Authenticity

I just spent the weekend at the InScribe Christian Writers‘ conference and even though there was no ‘theme’ per se, the underlying message that seemed to come across was ‘Authenticity’. 

Carolyne Aarsen, romance writer for Harlequin’s ‘Love Inspired’ line was refreshingly unapologetic for her love of writing romances. She is doing what she feels called to do – and doing very well at it, I might add, having sold millions of copies of her fifty or so books.

Keynote speaker Linda Hall continued the theme by telling us her own story of switching genres, despite the possibility of financial and reader backlash. She switched from the Christian market to secular mysteries, not because she’s turned away from her faith, but because this is what she needed to do to maintain her own integrity as a writer – and that’s okay! Once again, we were exhorted to be ‘authentic’, for no one writer’s journey is the same.

This general thread was woven through the weekend in almost very workshop – or so it seemed to me. Even when Janette Oake, one of the founding members of InScribe, got up to present the inaugural award named in her honour, I was struck by the determination and independence it must have taken when she first started. She is for all intents and purposes, the founder of a brand new genre, leading the way despite the odds.

Encouraged doesn’t even come close to what this weekend meant to me as a writer, especially since I tend to write somewhat off the beaten track. But staying true to one’s own calling is always the best strategy. These three women have set the bar high and serve as shining examples of Shakespeare’s oft quoted line, “To thine own self be true.”