I attended the Realm Makers conference for the first time in July 2021. I’ve attended conferences put on by at least 5 other writing organizations, but Realm Makers was definitely my favorite. Why? Read on!
I found my niche
The Realm Makers conference was the place I finally felt like I fit in. As a Christian writer of fantasy and science fiction, I find myself at the outskirts of most other conferences. Christian conferences tend to focus on other types of books and find the speculative genre outside of their comfort zone or sphere of knowledge, so while I can get many sweet connections with other writers who share my faith, they can’t speak to my writing quite as well. On the flip side, when I go to secular conferences, even if I find other people of my genre, their goal and approach for writing is so very different that their input doesn’t help my career aspirations. So I was always a bit of an outsider.
At Realm Makers, however, I found people for whom no fantastical concept was too weird, but who still hold a love of Jesus and the truth in the forefront. For them, writing is a calling with a noble purpose, not only a means of making money or self expression, although those aspects can also be good.
People are free to be themselves
Conferences are often “business casual,” which makes sense for meeting with industry professionals like agents and editors. What I loved about Realm Makers is that at the awards banquet, everyone—even the professionals—let loose and participated in the tradition of wearing costumes from a particular fandom. Steampunks, Jedi, mermaids, warriors, and nymphs all shared an incredible time of fellowship and celebration. Even outside the banquet, no one blinked twice at a conferee keeping warm in the (highly air conditioned) classes with a cloak or walking the halls with head held high with a crown atop.
Well organized
Plus, the conference itself was exceedingly well organized. Some technical difficulties aside (because of the first year of doing a simultaneously in-person and virtual conference), everything ran very smoothly. The appointments with professionals and authors were easy to set and ran on time. Registration volunteers directed everyone where to go. Top-notch faculty generously shared wisdom and encouragement. A refreshment room provided much-needed breakfast and sustenance. This year, even the venue lent a fantastical flair with its exterior evoking the half-timbered medieval buildings of Europe.
God shows up
Conferences can be a time of great breakthrough and growth. When many believers gather together, God so often showers us with blessings. For me, my primary goals of the conference were all met. I pitched my latest novel for the first time to industry professionals and received requests for more material—a good sign. I met like-minded authors and enjoyed connecting with them. And on top of it all, I had fun.
The enemy opposes great things like this happening. The first day I was hit with some debilitating shyness where I couldn’t even bring myself to say hello—quite a barrier to connecting with anyone—but when I mustered the courage to admit that at the registration desk, two lovely ladies immediately pulled me into their party and broke the ice. I had a miraculous lack of discouragement, shyness, or emotional crises after that. God brought the breakthrough!
Highly recommended
All in all, if you’re a speculative fiction writer who loves Jesus, I highly recommend the Realm Makers conference. I briefly touched on only a few highlights in this post, but the conference offers even more. I am so glad that I went. I’ve now found my favorite conference!
You can also check out the authors I met at Realm Makers 2021!
Have you been to a writers conference? What did you enjoy about it? Share below!
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