Can you see it in her piercing hazel eyes? The ones fixed on something in front of her while her fingers skim the edge of the rearview mirror?

What’s her story?

Is she a poignant memoir? Is she an action packed romantic suspense novel? Is she an inspiring non-fiction read? Is she an edgy blog post?

Did she just quit her job, but not before emptying the contents of her boss’ safe into the tool box on the back of that truck?

Is there a Bible sitting on the shiny vinyl seat next to her? Maybe one that’s unopened. Untrusted.

In the weeks preceding a writers conference, it’s easy to let thoughts swirl in our head that distract us from the goal. We feel intimidated. We may not have any idea how we’re going to fit into the publishing world, much less who we’re going to sit with at lunch. Questions about what to wear, how to put together a business card, and what in the world is a one-sheet plague our minds. We research the attending agents and editors, hoping to get an opportunity to pitch our work. Doubts whisper through our resolve, grazing at the cusps of our fragile confidence.

Does the girl, the girl in the picture, does she care about any of our concerns heading into a conference?

No. She doesn’t care.

Because she has a story, and you’re the only one who can tell it.

She needs you.

She needs you …

• to disregard the number of people sitting next to you, pitching their work at conferences.
• to refuse to equate your worth with contest results.
• to delete the rejection letters in your inbox.
• to silence the doubting voices that chisel cracks in your dreams.

You’re it for her. You are the one who God provided to tell her tale. You are her voice.

Instead, she needs you …

• to work on your craft so her story is so well written, it cannot be ignored.
• to attend conferences. Take notes. Go to appointments.
• to risk getting feedback from others.
• to be so focused on your vision, that your fears become irrelevant.

She has nothing without you. And she knows you have nothing without God.

She’s asking you …

• to pray.
• to release the expectations you had going into this profession.
• to hand over the plans you have for this conference.
• to trust that God has a blueprint for her story—for your story—because He’s the one who told you to write it in the first place.

Simply put, she needs you to write her story. Because others need to read her story.

Keep writing. Keep risking. Keep trusting.

What about you? What’s the story you’re writing? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Deborah Clack is a former high school AP history teacher. Now she creates stories of her own and asks her heroines, as well as her readers, to dig deep and laugh often. Her work received First and Second Place Contemporary Romance in the 2017 and 2018 BRMCWC Foundations Contests, and was a 2017 ACFW Genesis Contest Finalist. She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray.

Never achieving her dream of becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, she settles for being a fan while living in The Lone Star State with her family. You can find her on The Social Media where she pretends to be an extrovert, or connect with her on her blog at deborahclack.com. But if you’re about to attend the BlueRidge conference, she’ll be grabbing snacks at Clouds and would love to hear your story.