Tag: Christian Living

Categories
Devotional/Christian Living

More than Motivational: 3 Ways to Make Your Writing a Ministry

Christian Living and Devotional writing falls under the umbrella of non-fiction writing. In general, non-fiction writing informs and motivates readers to change something about their lives. Although Christian Living and Devotional writing informs and motivates, it also ministers to the reader’s soul.

To minister means to serve or to give aid to someone. In other words, to help someone out. Christian writers know that the only lasting help for our readers is to point them to Jesus. Our writing is a tool that the Holy Spirit can use to change the lives of our readers.

How can we be sure that our writing is a ministry and not just motivational? Here are three ways:

1. Stay in God’s word. If you are continually reading God’s word, the words that you write will be naturally saturated with Scripture. If you are writing out a devotional idea and then looking for a Scripture to support your idea, you are working backwards. The most effective Christian Living and devotional writing flows out of your Scripture reading and study. Make daily Bible reading a habit. Read the whole Bible, not just your favorite parts or the parts that are already familiar to you.

2. Pray for your readers. Prayer is the acknowledgement that it is the Holy Spirit who is at work in your readers, not just your words. Vicar Peter Adam was interviewed about how not to be boring on Nancy Guthrie’s podcast Help Me Teach the Bible. Peter Adam said that in his preparation time for speaking somewhere he spends half his time studying and the other half of the time praying for those who will hear the message. I think we can do the same thing with our writing. Take some of your writing time to pray for your readers that the Holy Spirit would change their lives to make them become more like Christ and that He would meet their needs. This is different than praying for yourself as a writer. Pray for your readers that their spiritual needs would be met however the Holy Spirit sees fit to do that.

3. Connect with the larger body of Christ. Most of our studying and writing takes place alone in our homes away from others. It is very easy in this situation to stray from an orthodox understanding of God’s word. We also can face writer’s block as a devotional or Christian Living author, not sure what to say about a particular passage. To make sure we are accurately handling God’s word, stay connected to the larger body of Christ. Attend church regularly. Ask your pastor or church leaders about a Bible passage when you get stuck. You may even want your pastor and elders to approve your writing and check it for doctrinal accuracy. I have heard that some Christian songwriters like Michael Card do this with their song lyrics.  

make your writing a ministry

The best Christian Living and Devotional writing acknowledges that Jesus is the One that changes the reader’s life. When we stay in Scripture, pray for our readers, and connect with the larger body of Christ, our writing can be a ministry and not just motivational.

Rachel Schmoyer is a pastor’s wife who is loving her church life. She writes about the hard parts of Scripture at readthehardparts.com. She has had devotionals published in the past, but now she is looking forward to getting her first Christian Living book published. You can connect with Rachel on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Categories
Devotional/Christian Living

5 SMART Goals for Christian Living and Devotional Writers

I started out 2019 with one goal: to get a Christian Living or devotional book contract. That didn’t happen. A lot of other wonderful things happened like a lot of speaking engagements and getting meaningful reader feedback from strangers and growing my email list from 240 people to 890 people. But because I did not meet my one goal I felt defeated and discouraged. I started to see myself as a failure as a writer.

Then I remembered a blog post I had written for a copywriting client about SMART goals. I realized that I was not a failure as a Christian living or devotional writer, but the goal I had set was not a SMART goal.

A SMART goal is a goal that is:

Specific

The goal needs to be specific enough that you know when it is complete. To “get better” at something or “do well” at something is not specific enough. My “get a book contract” goal was actually not specific enough. There are so many small steps between the thought of a book and getting a contract. I should have broken up this larger goal into smaller, specific pieces.

Measureable

You need numbers attached to your SMART goals such as submitting three book proposals or sending out one query letter a month.  These numbers also need to be entirely in your control. “Getting one book contract” is not totally in my control. There are agents and editors and publishers that factor into that goal. Instead, I should have focused my goal on submissions and manuscripts and book outlines and drafts as opposed to the book contract itself.

Attainable

Your goals need to be realistic. “Publish ten books this year” is not realistic for most writers. At the same time, the goals need to be challenging enough to spur you on. If you already write two blog posts a month, don’t make that the goal. It’s not challenging.

