A Prayer Book for Writers

by Courtney Kleefeld

For the perfectionist, for the writer who struggles with anxiety, and for Christians who want to connect writing and every-day life with their faith.

This book of prayers is meant to help writers find the words to pray when the words will not come.
Drawn from personal experience, A Prayer Book for Writers offers sincere prayers many writers can relate to and find comfort within.

This book includes:

-Over 175 prayers for every part of the writing process, publishing process, and every-day life of a writer
-Prayers for other writers in the world
-Three lined pages in the back of the book for the reader's use.

Courtney Kleefeld, with an informal yet elegant writing style, brings a new kind of prayer book, one that is sure to be used again and again throughout the lives of writers everywhere.

"Courtney Kleefeld's collection of prayers for writers is honest, thought-provoking, and humbling. Reading it is a revelation to the creative mind: even in your loneliness, you are not alone."

— Daniel Schwabauer, author of the Runt the Brave books and creator of the One Year Adventure Novel Curriculum

Genres: Nonfiction

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 13, 2020

About the author

Courtney Kleefeld is an author and musician from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She graduated from Oral Roberts University with a bachelors in writing. In her spare time, she enjoys learning about various mediums of art, reading books, analyzing her favorite stories, and sometimes trying out a new musical instrument for fun. She currently plays piano, harp, and flute, and plans to release music albums with her original songs, as well as continue writing books. Her favorite book is Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet.

Reviews

[Mariella Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful book that combines both the creative and the spiritual on a practical and emotional level. Every author, every creative should have a copy of this book. It gives basic prompts for involving the spiritual with your creative process and opens the heart and mind to look for God in the simplest parts of our process.

[Literary Strawberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so encouraging, both for my writing and my Christian walk in general. The prayers are honest and beautiful, specific enough to make you think about things you might not have on your own, but broad enough to apply to your own situations without being vague. Reading this reminded me of the OYAN (One Year Adventure Novel) writing workshops I've attended in the past-- it gave me the same sense of inspiration, realizing that writing isn't just something I kind of do, but something God gave me and cares about, something that's part of the plan he has for my life.

Writing, while something I love, has often been a source of stress and guilt for me, feeling bad when I don't do as much as I think I should, getting frustrated and freaked out when it seems I'm never going to be able to figure out the plot, and thinking it's all up to me to make it work. Lately, though, I've found that I've been able to feel more of a peace about my writing. I believe that the story I'm working on right now is one God wants me to tell, and if that's true then it /will/ get written one way or another; I don't have to worry that I'll never be able to make it all work, but just to keep faithfully showing up and letting God work with me and through me. I don't have to worry about how it will be received or how popular it will be; I know that if God is having me do this, he has a purpose in mind, so this story will eventually make a difference to somebody. And if it turns out that I'll never get it published, and the person he really wanted to change through its creation was me, then that's part of his plan too, and it isn't a waste. He cares about my ideas, my creativity, and he delights in experiencing this process with me.

Of course I can still encounter stress and uncertainty, but it's not as bad as it once was. Writing is no longer something I have to helplessly wrestle with on my own, but something I can find joy in again, knowing that however long it takes and however many mistakes I may make along the way, there is a plan and a purpose for what I'm doing, and the outcome is secure. And of course there are a hundred different ways God has been working on me and changing my perspective on things, but this book has definitely played a large role in this part of my relationship with him, and for that I am so grateful.

Thank you for writing this book, Courtney. It really made a difference for me.

[Courtney Kleefeld]

I am still very thankful for this book. Whenever I am stuck on a project, or anxious, or confused, or when I have forgotten how to pray, I return to it and find refreshment, comfort, and peace. There's a prayer for just about every situation and emotion in it. There's a copy by my bed. The cover has a nice aesthetic and reminds me to write.

While I was writing and editing the book, I wondered if the tone was too serious and if it would be relatable to enough people--but then everything shut down because of Covid right after the book was released (March 14, 2020 was the date that had popped into my head in December 2019 when I was praying for clarity of when I should aim to release the book by), and suddenly the book became more widely relatable than I expected it to be.

Already within a year, several people have told me the book has touched them or helped them in deep ways. One person I did not know messaged me out of the blue and told me the book had been sent to her by accident, but that it was a sign she needed to remember she needed to write her book.
I thank God for the timing in which this book came.

This book is the beginning of a series. I'm excited to see where it goes.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet book full of prayers that cover a multitude of subjects: prayers on brainstorming, writing, editing, revising, theme, characters, plot as well as prayers for encouragement, peace, and inspiration for the writer. About halfway through the book, the prayers shift to life, health, relationships, faith, and even prayers for others. I think this is an excellent book for teen and young adult writers to guide them in their prayer life. It’s encouraging, uplifting, and challenging in a good way. I highly recommend!

[Mary Foxe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skimmed.

[Vanessa Krauss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is going to be a niche read. If you're an evangelical Christian who is tackling the struggles of getting started with your writing and sticking to it, Ms. Kleefeld offers some heartfelt insights into what can often be the greatest hurdles for would-be authors. It is a good way to not feel alone in the daunting trial that is creating a solid piece of literature.
However, this book is not going to be a suitable read if you don't fit into the evangelical Christian category. There is an entire segment devoted to non-writing related prayers. The often more challenging aspects of authorship (publishing, marketing, the plethora of agent rejections, etc) are glossed over as the author is neither a trained theologian nor experienced enough in the publishing industry to cover these.
But, most writers have to start somewhere, and many are people of faith. This is a good book to validate those early writing frustrations, especially from the prospective of those who would like the solace and comfort of knowing that they are not alone in said journey.