The most important story you'll ever write

As I mentioned in a previous post, I attended the Extraordinary Women conference last weekend. One of my favorite speakers was Karen Kingsbury. Some of you have probably heard of her or read one of her many books. I must admit that most of my reading takes place right here online. Of the actual books I do read, I tend to gravitate toward non-fiction (ie. What to Expect, the Mommy Diaries).

So, although I had heard of Karen, because of my mom & sister's (healthy) obsession with her works, I didn't know anything about her or what to expect from her as a speaker. First of all, she's incredibly tall and prettier in person than on her book jacker. She's a mom of six children, three of which were adopted from Haiti. She talked a bit about her characters, how she develops them and how real they become to her and her readers. Her main point, however, was that of all the books she has written the most important story she (and every other mother) authors is the one she is writing every day with her children.

Karen talked about the importance of loving the characters God has placed in your life and being constantly aware of our antagonist. She said her children won't remember how many best-selling books she has written, but they will remember the time she spends with them. So, I'm making the effort to remind myself how important each day is in the story I'm writing. I hope you'll do the same.