by Beth K. Vogt, @bethvogt
I’m a reader who became a writer.
Now I’m a writer who continues to read, although I admit it’s a struggle at times when I’m on deadline. I’m always adding books to my personal library. Fiction. Nonfiction. Books on the writing craft to help me improve as an author. I also always enjoy reading novels written by writer-friends.
One recent addition to my books? Words Matter: Prayers from a Writer’s Heart by award-winning author Robin Lee Hatcher. I’m part of a writing group with Robin, but I would have purchased this book without that personal connection. “Pray” is my One Word for 2022 and this small book – it’s just over 100 pages – is, as the subtitle suggests, focused on prayers for writers.
In the book’s Introduction, Hatcher explains the prayers started out in 2009 when she was asked to post prayers in a large group of Christian novelists who meet via email. One of the leaders suggested she turn the prayers into a book. While some of the prayers were written over a decade ago, they could be referring to the pandemic years. Hatcher wrote, “It was a reminder that there is nothing new under the sun. God held us then. He holds us now.”
While most of the prayers are unrelated to a time of the year, Hatcher did separate some of the prayers to special seasons or a particular US holiday. The first section, which is also the main section of the book, is “Prayer from a Writer’s Heart.” Prayers include:
- Write on our hearts
- Begin with praise
- Let us hear His whisper
- Write LIFE
- It takes a lot of compost
- Nothing we desire more
- Finished correctly
In her Afterword, Hatcher writes: “As a writer, I know that words matter. They can bring hope and comfort or spread fear and despair. I desire the former.”
Utilizing the prayers in Hatcher’s book helps me focus my heart before I begin writing. Taking one prayer a day sets the tone for that day. I’ve gotten into the habit of writing the date beside each prayer when I pray it. I’m already planning to pray through the book again and will just keep adding new dates.
I encourage you to add Words Matter to your library. Craft books are beneficial. Prayer is powerful.
The award-winning Thatcher Sister Series by Beth K. Vogt, published by Tyndale House, is described as a “Little Women gone wrong” collection of novels highlighting complicated sister relationships in the style of This is Us. NYT bestselling author Lisa Wingate said, “With tenderness and skill, Beth Vogt examines the price of secrets, the weight of tragic loss, and the soul-deep poison of things left unsaid.” The series includes Things I Never Told You, Moments We Forget, and The Best We’ve Been. Unpacking Christmas: A Thatchers Sisters Novella, was released in November 2022 by Never Door Press.
Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” She started out in fiction writing award-winning contemporary romances, including Somebody Like You, which was selected as one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2014. Beth transitioned to women’s fiction with her Thatcher Sister Series, which she calls “a Little Women gone wrong” collection of books highlighting complicated sister relationships. Published by Tyndale House, the series includes Things I Never Told You, which won the 2019 AWSA Award for Contemporary Novel of the Year, Moments We Forget, and The Best We’ve Been. Beth is also a Christy Award winner, an ACFW Carol Award winner, and a RITA® finalist. An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Learn How to Write a Novel and The Write Conversation, and also enjoys speaking to writers group and mentoring other writers. She lives in Colorado with her husband Rob, who has adjusted to living with imaginary characters and is also one of Beth’s most trusted brainstormers for her novels. Visit Beth at bethvogt.com.