Relevant

Make sure your goals will actually lead to your overall life goals as a writer. For me at this point, I need to concentrate on submitting articles for websites and publications with larger audiences. In the past, I have guest blogged for smaller blogs which I appreciated doing, but I need to focus on articles now in order to achieve my overall goal of growing my platform and getting my book published.  

Time-bound

If there is no due date for the goal, it’s not happening.

With the SMART goal parameters in mind, and lots of prayer, here are my five realistic goals to start out the New Year:

1. Create and share Pinnable images for all my old blog posts. This goal is important to me because other than Google, Pinterest is my biggest traffic source for my blog, Read the Hard Parts. Pinterest is also where I am getting most of my 50-100 new email subscribers. Along with this goal, I also want to schedule ten pins a day on Tailwind, manually pin once a day, and create one Read the Hard Parts freebie per quarter. These goals should help me reach my overall Pinterest goal of one million Pinterest views per month. At this moment I have 232k views per month. But one million views cannot be my SMART goal because Pinterest could change their algorithm at any time and that is out of my control. But these other goals about sharing and Pinterest images are in my control and will over time contribute to my overall goal.

2. Submit one article a month to a large website or publication. First I need to gather a list of places to pitch my articles, places like The Gospel Coalition, Desiring God, For the Church, incourage.me, and Leading Hearts Magazine. Notice my goal is to submit an article and not get it published. That is in the Lord’s hands.

3. Create a blog post once a month. For the last two years I have been blogging about once a week. Now I have almost one hundred posts on my site. So that I have time to submit articles, focus on Pinterest, and try to write a book, I need to cut back here.

4. Self-publish a short Bible study book by the end of January. Although my goal is traditional publishing, I’m getting back logged with ideas for books that have not found a match in traditional publishing. I wasn’t sure what to do about this until I heard novelist Shawn Smucker speak on a panel at Lancaster Christian Writers. He self-published until he was noticed by a traditional publisher. He said, “Sometimes self-publishing is the right move so that you are not stuck and you can keep moving.” That is exactly what I needed to hear. I was stuck with my half-finished ideas and at this point self-publishing a Bible study book will keep me moving. This goal comes with a myriad of smaller steps and goals like a rough draft by December 1, finish self-edits by December 15th, and then meeting with an author friend in January to learn how to format the book properly with a well-designed cover.

5. Send in my next book proposal to my agent by January 15. A new book idea has been unfolding and it has been a pleasure to see it blossoming. I want to have a deadline for this book proposal so I will get it done!

Will I get traditionally published in 2020? I don’t know. That is not in my control, ultimately. But these five SMART goals can help me get there, Lord willing.

What are your SMART goals for the New Year? Let me know in the comments!

Rachel Schmoyer is a pastor’s wife who is loving her church life. She writes about the hard parts of Scripture at readthehardparts.com. She has had devotionals published in the past, but now she is looking forward to getting her first Christian Living book published. You can connect with Rachel on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Categories
Copywrite/Advertising Devotional/Christian Living

Step Out in Front of the Crowd: How to Add Speaking to Your Writing Life

As a devotional or Christian living writer you have a burden to share the message God has laid on your heart. Your blog, books, and articles can help you reach your audience. So can speaking.

My Read the Hard Parts blog started because I want to encourage women to dig into the hard parts of Scripture, the ones we usually skip like Revelation or Ezekiel. Although I have taught children at our church for my whole adult life I never thought about speaking to adults until I had to give an announcement about social media to two hundred men at our denomination’s pastors conference. After this short announcement I got a lot of feedback about how well spoken I was. I was surprised! Then on the drive home I felt the Holy Spirit say to me “it is time to speak.”

Shortly after that experience, I learned what I could about how a writer can find opportunities to speak. And now I have spoken to almost a dozen ladies groups.

