This week I’m in Kansas City, Missouri, attending the Heart of America Christian Writers Network conference. (Note to the bad guys: my deputy-sheriff husband and the dog are both at home. Don’t bother breaking in.)

The investment in conference fees, hotel rooms, gasoline, and time off work are considerable. And, I don’t mind a bit. Okay, maybe a bit. But I totally believe one must invest in learning one’s craft. For me, that means taking online writing courses, subscribing to writer’s magazines, reading good books, and going to conferences.

I’ve been to this conference several years in a row, and I always come home encouraged, challenged, and slightly exhausted from the sheer volume of what I heard. Then I take the next several weeks to sort through it all.

In fact, last year it was nearly six months after the conference when I was looking through some notes and thought: Hey, I should submit a proposal to that new publishing house I heard about while I was standing in line for lunch one day.

And, thus, Thirty Days to Glory will be published by the marvelous folks at CrossRiver Media next year.

So, I challenge you to invest in your art this year. Whether yours is rock climbing, singing, painting, dancing, parenting, writing, gardening, dog-grooming, or whatever. Spend some time and money this year learning more about the craft. You may not get a book deal, but you will be a better rock-climber for it.