My Life: A Prayer List being Answered, Part 4

God has fulfilled so many of my dreams and prayers throughout my life. I am 

so blessed with all that He has given me. But as the childhood and young 

adulthood prayers come to pass, new ones emerge. Growing up, I never 

saw myself as a writer and never imagined I'd be venturing out into the 

unknown world of children's literature. 

In the spring of 2010, when I first felt a tug on my heart to write a children's 

book, I could also never have known just what having a children's book 

published would entail. I have learned so much in the last year, not only 

about writing, but about myself. When faced with the reality of the 

publication process, I had to ask myself, How much do I really want this?

What it came down to is this - if God gave me this desire to write for children, 

then there must be a reason, and I must see it through. 

My prayer for this new endeavor is that I following God's leading and 

direction beyond publication. He is the One who gave me this desire to write 

for children, and I want to be sure to honor Him in all that I do now and in the 

future. I pray for my characters to be relatable, funny, quirky, and adventurous, 

like most children I know. I pray that I keep God first, not only in this area of 

my life, but in all areas. God should be first and foremost, then family, and then 

work. I believe keeping these priorities straight will help me maintain some 

sort of balance as I strive to serve Christ, be a great wife and mother, work 

part time outside the home, keep up with the house, and write. 

Where am I in this process? I'm in the middle of some research involving

how best to revise your stories. I am reading Writing Picture Books by Ann

Whitford Paul, which has so far been packed full of great information on 

forming and revising picture book stories. For those of you who don't know,

a picture book is not a book with just pictures, but it is a classification

of a book that is for young children, roughly ages 2 - 8. I am about half

way through it, and given the opportunity, I should have it done by the 

end of the week. Much of what I am reading is affirming concepts I am 

already implementing in my work, but I do see some areas I can adjust

a bit. After I am finished reading, I'll scrutinize the three and a half stories

I have written in my children's book series to be sure they are the absolute

best they can be. I will then be pretty close to resubmitting to a literary agent

I'd love to work with. Until then, I'm trusting God to lead me and guide me

in all that I do. 

Do you have a prayer list, either written or in your heart? How has God

proven His faithfulness to you over the years?