking about writing and speaking to consider coming out to She Speaks this year. They even have a teen track for those of you who are still in high school but would like to pursue writing and speaking in the future.

This is your chance to be mentored and taught by some of the godliest women I know. Now only will you get a chance to sit down with editors and agents in person and pitch your ideas to them, but you will also get the chance to take classes taught by industry insiders and you will have the opportunity to connect with countless women (and girls) who share your life’s passion.

Like I said, I’ll be there. So check out the conference here. And if you have questions leave them in the comments section and I will answer them as quickly as possible. Last year they ran a contest that allowed teens to win scholarships. If they do that again, I’ll be sure to post a link to how to enter. My friend and former student Sarah won last year and it was an unforgettable experience for her (and we had a good time hanging out).

If this conference won’t work for you financially, keep your eyes and ears open to conferences in your area. Even if you have to spend birthday money or Christmas money do what it takes to go.

You never know. Going could change your life. It changed mine.

UPDATE: There’s a contest going on right now for three scholarships to the 2010 She Speaks conference. You can learn more and enter here.

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Posted in Shannon Recommends | 10 Comments »

She Speaks Lesson #3: Meeting God

Friday, August 14th, 2009

womaninprayerMy absolute favorite thing about the She Speaks conference was how God met me there. Since each of our relationships with God is such a personal thing, I’m not sure if anyone else will ever be able to fully understand how God met me in North Carolina.

But He did—over and over again. While at the conference I was exposed to some excellent teaching that will yield much professional and spiritual growth for me as I seek to apply it. But the thing that took my breath away wasn’t the teaching. It was the prayer room.

Proverbs 31 Ministries, the organization that puts the She Speaks conference on, is composed of some of the godliest women out there. When someone signs up for the conference they begin praying for her by name immediately. In the week leading up to the conference each woman’s name is printed on a strip of paper and once the staff gets to the hotel they take those strips of paper into the prayer room.

Throughout the prayer room the names of God, and verses explaining each name, are laid out on large sheets of paper. The names of the women are prayed over and then spread out across the names of God. Their prayer is that each woman’s name would be divinely placed on the name of God that best correlates with what she needs Him to be in this season of her life. Some of the stories women were telling about where their name was placed gave me chill bumps.

After a particularly moving time in worship on Saturday night I decided I was ready to meet with God in the prayer room. I recently finished Beth Moore’s Stepping Up Bible study and she taught us the discipline of praying on our faces. So, I ventured into the prayer room because I wanted to get facedown before the God of the universe.

But before I got on my face, I walked around looking for my name. When I saw it I began frantically looking around for a pen. I needed to capture every word and Scripture reference from that piece of paper because the prayers of the Proverbs 31 team had been answered. My name was placed just where it needed to be.

There in that prayer room God confirmed some things that He had been speaking to my heart all weekend. Things that only He and I knew. I. was. undone. And I was able to get on my face before Him in honest surrender and fully submit myself to whatever He had next.

This post isn’t long enough to explain the background information that makes my name being placed on that particular name of God so significant. And, in all honesty, right now it’s still something I would like to keep private between God and me. The story will come in time. Those of you who read this blog regularly will probably be among the first to see it. But, right now what name of God I most associate with isn’t important. The more pertinent question is which of His names most speaks to you.

When was the last time you studied the names of God? Pull out your Bible right now and use your concordance to help you locate some of His names that you may have forgotten about or might not even be aware of. During this season of life, what name of God best represents what you need Him to be for you?

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Posted in God, Life Lessons, Prayer | 7 Comments »

She Speaks Lesson #2: Positive Affirmation

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

groupThe most terrifying thing I did at the She Speaks conference was sign up to be part of a speaker evaluation group. First of all, I’m an introvert and going and speaking at events is scary enough. But purposely putting myself in a situation where I would be evaluated on my abilities as a speaker took a lot of faith for me. When I first met the fabulous Karen Ehman, my evaluation group leader, I was put at ease. She was friendly and warm and she openly described herself by saying, “I’m a Paula not a Simon.”

I spent two sessions with the women in this group. On Friday night we each shared a three-minute portion of our faith journeys and on Saturday afternoon we each had five minutes to teach from a passage of Scripture. For the last six years I’ve been speaking in 30, 45 and 60 minute increments so condensing my talks into those bite sized nuggets was more difficult than I initially thought. But it was so much fun to see the diversity in the room. We’re all trained, professional, speakers from a variety of backgrounds and reaching distinctly difference audiences.

