I am a retreat, conference, seminar junkie; a natural student at heart that loves to keep learning.

So, when I heard that Sarah Geringer, a writer in my own town, was hosting a Christian Writers Retreat just twenty minutes from my home, I signed up immediately, even though I knew I would only be able to attend half of the weekend activities.

Some is better than none, right?

Well, of course it is, because here is what I have learned on this writing journey.

Being around other writers is valuable. Putting yourself in situations to learn and grow and connect is valuable. Taking time to do something that you love (separate from being a momma) is valuable.

And you, momma/writer/friend, are valuable.

So, I arrived at Shadow Rest Ministries, on a rainy Friday evening and walked in to a group of ten ladies gathered around the table. They had just begun introductions and I was right on time (or a fashionable fifteen minutes late), but who’s counting?

As each woman introduced herself and her reason for attending the retreat, I felt excited and peaceful and content. You see, I don’t believe that God wastes anything. I don’t believe in coincidence or chance encounters. I believe that we have a purpose, a plan and a mission for every situation and every person we encounter. They were made for us and we were made for them. So as each woman shared a bit of her journey in life and in writing, we were able to listen and relate and encourage. Even though we were from different cities, different families and had different experiences, we were able to connect.

After introductions we had an amazing meal, provided by Sarah’s mom, Cheryl Reinagel, and then we moved on to worship and our first class, Spiritual Development for Writers. In this session, Sarah talked about the calling and the ministry of writing your faith and we were reminded that God values creativity. It was awesome!

On Saturday morning, we started with a delicious breakfast, more worship, and then a session on The Best Writing and Marketing Tips for Writers, which was all about time management, blogging, email lists, networking, etc. Ahhh—information overload, but totally worth it!

After lunch we dove into How to Use Social Media to Expand Your Platform, and this was hands-down my favorite session. Sarah listed the pros and cons of each media outlet and how they were beneficial for writers. At the break, I received some wonderful one on one coaching from Sarah, regarding blog posts, plug-ins and making pinnable posts.

Another thing I have learned in this industry is how important it is to mentor and be mentored. If we are not asking for help from those ahead of us, and in turn helping those who are behind us, what are we even doing?? I have been so fortunate to give and receive encouragement on both ends.

After lunch, Sarah asked me to make a brief presentation on Vision Boards, to show how creating tangible goals for both my personal and professional career has guided my path and advanced my career. It was only five minutes, but I was honored to share what I had learned.

And then, it was time for me to go.

While I hated to leave early, my family had already made plans to be in St. Louis. However, Sarah was gracious enough to put all of the retreat information into a handy-dandy blog post and developed an online course that I will be sure to go back and reference as I use some of the new tips and tricks that were acquired.

And the good news, is that YOU can also download the information for only $10. You guys, that is a steal!!! If you are on a writer’s journey and are currently unable to get to a retreat, this is a great way to keep learning.