Guest Post By Dana Bell
In 2018 I was done with writing. Being a published writer was not at all what I thought it would be, and the stress of having to complete multiple projects burned me out. The last thing I wanted to do was write.
Know why I didn’t quit? A couple reasons. My ex had tried to take everything I cared about away from me. I wasn’t about to allow him to win. The other – I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Rediscovering the joy of writing
So, I began a journey to re-discover the joy and fun of writing. God played a huge part in that. I put aside all professional gigs and went back to fan-fiction. This genre taught me so much about being a writer and allowed me to practice the tricks of the trade. My goal: write between 1000 to 1500 words a day. That took me about an hour. By the end of summer, I’d gotten up to 3000 a day. Not a goal I had set for myself.
But I did not make the journey alone. Even when writing fan-fiction, I would sit down at my computer and pray one of two simple prayers:
“Thank you, Dad, for letting me write” or “Hey, Dad, you want to come and play?”
“Hey, Dad, you want to come and play?”
Dana Bell
From faith to a book deal
By the end of the year I sold my first romance novella. NO ONE sells their first romance.
I continued the practice of praying before I wrote, whether I was playing in someone else’s universe or crafting my own original work.
Yet there is one more element involved. It isn’t just prayer. It is faith. Faith so unshakeable I believe that when I sit down to write God will give me the words. My fingers get going on the keys and don’t stop until I’m finished for the day, however many words I write.
Speaking of faith, I actually asked God the other day why He puts up with me. I’m not exactly the most faithful of children. I was curious. Know what the answer was? In that amused and tickled father way He answered, “Because you have the faith of a child.”
That startled me. Of all the answers He could have given, He gave me one I didn’t expect.
My ability to speak with God like this is new. I talked to Him earlier about this article and He said, “I’ll give you words.” So, I quit worrying about it and trusted He would do as He promised. Did I pray first? Of course, I did.
Prayer doesn’t have to be complicated
One thing few people teach about prayer is that it doesn’t have to be complicated. One word can be a prayer. I know. I’ve done this. As I recall, the prayer was, “Father!” I didn’t need to say more.
I have another way to pray, which I use when I have no idea what to say. Paul taught about it in the Bible, and yes, I can Speak in Tongues anytime I want. I don’t know the exact language, but I know the country and region it comes from. Since I know many Christians teach this gift is gone, I won’t go into detail. Though I could teach endlessly about the Gifts of the Spirit, all of which I’ve used at different times in my life.
Rare though it is, I walk in both the natural and supernatural world. I dream dreams and have visions. That’s Acts 2:17.
What does this have to do with writing, faith and prayer? Everything.
God had proven himself faithful all throughout my life. I was saved as a child. I even spoke in tongues, but I didn’t know what it was and quit doing it. Scared me.
He has taken care of me even when I did something stupid or didn’t deserve it. I fought off a purse snatcher when I lived in Boston. Serial rapists hunted around me when I lived in a Denver apartment complex. He sent an angel to watch over my home. I came home one night, and my neighbor told me the guys had been caught. They had lived on the second floor of my building. Recently, I almost lost my house because I had no job and no unemployment income. I went to God with my simple faith and said, “You’ve always taken care of me.” God provided, although not in the way I expected.
I still have my home. I even have a job now.
Have faith God will give you words
These are all acts of faith and the reason I place high value on them is because unless the writer believes God will give them words, their prayer won’t make any difference.
I have faith. I pray. I sit down. I write.
It is a sweet time with God. An Act of Worship.
Yes, writing is worship.
I know, normally we think of worship as church, music and some dancing. Speaking of dancing, Yeshua is a delightful dance partner. Won’t go into the story on how I know that.
Yet writing, when God is invited to be part of it, is worship. It is a father hanging out with his child, delighting in the talent he inspired and the willingness of his child to share it with Him.
I’ll add here that God has taught me a few tricks with writing. I’m a pantzer and had a horrible time finishing my earlier books. Not to mention, I work on multiple projects at once. I’ve learned to leave myself notes about unanswered questions, plot points I need to complete, or what the next scene is. For my last three books, this was a huge help.
Before I asked God to be part of my writing life, I struggled to get the words out. I thought I had to be inspired by the natural world, as many writers are led to believe. Now, I sit down, ask God to join me, and the words flow.
This is precious time with my heavenly father. Part of a rich relationship I share with Him. The Bible says to ask God for what we need. I’m bold enough to walk into His throne room and ask if can fall asleep in His lap when I have problems sleeping.
God has never said no.
My solid foundation
I will share a dream I had during a deeply troubled time.
I was in a house. Built on a rock. Right next to the ocean. It had glass windows along the side of the house and in the ceiling. Huge waves smashed into the house, over and over and over. No window broke. The house did not flood. Someone stood in the house with me. Years later I realized it was Yeshua. He just appeared in a different way than I had ever seen him before.
The dream interpretation was easy. I had my solid foundation. The waves were all the troubles I was going through. My house stood because of my childlike faith.
I recall this dream when I go through times of trouble.
Every writer needs faith. Open every writing session with prayer. Invite God to come and join you in your time of Worship.
About Dana Bell
Owned by a demanding Ocicat named Taj, Dana Bell lives in Colorado and enjoys writing tales about cats, places she’s lived and others she’s visited. She is the author of multiple titles including Bast’s Chosen Ones and Other Cat Adventures and Winter Awakening.
She also writes paranormal romances such as Bound by Blood: Idaho Vampires under the pen name Belle Blukat. As an editor she enjoys putting together anthologies with various themes and helping authors master their writing skills.
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