 Your Guide to a Successful Writing Career
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by Tatiana Claudy
Regardless of its simple form, a devotion is difficult to compose. The main reason is that you have to convey in 250 words or less these necessary elements: a spiritual lesson, its application to your life, a recommended reading from the Bible, a key scripture, and a prayer. Learning about specifics of meditations will increase your chances for publication.
Meditations can be divided into four groups:
Decide what kinds of meditations fit you best. Maybe those that you enjoy reading?
Choose one idea for each meditation (think a flower, not a bouquet) and give one concrete image. Try to invoke your readers' senses. For instance, write about the smell of fresh baked bread and the sound of a church bell, the softness of a rose petal or the taste of a roasted marshmallow. During her devotional writing workshop, Mary Lou Redding, a managing editor of The Upper Room devotional magazine, mentioned reading a devotion about a door knob. The image was so strong that she remembered the meditation every time she opened a door. Be honest and write from your deepest self. "...unzip your soul and expose your foibles," advises Patricia Lorenz, author of several devotional books. Don't be afraid to present yourself in an unfavorable light, because readers can profit from your negative experiences as well as your positive ones. Your meditation should have a three-part structure: a beginning, a middle (the story itself), and the end. Give a satisfying conclusion. Share with readers what you learned from your mistakes, frustrations, or hardships.
Meditations are not testimonies, tributes to people, sermons, Bible teachings, journal entries, pieces of fine literature, autobiographical or biographical sketches. Avoid trivial story ideas with an obvious application (e.g., a rainbow as a sign from God) unless your manuscript has a unique angle or a twist. When analyzing my fifteen rejected pieces, I understood: Most of them lacked deepness and originality. Don't explain your point to readers; let them discover it by themselves. Don't pretend to be a "Super Christian" with answers to all questions and solutions to all problems. Also, "If you're out only to make a buck or impress your fancy friends, forget it," warns Dan Wakefield, an award-winning journalist.
Devotions usually have key verses. Bear in mind: Editors prefer less known ones. Read about 10-15 verses before and after your chosen passage. Always identify the translation of the Bible that you used. Be careful if you base your meditation on a particular word, because some Bible translations may omit it or use a different one. Don't take a scripture out of context. Contradiction with the Bible will destroy the spiritual value of your manuscript and damage your credibility as a writer.
Don't preach. Avoid words combinations like "you should" and "you need," "you have to" and "you must." Don't use Christian jargon and religious "buzzwords" (e.g., propitiation or sanctification). Write in the same way that you would talk with friends over a cup of coffee. On the other hand, don't use colloquial language. When writing on a sacred subject, your proper attitude should be reverence. Apply to your meditations the secret of good writing and "strip every sentence to its cleanest components" (William Zinsser).
The primary goal of devotions is to bring people closer to God, not to scare them away. Be sensitive. Don't hurt the feelings of your readers, but identify with them. Be careful writing for publications with an international readership. Ask yourself: Does my story idea have global appeal? For instance, the editor of The Upper Room rejected my submission that was based on an episode from a Disney cartoon. Since her publication is distributed in about 100 countries, many readers might be unfamiliar with Disney's production. Conversely, she published my manuscript about a Chinese bamboo plant, which is known around the world. Remember: Your meditation should cause readers to think and apply your message into their daily lives. It should be a good story with a "takeaway." As Louise DuMont, an author of three devotional books, notes, "every publication wants a devotional that speaks to the heart of human beings."
This article may not be reprinted without the author's written permission. Tatiana Claudy is a Christian freelance writer from Pleasant Lake, IN. Her devotions were published in The Secret Place and The Upper Room magazines, and Christian Families Online e-publication. She has written the introduction for the devotional book, Daily Strength for Daily Needs, by Mary Tileston. |
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