The Catholic Writers Guild

Who were all these people at the CWG Live Conference? Here’s who:

• My roommate from three years ago. Deanna Klingel and I go back three years when her hotel reservation was wrong and she spent the first night with me. Last year during the conference we experienced an unforgettable God-moment, which she shared on her blog here.

• EWTN Priests Fr. Andrew Apostoli, Father Frank Pavone, and Father William McCarthy to celebrate mass every day, provide Blessed Sacrament chapel, plus a holy hour with Mark Forrest.

• New writers I wouldn’t know about like Stephanie Lambeth, a fiction writer in our carpool from the airport and Kathy Gilmore, a children’s writer. Deanna and I met Kathy at dinner that night at Cappricio’s where I finally got to meet a contributor to my blog, Ginny Lieto.

• Newbie writers I’d like to know better, beginning at the Ice Cream Social. Paula Babbdi, David Keys, Deacon John Flanagan, Colleen Rooney – all of whom I saw throughout the conference.

• Writers I’ve critiqued in the CWG Non-fiction Critique group and worked with on the CWG Board: Laura Lowder and Dennis McGeehan.

• Writers I promise to pray for – Laura Lowder for her knees, Pat Gohn for her ministry, Donna Marie Cooper O’Boyle for her health, among many other prayer intentions.

• CWG Committee chairs I coordinate. I was honored to introduce them at the Welcome session and took the opportunity to show how committees are vital to CWG.

• People who pray for me – on the spot! The hotel was convinced that FedEx did not delivery my box of DVDs and other material to showcase at the Reception on Wednesday night. Every time I talked to a hotel staff member I carefully described the white box that copy paper comes in that I used to ship the material. After a day and a half of stalling, I was angry and frustrated when Kathy Labosh offered to pray with me. Soon I had the routing number and information on when it was delivered the Friday before, and who signed for it. Two hours before the Reception, the hotel staff let me look in a room behind the front desk and there it was all the time, sitting beside their copier! They thought my box of DVDs was copy paper for their use!

  

• A Catholic Disneyland of publishers, ministry leaders, media people interviewing trade show attendees on the spot, vendors displaying rosaries, music, statues and gifts of all kinds.

• A myriad of bookstore owners, writers and media to try out my DVD, which I distributed during the Reception. The singing priest Fr. Ray Kelly of “Hallelujah” fame. Meeting authors like Andy LaValle and Vinny Flynn whose books I’ve reviewed.

• Speakers I got to know better by introducing them – Gary Zimak and Michael Russell. An informal poll of members frustrated with how to get started on what they already know they need to use voted Michael the best presenter ever on using social media.

• Media people who have interviewed me such as Tony Agnesi, who I finally met in person.

• CatholicMom.com fellow writers at breakfast with Barb Szyszkiewicz, Lisa Mladinich, Pat Gohn, Karee Santos, Lisa Hendey, Leticia Velasquez, Jeff Young and Margaret Rose Realy.

• Spectacular speakers Paul Thigpen on Spiritual Warfare at the CMN breakfast; Pat Gohn, CWG’s keynote speaker on Perseverance, and Heidi Hess Saxon on the Seven-Second Proposal were my favorites.

• Tireless minions like Rebecca Willen, taking photos and serving Ann Lewis, Ellen Gable and all of us in unbelievable ways.

  

• Editors to whom I’ve submitted by work in the past on the Non-Fiction Panel with me: Heidi Hess Saxton and Claudia Volkman. They and the other panelists Margaret Realy, Pat Gohn and Gary Zimak gave new insights to the audience on the Writer-Editor Relationship. They talked about the ins and outs of professional relationships and I talked about getting ready to have a good relationship with an editor through getting your work critiqued by peers.

• Old friends on the Blogging Panel with me: Rebecca Hamilton, Margaret Realy, Joe Westerly and new friend John Konecsni – what a variety of bloggers, subjects and markets! John posted a YouTube video of it.

• Treasured friends and new ones I’ve critiqued at the DFW Catholic Writers Group and the CWG Non-Fiction Critique Group came to my Non-Fiction Critique Workshop. These special friends know each other’s work from critiquing it in preparation for the workshop.

• More volunteers than I could count breaking down the trade show booth, making the goodbyes easier. Then off to airport with Deanna, promising to keep in touch and pray for one another.

My list is long of those who continue to enhance my life because of the CWG Live conference. When I see their names online I remember their smiles and laughter, prayers and hugs. CWG is a rare organization that nurtures such fulfilling relationships that are so much more than professional courtesies to advance our careers.

The Catholic Writers Guild friends are true friends to approach with admiration, not envy; with openness, not suspicion, and with generosity, not self-protectiveness. You can’t outdo them in kindness, outgive them in mutual promotion, referrals, book reviews, tweets or Facebook likes. They send you photos of your workshop when your camera froze and videos of the panel discussion you thought you botched but did pretty good after all. They listen and encourage you as though your project was their prime concern.

Unlike our secular culture, the most successful writers are the most humble and the first to volunteer to endorse your book, promote your seminar, and join your blog tour. If their love were all you needed to make you successful, you’d be a shining star. They are masters of more than writing. They speak the truth in love, and they mean every word of it.

Nancy Ward

Nancy Ward, convert, journalist, author, and speaker, writes from Texas about Catholicism, conversion and Christian community at NancyHCWard.com, JOYAlive.net, and other websites and magazines. Through her Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story workshops, retreats and DVD, she shares her conversion story in Catholic parishes and at conferences, equipping others to share their stories. She contributed to the award-winning The Catholic Mom's Prayer Companion, facilitates two Catholic Writers Guild critique groups, serves on the Guild’s Board, and speaks at national writers conferences.