The Writer's Prayer

by Marion Ueckermann

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart.

- Proverbs 27 v 9

Smell . . . our sense most linked to memory. Just a whiff of a certain fragrance has the ability to transport one through time and space, to faraway places.

Our prayers are like incense, perfume, to God the Father. When He smells the aroma of our praise and petitions, He remembers us . . . our wants, our desires, our needs.

Isaac prayed for his infertile wife, and she became pregnant. Hannah prayed for a child, and God answered her prayer. It is prayer that gets us through the barren times of life. And writers are often faced with such times when words are few, ideas even fewer.

Philip Sidney, a 16th Century English poet, wrote of these moments:

“Biting my truant pen, beating myself for spite:

“Fool!” said my Muse to me; “look in thy heart and write.”

The heart, the place where our Creator dwells, is the crucible wherein our prayers are formed; a melting pot producing the incense that weaves its way to the Father’s heart.

With hands clasped together, the barrenness of writer’s block can be overcome through prayer. Allow yourself to become pregnant with ideas that, in the fullness of time, will give birth to great Christian fiction.

The Writer's Prayer

by Sandy Tritt

Photo by Geri-Jean Blanchard (Canada)

– used with permission

 Open my mind, Lord.

Grant me the talent to write with clarity and style,

so my words go down rich and smooth, like fine wine,

and leave my reader thirsty for more.

Open my heart, Lord.

Grant me the sensitivity to understand my characters

—their hopes, their wants, their dreams—

and help me to confer that empathy to my reader.

Open my soul, Lord,

so I may be a channel to wisdom and creativity

from beyond my Self.

Stoke my imagination with vivid imagery and vibrant perception.

But most of all, Lord,

help me to know the Truth,

so my fiction is more honest than actuality

and reaches the depths of my reader's soul.

Wrap these gifts with opportunity,

perseverance,

and the strength to resist those who insist it can't be done.

Amen.

© 1999 Sandy Tritt. All rights reserved. http://www.inspirationforwriters.com/

Sandy Tritt is the founder and CEO of Inspiration for Writers, Inc., one of the oldest and most respected editing and writing firms still in operation today. She is currently writing a seven-book family saga series. Sandy has given fiction workshops at Appalachian Writers Conference (Tennessee), Alabama Writers Conclave, West Virginia Writers Conference, Marietta College (Ohio), and others. For writing tips and techniques, essays on the writing life, editing and writing services, and much more, visit http://www.inspirationforwriters.com/.

If you'd like a glossy or magnetic copy of the Writer's Prayer for yourself, or multiple copies for your writer's workshop or conference, please email Sandy (IFWeditors@gmail.com). There's no charge as long as the shipping address is within the US.

MARION UECKERMANN’s writing passion was sparked in 2001 when she moved to Ireland with her husband and two sons. Since then Marion has been honing her skills and has published some devotional articles in Winners at Work as well as inspirational poetry online and in a poetry journal. She has written her first Christian Women’s novel (unpublished) and is currently completing the sequel. Marion now lives in Pretoria East, South Africa with her husband, sons and a crazy black ‘Scottie’. A member and moderator of the South African Christian Writers Group, Marion can be contacted via email on marionu(at)telkomsa(dot)net.