Coping Post-Conference by Carrie Turansky

Coping with Post-Conference and Being Productive

By Carrie Turansky

I’ve just returned home from a great week in Nashville where I attended the first Christian Fiction Readers’ Retreat and the annual American Christian Fiction Writers Conference. Anyone who has gone to a writers’ conference or other work related conference or even on vacation can identify with the list of tasks that await you when you return. How do you cope and make the most from your time away?

Talking to my husband and sharing the highlights of the conference is a great way for me to debrief. I find talking it over with him helps me see the events in perspective and realize how grateful I am for the positive things that happened and what lessons I can learn from the challenging times. Then I focus on the practical needs: unpacking and getting the laundry going. I take over the dinning room table and separate all my trip items into piles: expenses and receipts, business cards, gifts, books, workshop notes, etc. 

Then I make a list of people I need to follow up with via email. If I made a promise to send someone information or a link, I send that. I thank those who met with me or went out of their way to help me at the conference. I review the business cards and make a note on the back if needed and file those away. I shelve the books or add them to my giveaway basket. I record my expenses and file my receipts. I look over my workshop notes and decide what to keep and file those. 

Writers often work in a quiet environment by themselves, so a week of high-level interaction can be draining. Give yourself time to recover. Sleep well, eat well, and move back into your routine as you feel you’re ready. Focus your thoughts on the positive events of the conference and thank the Lord for all He is taught you through your time away.

CFP: Thank you for sharing, Carrie Turansky! Great seeing you at CFRR and ACFW conference! Great tips! 

Bio for Carrie:

Bestselling Inspirational Romance Author Carrie Turansky writes heartwarming historical and contemporary novels and novellas. She has won the ACFW Carol Award, the Crystal Globe Award, and the International Digital Award. She lives in New Jersey with her husband Scott, and they have five grown children and four grandchildren. When she’s not writing you’ll find Carrie working in her flower gardens, walking around the lake near their home, or cooking healthy meals for friends and family. She loves to connect with reader through her website: Carrie Turansky.com, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

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