Here are some tips that worked for me for starting out as a speaker:

Develop a couple of topics

Have about three talk topics that are related to your writing. Since I write about the hard parts of Scripture, I started out with a talk on Revelation, one on Proverbs, and then one on how to read and understand the hard parts. I came up with a talk title and a short paragraph of explanation for each topic. I did not develop all the details of the content of my talks until I had a group request that topic in particular. I also decided that I would be willing to create a new talk that would fit the needs of any group that requested one on a particular topic. If I develop a new talk for a group then I can offer that talk to others.

Start Local

Next I created a flyer with my contact information and the topics of my talks. I visited local churches in the area and the libraries. I was nervous every time I did one of these cold calls, but I prayed each time that God would guide me and direct me where He wanted me to go. I also contacted churches in my denomination and let them know I would be available to speak at any event they may be having. I also asked to teach in my own local church and we created a women’s Sunday School class so we could study Revelation together.

Online Presence

In addition to handing out my flyer, I also added a speaking tab to my website with the talk descriptions. I would also highly recommend creating a free profile on womenspeakers.com. There is a location based search on this site so this is especially a good way for nearby churches and Christian groups to find a speaker who they don’t need to fly in from out of state.

Use Video

When I started to get some requests for more information about my speaking, I was often asked for a video clip of my speaking. At first I didn’t have any, so I improvised by sharing my Instagram TV videos and Facebook live videos and even some audio of myself as a guest on a friend’s podcast. Once I got a speaking engagement lined up, I invited a friend along to take pictures and videos to use as examples for future requests. You don’t need to video the whole presentation. Just a clip will do. The organizers just need to know that you are confident as a speaker and pleasant to listen to.

Build Some Excitement

Once you have a speaking engagement lined up, post pictures of your preparation. Share pictures on social media of your travels to the engagement.  Share pictures from your actual engagement. Hopefully some others in the crowd will share, too. All these social media postings will help build excitement around your speaking and will pique other’s interest as well. Take along some freebies and a sign-up sheet for your email list so that those who hear you speak can have opportunity to connect with your writing, too.

Writing life can be isolating. Speaking gives me the opportunity to connect with my audience in person. At my speaking engagements I listen to the questions the ladies have about the hard parts of Scripture so I can address them in my future writing and speaking. Plus I love the “a-ha” look on their faces when they understand a part of Scripture in a new way. Speaking reminds me why I am writing to begin with—to help women find simple truths in hard parts of Scripture.

Rachel Schmoyer is a pastor’s wife who is loving her church life. She writes about the hard parts of Scripture at readthehardparts.com. She has had devotionals published in the past, but now she is looking forward to getting her first Christian Living book published. You can connect with Rachel on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Categories
Devotional/Christian Living

How to Write Christmas Devotionals All Year Long

I don’t normally get into the Christmas spirit until after Thanksgiving, but as a Christian Living or Devotional author, if you want to publish a book or article with a Christmas theme, you need to write about it long before December 25.

When Victoria Duerstock began writing her Christmas devotional book, Heart & Home for Christmas: Celebrating Joy in Your Living Space, it was the fall so she brought out the Christmas music, peppermint, and hot chocolate a little early that year. Writing through Christmas time was inspiring, but it was harder to stay in the Christmas spirit during the post-Christmas-time editing and rewriting.

Author and blogger Jean Wise from Healthy Spirituality got the ideas for her Christmas devotional, Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room, during the Advent season. Then when Advent was finished, the writing work began.

“I know having first collected my thoughts during the season did help,” said Jean Wise. After Christmas, she continued to listen to Christmas music and lit an evergreen scented candle to help her stay in the Advent mindset. 

Kristin Dobrowolski, author and illustrator of Jesus’ Unexpected Family Tree: Anticipating Jesus’ Birthday, had a different take on writing about Christmas. After looking for a simpler version of the Jesse Tree countdown to Christmas, she couldn’t find what she was looking for so she decided to create something herself. A year later she tested her ideas on her own family. Then she and her co-author tweaked and rewrote and designed a test version which she sent to 100 people so they could test it and try it. From that feedback, they redesigned and edited and then released the official book on Amazon last Christmas.

