Inspiration

A Writer’s Prayer: Words and Language

By Bob Hostetleron June 1, 2022

Thank you, God, for words and language,
for the mental, tactile, and often emotional pleasure of words on paper.

Thank you for the joy of a well-turned phrase,
the satisfaction of just the right word,
the beauty of an artful description,
or finely tuned sentence.

Thank you for the honor of reflecting your image (2 Corinthians 3:18)
in thinking and wording things into being (John 1:1),
bringing dead things—ideas, letters, pages—to life (Ephesians 2:5)
and calling into existence things that do not exist (Romans 4:17).

Grant life to me today.
Grant life to my thoughts.
Grant life to my words.
Grant life to my writing,
in Jesus’ name, amen.

Publishing in Generalities

By Dan Balowon May 25, 2022

While agents and publishers accept book proposals because they contain a number of specific things they like, most book proposals are turned down because of a general reason. For example, refer to the “Who We Are,” section of this website. Each agent has a set of filters we use to focus our efforts. The filters reflect our strengths and/or personal preferences. Outside of these, we decline. …

Category: Book Proposals, Career, Get Published, Inspiration, The Writing Life

Why I Read

By Bob Hostetleron April 28, 2022

Writers write for many reasons. Therapy. Self-realization. Compulsion. Etc. But professional writers, those who are published with regularity, find an intersection between why they write and why their readers read. Sure, sometimes that intersection is at the corner of “I’m brilliant” and “Everyone loves everything I write.” But more often, we start not with our own need to express ourselves but …

Category: Encouragement, Inspiration, Personal

A 40+ Day Musical Experience

By Steve Laubeon April 18, 2022

I’ve been making an annual musical journey during the pre-Easter Lenten season. I wrote about a couple of those before (here and here). I thought it might be fun to reveal this year’s version. Since mid-February, the only music I’ve listened to in the car or while on a plane has been the collected works of Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741). While most of us are familiar with his …

Category: Inspiration, Personal

Be Proactively Lazy

By Bob Hostetleron April 7, 2022

In James Clear’s excellent, bestselling book Atomic Habits, he writes about a man who set up a number of systems and habits that impressed others, who commented on his energy and hard work in getting so much done. He shrugged off the compliments, however, saying something like, “I’m actually not that hard-working; I’m just proactively lazy.” I love it. I think “proactive laziness” is a good modus …

Category: Career, Encouragement, Inspiration, The Writing Life

Stormy Writing

By Dan Balowon March 31, 2022

It is safe to say we all tend to learn and grow more spiritually from difficulty than from the good times. Both reveal God’s presence in our lives, but our hard heads and hearts seem to need a good bit of humbling before we “get it.” Most people write more powerfully under duress. A couple months ago, while reading a manuscript of a long-time acquaintance, the tone surprised me a bit. I wondered …

Category: Encouragement, Inspiration

Fearful Writing

By Dan Balowon March 23, 2022

It is important for Christian writers to be bold, not worrying so much about who might be offended by the gospel or who might take biblical truth the wrong way. Despite society being fragile these days with so many people triggered by the littlest thing, this situation shouldn’t stop us from proclaiming God’s truth. We all need to be more fearless in the way we live and communicate. After all, as …

Category: Career, Christian, Inspiration

Spend It All

By Bob Hostetleron February 3, 2022

If you’re anything like me (I extend my sympathies), the dawn of a new year brings with it a chance for reflection and re-vision. I like the hyphenated version of that word; I think it conveys the meaning a little better than revision. Re-vision suggests to me the casting of a new vision, new direction, new emphasis, new focus. So, as I reflect and re-vision, I would like for my 2022 to be a year …

Category: Creativity, Inspiration

A Nativity Meditation for Writers

By Bob Hostetleron December 23, 2021

Writing is hard. Maybe you knew that already. And writing for publication is hard. That’s probably not news to you either. For the Christian writer, in particular, the writing-for-publication and building-a-platform and waiting-and-hoping-for-your-first (or next)-book-contract journey often seems even harder. There are so many twists and turns to navigate. So much change happening. And always, …

Category: Inspiration, The Writing Life

The Writer’s Senses (a Writer’s Prayer)

By Bob Hostetleron November 24, 2021

Gracious God, thank you for the smell of pencil shavings, the tactile elegance of a good fountain pen, and the click-clack of ancient typewriter keys… for the intoxication of creative juices, the sweetness of a well-turned phrase… for the creak of the office chair, and the surprise of a catch in the throat and the salty track of a tear on the cheek… for the hum of a computer, the …

Category: Inspiration, The Writing Life, Theology