Step 2: Pray About It

I am a Christian, and my faith permeates every facet of my life (or at least it should!). When it comes to my writing there is no exception. My faith in God has everything to do with what I write.

The first thing I do when I begin is to pray that the work that I do will be pleasing to God. In the end, I am His and my work will in a small way be a reflection of Him. So I hope it would please Him, but also that it would not offend.

That will affect not just what I write, but also what I won’t write. My characters are still flawed creatures, but there are certain situations that don’t need to be spelled out in a crude way. I also try to avoid inappropriate language while still staying true to the characters.

As Christians our work often becomes part of our sanctification, no matter what we are doing. The same discipline it takes to see a task through, to keep your calm, or to press hard when necessary will mold us into better disciples.

When it comes to writing there is an added layer to it. In Genesis God speaks and the world is formed. From thought comes substance. In that regard we ought to use our words carefully, recognizing a bit of the divine in what we are trying to achieve- creating something out of nothing.

It is not we who are divine, but our desire and work is a reflection of Him who is. So we must choose our thoughts and words carefully and with much prayer that they are pleasing to Him.

So take a minute to get yourself in the right mindset, and then on to Step 3: Make a Thorough Outline!