Join me in welcoming author Janet Holm McHenry as she shares her unique journey to publication.

Write What You Don’t Know

It’s often said in writer circles that we should write what we know. I agree and disagree. It’s easy and natural to write about that which I know. For example, if I were going to write a novel, I’d probably set it in the Sierra Valley, where I live.

But here’s the argument behind this blog title: if I only write about what I know, I won’t grow as a writer. While I have written fiction, I’m mostly known for writing nonfiction books on prayer. If I only write about the confines of what I know about prayer, I won’t be stretched, and my book would probably be a yawner.

One case in point is my newest book. Because I wrote the book PrayerWalk more than twenty years ago and because the practice of prayerwalking changed my life significantly, I have spent the last two decades encouraging others to pray for their communities as they walk.

But something always happened after I spoke. Some lovely lady would approach me and say, “But Janet, I can’t walk. What should I do?”

And then a couple years ago as I was speaking to a group of writers about how to incorporate more prayer in their lives, I heard myself say, “Perhaps how we pray has something to do with our God-given personalities.” When the group told me to write a book about how one’s personality could influence a praying style, I decided to do just that.

While I knew something of personality and something of prayer, I set out on a quest to learn as much as I could on those separate subjects, so I could offer a book on a topic others had not explored. I scoured the Bible to look at the praying styles of dozens of biblical people. And I discovered that they approached the Lord in varied ways and that God listened and responded to them. I also studied spiritual gifts to see how they might connect with a praying lifestyle.

Then I dug into the various personality theories—from the Greek temperaments to modern personalities. With each I tried to identify the underlying questions that would help people understand more about themselves. And then I dug into generational praying styles and learning styles.

With each of those biblical pray-ers or personality types, I asked God to help me understand and identify praying styles with which readers could connect and apply to their own lives.

The result is Praying Personalities: Finding Your Natural Prayer Style (Kregel, Feb. 2024)—the one book I can say sent me to prayer for each chapter. Writing it pushed me into deeper prayer and thought as I wrote what I had not known. It is my best book because it was more than a journalistic effort. God pushed me to think more deeply—about what his Word teaches and about what my readers might need.

And now I can’t wait to write my next book—about something I do not yet know.

About Janet: 

Janet McHenry has been prayerwalking for 25 years—allowing her to see dramatic changes in her community. She has written 26 books—including the bestselling PrayerWalk. Janet speaks at writer conferences, coaches writers, and hosts the Sierra Valley Writers Retreat in the Sierra Valley, where her husband Craig is a cattle rancher and where they raised their four children. You can have her free mini-magazine and e-book Prayer Helps by going here: https://www.janetmchenry.com/mini-magazine.

Connecting online:

Links:

Website: https://www.janetmchenry.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanetMcHenryAuthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janetmchenry/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LookingUpFirst

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/janetmchenry/

Praying Personalities Quiz: https://prayingpersonalities.com

Praying Personalities/Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Personalities-Finding-Natural-Prayer/dp/0825448182/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2FI1JE1CZC7IL&keywords=praying+personalities%2C+janet+mchenry&qid=1698780635&sprefix=praying+per%2Caps%2C898&sr=8-1

Prayer School: https://prayerschool.teachable.com/