The Weight of Words 

2/14/2026 - Petra Quinn 

The Burden of Being a Christian Writer 
Many writers, if they’re being honest, live in a state of fear. We understand, perhaps more than most, the power words possess. A single manuscript can create a world, can create characters, and can be responsible for changing someone’s life.

In Proverbs 18:21, the Bible speaks on this. It reads: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat it’s fruits.” Writing words onto a page or typing onto a keyboard may seem like a small thing, but scripture says we are handling something powerful. To writers, experienced and inexperienced alike, this realization can feel paralyzing. Death and life reside in the words made by our own hands. Are we worthy of the responsibility? What if we say something wrong? What if instead of helping, our words only cause harm?

It can feel like such a heavy burden. But God did not give us a spirit of fear. And if we allow that fear to keep us from ever creating, ever publishing our stories, how many words would have gone unsaid? How many voices, made by the Creator to speak a specific story into existence, would never be heard?

At The Sharpened Quill, we believe the answer to this fear is not silence, but stewardship. God calls us to wisdom. Proverbs 12:18 reminds us: “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

No one would argue that we live in a broken, fractured world, and it only seems to be getting worse. If the words we can create could bring even a drop of healing to a single person, wouldn’t it be worth it? Is it worth the fear of being known?

The 97%
If you’ve ever been in a literary circle such as Bookstagram, or Book-Tok, you may have heard the haunting tale of the 97%. Approximately 97% of people who begin writing a book will never finish it. How terrifying is that? For every C.S. Lewis book that sits on a shelf, there are hundreds of manuscripts that sit on a shelf or in a folder, collecting dust. Why does this happen? Were those stories not ‘good enough’ to be read?

More often, the answer is fear. Fear of failure. Fear of not being good enough. Or, sometimes, a fear of being known. Putting yourself — your own thoughts — down on paper is an act of vulnerability. Putting your heart out there to be examined by everyone who cares to read. For Christian writers, there’s added fear. What if the story isn’t ‘Christian enough’ to be honoring of God? What if it’s ‘too Christian’ to appeal to a secular audience?

I’m going to go against contrary belief for a second a say that I don’t think every story deserves to be heard. There’s a reason authors write many manuscripts that don’t get published before finally writing that one that does. And many stories that exist today I believe cause more harm than good, glorifying or pointing towards the dark without any mention of the light. Despite this, I passionately believe that everyone has a story that should be told. The Enemy keeps you afraid so you won’t write the one story he knows will point to God. The one God has been waiting, encouraging, willing you to write. Our goal at The Sharpened Quill is to help you get over that fear so you can write “Words that honor the Word.”
The Myth of Meaningless Noise
To understand the importance of what we do, let’s look at how the world views art.

In 1952, the composer John Cage produced a musical piece titled 4’33”. For four minutes and thirty-three seconds, the performer sat in silence. No notes were played. The ‘music’ was the ambient noise created by the audience, or by the environment itself. Cage’s philosophy was that art produced by humans has no more meaning than the coincidental sounds of everyday life. He believed meaning to be something people just ‘assign’ with no objective reality to it.

As followers of Christ, we know this is false.

In the beginning was the Word. Meaning was woven into the very fabric in the universe. When we create, the words we make aren’t meaningless. We were created in His image. We can never imagine being like God, but we can understand that as His creations have meaning, so do ours.

That’s why our name has dual significance:
1. The sword: The tongue can do damage. We reject the idea that “words will never hurt me”. They can leave scars, and must be handled with precision and care.
2. The iron: We believe in the Biblical principle “iron sharpens iron”. We are not meant to exist in a vacuum. We need a community of believers to sharpen our hearts.

Every reader has a story that changed them. For some, it was one of the ‘greats’. C.S. Lewis, with his ability to turn the Gospel into fantasy without losing any of the reailty. J.R.R. Tolkein, with his mastery of linguistics and mythology.

What if you could be that author for someone else? Does it feel impossible?

My name is Petra, and my writing journey began when I was in kindergarten. By eleven, I had written my first ‘novel’. By thirteen, I was studying the theory and craft of storytelling — character arcs, pacing, and story structures.

Like many of you, I’ve had to balance my writing with life outside of it. School, work, church, and friendships all co-occurring. Now, I’m editing my full-length paranormal fantasy. I know the struggle. I know the confusion. I know what it’s like when there’s not enough ‘you’ to get everything done.

Recently, I felt the Holy Spirit guiding me towards something bigger than myself. Something more important than just publishing that one project, or even all of the projects I want to write. God’s been telling me not to focus just on my own story, but on helping others get their stories out there, too.

Writing can feel like a lonely career, but it shouldn’t be a solitary one. The hardest part isn’t always getting words onto a page (though that has its own struggles). It’s finding time and resources to refine those words. It’s bringing that story from a manuscript to a published book that you can see; that you can hold. It’s telling others about this story you’ve created, spreading the word so more and more people can read those words. It’s balancing friends, family, faith, and finances, all while this story in your head is trying to get out into the world.

This is where The Sharpened Quill comes in.

A Writer’s Sanctuary
We aren’t just a business, set on selling you something and never seeing you again. We’re editors; artists; strategists. We believe your calling is worth investing in. Our goal is to be the iron. You can be the quill. We do this in three specific ways:
1. Artwork. In a visual world, your story needs a face. Whether it’s character commissions or a scene that captures your writing, we offer art that accurately portrays your stories. Our packages are designed to be adaptable. Beautiful art shouldn’t be reserved for those with a massive budget.
2. Editing. Every writer needs a reader. Our editing services don’t just focus on grammar, but on helping you find your voice. Your story remains your own, with a clear message and quality pacing so your story can come across clearly to all who read.
3. Digital marketing. The marketing side of writing can feel intimidating. Especially when it can feel like you’re competing with worldly writers or readers who only want elements that don’t align with what God has given you to write. We’ll help you turn your social media into a digital mission field. If you’re overwhelmed by planning content, creating posts, and writing captions, we offer everything from temporary management during your busy seasons to full-time, multi-platform management. We handle the noise, you focus on your words.

Where to Start?
We don’t just need more voices. There’s plenty of noise out there already. We need stories that guide to truth. Whether you write contemporary, romance, high fantasy, science fiction, or any other genre, you have a story that matters, because you know a God that matters. If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to get over the fear and embrace your gift, this is it. Don’t be part of the 97% who never get their story told.
Here’s how you can start:
– Sign up for the newsletter. It’s free, and we’ll send out monthly templates, tips, and encouragement.
– Follow us on Instagram. We do frequent sales and discounts so our resources can be accessible to all writers, regardless of budget.
– Reach out. If you have a manuscript that needs ‘sharpening’, fill out our ‘request services’ form and we’d love to help!

Let’s work together to create words that honor the Word. After all, someone might be out there looking for a story only you can write.