Our group consisted of a Canadian radio DJ, several women’s group speakers, a woman whose current passion is digging wells in Africa, a musician and a college biology professor who wants to start preaching. Since we were all evaluating each other, and being evaluated by Karen, I wasn’t sure what type of environment to expect. Would there be a spirit of competition in the room? Or would it be a positive and safe place to come for constructive feedback?

The level of encouragement in that room truly amazed me. Each of us was there so we could become better for the kingdom of God, so we gave honest feedback but we all managed to do it in a gentle and loving way. I had no idea that the fact I move around when I talk could be perceived as pacing in smaller settings. These women pointed that out to me. Another woman used visual aids that seemed to distract from her message, and we were able to let her know.

I really appreciated the honesty and sweet spirit of the women in this group. Many of them said things to me like, “Your calling is evident.” A few asked how they could order my books or have me come speak at their church. There was no element of competition among us. We all recognized that with each of us ministering in our own unique way more people would be reached with the love of Christ.

By the end of the conference I realized that the thing that scared me most about going to She Speaks turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the weekend.

Have you ever found yourself in an environment where you were positively affirmed in God’s calling on your life? Why do you think it’s easier to respond to constructive yet gentle feedback than it is outright criticism? How can a spirit of unity in your area of ministry greatly impact the kingdom of God?

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Posted in Friendship, Life Lessons, Spiritual Gifts | 3 Comments »

She Speaks Lesson #1: Unexpected Friends

Monday, August 10th, 2009

Cracker BarrelMy heart was so full last week that it was hard to process all God was doing. But I think I’m finally ready to share a little bit about my time at the She Speaks conference in North Carolina two weeks ago.

As I gorged myself on delicacies like friend okra and chicken and dumplings—with a tall glass of sweet tea—God reminded me that sometimes the best friends pop into our lives in unlikely ways. Annie picked me up at the airport, and like any good Southern girl drove me straight to Cracker Barrel so I could finally eat at one. The story of how I met Annie is unique. Several years ago she was freelancing for the now defunct Radiant magazine and she called me to conduct an interview about the Being a Girl…series.

During the course of the interview we realized we had a lot in common, and since Annie was an aspiring writer she asked if we could keep in touch. Of course, I said yes. Emails turned into phone calls, and then phone calls turned into visits. Annie’s been to my house in California twice and she played hostess to me when I first got to North Carolina. She’s a fulltime writer with an awesome agent now, and a blog you definitely have to check out. Although I don’t get to see her that often, I’m grateful to have Annie as a friend because she understands the craziness of a writers’ life and she’s always there to pep talk me when I need it or to pass on valuable info—she’s the one who told me about the She Speaks conference in the first place.

Sarah and ShannonAnother friend who came into my life in an unlikely way is Sarah. I first met Sarah through her writing. She was one of my students in the Christian Writers Guild program. Instantly I was mesmerized by Sarah and her way with words. During the three years I worked with the CWG I only got to meet three of my students in person, and Sarah is the only one I’ve met twice.

I first met Sarah last year when she and one of my other students, Hannah, drove a few hours out of their way to connect with me at a speaking event I had in their native state of Ohio. It was a short visit—but I loved connecting with the two of them and their moms. When Sarah entered a writing contest to win a scholarship to the She Speaks conference I held my breath and prayed. I knew she was an incredibly gifted writer and I was really hoping she would win—and she did!

So, on Thursday night Sarah and her mom met me at the hotel and we went to dinner. It was so great to sit and talk with Sarah about what she could expect at the conference, and where she planned to go with her writing. I connected with her again numerous times throughout the conference and was able to watch her in action as she interacted with other authors and got some really valuable advice. Sarah will be a novelist someday. I have no doubts about that.

A writer’s life can seem lonely on most days. I have an office in my house and some days the only person I see is my husband. I can work an entire day in my pajamas doing what I love. So, it was really refreshing for me to start my time in North Carolina among friends whom I love dearly. Overall, being at She Speaks made me feel like I really wasn’t that far from home.

What about you? Has God brought unexpected friends into your life? What’s the craziest way you met someone who turned out to be a great friend? What’s your favorite thing to do with a friend you don’t get to see that often? Take some time and stop and thank God for the unexpected friends He has brought into your life.  

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Posted in Friendship, Teaching, Writing | 8 Comments »