My 'Author Why': Three Christian writers reflect.

​One of the things that really interests me is what keeps a writer writing. Rejections, rewrites, marketing and less enthusiastic sales can make it hard to remember why we started out in the first place. But the "writing why" matters and, oftentimes, it’s what keeps writers going when things get tough.
I asked three writers recently, about the "why" behind their work and what keeps them going when discouragement sets in. Janet McHenry is the author of 27 traditionally published books, including eight on the topic of prayer. Maureen Miller has just published her debut novel, and Dr. Ronda Wells is a writer for Guideposts and will be launching her second novel this year. Three very different writers, but a similar thread of faith holding them steady. I hope you find this interview as encouraging as I did!

Janet McHenry

Penny: What drives you to write what you do? What is your 'author why', the reason you keep writing?
Janet: My writing why springs out of a call God placed on me forty years ago. At that time, I was attending a women's retreat near Lake Tahoe in northern California. As the speaker finished one of her talks, she said, "I want you to go find a rock, sit on it, and wait for God to speak to you." I somewhat resistantly did that, and just a few quiet minutes later I sensed God saying, "I want you to write for me."
Maureen Miller: I write because I believe my obedience to pursue this writing life brings God pleasure, and that’s the beauty of worship. For me, writing is much like Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire. He said, “I believe God made me for a purpose—but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.” Likewise, I believe God instilled in me the ability and desire to write. And when I write, I feel His pleasure. I’ll admit, I don’t always feel like sitting down to write. I’d sometimes rather be doing something else. But… when I’m obedient, God shows up. He fills me to overflowing, and the outpouring are words on the page. And yes, I find time and time again—the joy of the Lord is my strength!
With a love for people and a desire for all to come to the knowledge of God and a right relationship with Him through His Son, I write even when it’s hard. Even when I don’t want to. Even when I’m afraid. And I find every single time—even when it’s the sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15)—writing is worship.
Ronda: I was born into a story-telling family and love to tell a good story. My favorite book as a child was my Bible story book, and I read the cover off it. Ever since then, Scripture has formed the basis of my desire to write and share "God's story" with others. 

---

"Scripture has formed the basis of my desire to write and share 'God's story' with others."
- Dr. Ronda Wells 

Maureen Miller

Penny: What needs do your books seek to respond to, for your reader, or for yourself?
Maureen: My novel, Gideon’s Book, is a dual timeline story that introduces issues of sanctity of human life, the beauty of adoption, the heroic nature of birth moms, and the impact of open dialogue.
As the mother of three born-in-my-heart children through the miracle of adoption, I have a high regard for birth moms who make the difficult decision to carry to term to then deliver babies/children into the waiting arms of adoptive parents. As the mother of a young man of color (and a police officer), I’ve faced the harsh realities of racial discrimination in our world. Much of the healing I’ve observed is due to open dialogue and healthy conversation, when people have been willing to “pull up a chair” and talk, with love, about opposing viewpoints—whether about racism, abortion, sexual identity, etc. With Christ’s love, we should be able to talk to others who believe differently than us. My book tries to model that kind of listening and respect.
Janet: Because the Lord dramatically changed my life through the practices of prayerwalking and reading through the Bible each year, I write books that help others develop a deeper relationship with the Lord through prayer and the study of His Word. One example is Looking Up!, a 365 day devoitional helping people find joy as they read and pray through the Bible. I believe people's greatest needs are to be loved and known, to belong and be connected, and to have purpose and hope. Those needs can be met through rich spiritual disciplines… And I love exploring various ways to help others do just that. ​

---

"People's greatest needs are to be loved and known, to belong and be connected, and to have purpose and hope. Those needs can be met through rich spiritual disciplines… And I love exploring various ways to help others do just that." 
- Janet McHenry

Dr. Ronda Wells

Penny: Tell me about a time when you felt like giving up writing. How did remembering your WHY keep you going?
​Ronda: After a year of bad health issues which kept me down for months, and the discouragement of winning several awards as a writer but not being able to get a traditional publishing contract, I almost gave up writing. But I remembered Debbie Macomber's advice: “If there's something on your desk unpublished, you're not doing your job as an author.” I had six finished drafts on the shelf, plus five partials. After hearing a talk by Peggy Sue Wells, I realized self-publishing was no longer out of reach. My goal is now to get all of those novels published independently!
​Maureen: In 2007, I attended the Write to Publish conference and pitched a book idea to a Tyndale representative. She loved it, and said, “When you’ve completed your first draft, send me the first chapter marked ‘WTP ‘07’ and I’ll take a look.” I was so excited, returning home to write my book but then my husband was diagnosed with a life-threatening autoimmune disease, we lost a daughter who’d been with us for about one year to a failed adoption, and I fell into despair. But, God in His goodness, lifted me up and reminded me He’d created me for a purpose. I continued to write and – to cut a long story short – prompted by God to “Start over,” I began to completely rewrite my story. I wrote and wrote – honing my craft and rewriting my story – until the spring of 2024, then submitted my story to Redemption Press, this time with a much better story. And you know what? It was in this difficult season, when I really just wanted to give up, that God taught me about writing as worship (my WHY). And hard as it was, it was beautiful.
Sometimes it’s hard to write about tough issues, especially when you dislike conflict or attempt to refrain from ruffling feathers. I knew the topics my writing covered would upset some, perhaps even anger some. But God kept reminding me—this story is “for such a time as this” (Esther 14:4). When I really wrestled with the notion of giving up (and believe me, I did!), God would say, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the [unborn, for those hurt by discrimination…] will arise from another place, but… who knows but that you [Maureen] have come to your [writing] position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14—paraphrase mine). Thus, I persevered on. And I’m so thankful I did—by the grace of God!

---

"It was in this difficult season, when I really just wanted to give up, that God taught me about writing as worship (my WHY). And hard as it was, it was beautiful."
- Maureen Miller

Penny: What is the most encouraging feedback you've had from a reader about your books/writing?
Ronda: The most encouraging feedback was from an unknown Amazon reviewer about my debut novella, The Christmas Cherub. They said they couldn't believe how much story I'd packed into such a short book. It meant I had done my job as a writer, and all those writing conferences had done their job, too!
Maureen: One woman told me through tears, “Not many know this, but I’m a birth mom. No one has ever told me, ‘You’re a hero.’ Honestly, I’ve never even thought about myself that way. In fact, birth moms can often live with guilt—wondering about those babies they’ve placed. Feeling guilty they couldn’t parent and offer their children a good life. This story reminds me—this was part of God’s plan. It may not be the whole purpose for which He created me, but it’s a part of His purpose. And that brings me peace.”
Janet: Whenever I travel somewhere to speak, invariably someone will approach me and tell me my book PrayerWalk changed her life. That was the first of eight books on prayer I have written—and it hit bestseller lists the month of 9/11. The bottom-line message of that book—and my other books on prayer too—is that prayer is more about access than about answers. We can become a praying-without-ceasing people when we understand that wherever we are, there's a need for prayer. We simply need to open our eyes to the needs around us. 
 
Penny: I'm a children's writer, so I have to ask, what's a children's book you've enjoyed, either for yourself or with someone you love?
Ronda: I used to read Bible story books to my grandson when he was younger. We enjoyed that!
Janet: A children's book I love and keep displayed in my office is Frederick by Leo Lionni. Frederick the mouse does not feel valued for his work, which is writing. But when a long winter comes, he understands his worth. I recommend this cute picture book to all writers... and that they buy it for their children and grandchildren too.

For more information about Janet, Maureen and Ronda, check out their website links below:
Janet - www.janetmchenry.com
Maureen - www.maureenmillerauthor.com
Ronda - ​www.rondawellsbooks.com