When I asked her how she stayed in a Christmas mood constantly for many years, she said something surprising:

“When you spend years thinking about something, it changes your perspective. It wasn’t about Christmas after a while, it was about the timeline of God’s story and all the people pointing to the arrival of His Son. Those stories of Jesus’ family are something we hear all throughout the year, so thinking about Him was natural. And Christmas is really just the birthday party.”

Blogger Jennifer Love capitalizes on the focus of Jesus’ birthday party by working on her Christmas themed posts between October and December each year. Having these fresh articles ready on her blog, Intentional Traditions, brings a lot of readers at the exact right time they are preparing for Christmas for their own homes.

Keeping Christmas themed devotional writing fresh can be a challenge. When I was preparing to write a short Christmas devotional, I wanted to look at a part of the Bible that is not talked about often. I wanted to challenge Christians to Read the Hard Parts of Scripture since that is the focus of my writing and speaking ministry. Through prayer and Bible study, I discovered that the Bible book of Malachi has a lot of themes that applied to Christmas time. At the end of November, I set aside a large chunk of time to write The Finishing Touches: Preparing for Christmas with the Book of Malachi.  I shared it with my email list during Advent, then published it as a Kindle book after Christmas so it was ready to share with readers the following Christmas.

Have you written any Christmas themed devotionals or Christian Living books or articles? How did you keep in the Christmas spirit while you were writing? Comment below!

Rachel Schmoyer is a pastor’s wife who is loving her church life. She writes about the hard parts of Scripture at readthehardparts.com. She has had devotionals published in the past, but now she is looking forward to getting her first Christian Living book published. You can connect with Rachel on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Categories
Devotional/Christian Living

9 Hot Topics to Write About in 2019 for Christian Living and Devotional Writers

The first book proposal I wanted to send out to publishers was on the book of Revelation. My agent warned me that no one would be interested in a book about Revelation in today’s market, but she tried for me anyway. She was right. No one is interested in Revelation at the moment. I may self-publish my book at some point, but since my desire is to be traditionally published, I needed to find out what publishers are looking for right now.

In other words, what are the hot topics to write about in 2019 for Christian Living and devotional writers?

I asked around and searched the best sellers and new releases list and came up with these 9 topics:

Hospitality

This is not a Martha Stewart manual on how to have your house ready for guests. Hospitality is an everyday, ordinary life thing.  Recent books about hospitality encourage readers to invite others in even though their home or life isn’t perfect. Last year, Rosaria Butterfield’s book The Gospel Comes with a House Key was published by Crossway Books.

Digital Discipleship/Being a Christian on Social Media

Other topics on this list have been written about for generations. Social media and digital life is still relatively new in Christiandom, so there is a need for books on the topic. Just a few weeks ago, Chris Stedman signed with Fortress Press the rights to his book IRL: Searching for Meaning, Belonging, and Realness in Our Digital Lives.

Church

Church attendance is dropping all across America. I don’t say this to alarm you, because we know that God is building His kingdom and He will prevail, but lots of people are thinking about church and what it is supposed to be and how we relate to it since we do not live in a country where church attendance is a given. There are many upcoming books on the topic of church including Traci Rhoades’ book Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost which will be published next year.

Gender and Sexuality Issues

This is a hot topic, but if you are going to write here, just with any topic, make sure that you don’t just have an ax to grind, but that you have some personal investment or reason why your point of view, experience, or expertise adds to the conversation. Dr. Juli Slattery recently wrote Rethinking Sexulaity: God’s Design and Why It Matters. You don’t need a psychology degree to write on the topic of sexuality. Sheila Gregorie started her blog To Love, Honor, and Vaccuum to write about marriage and ended up honing in on sexual issues in marriage. Along with her blogging and speaking, she has written several books about sex in marriage and is still writing more.

Decision Making

The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions by Emily P. Freeman was released this year following over a year’s worth of her Next Right Thing podcast episodes. If you haven’t read this book yet, you are missing out. Emily’s thoughtful writing style is part informative and part reflective. It’s just the right balance to get me thinking about my decisions and how I make them. I also noticed that instead of 12-14 chapters of 3,500-4,000 words, her book contained 24 shorter chapters. As a reader, I loved this format and it’s getting me thinking about the format of some of my future book ideas. 

Family and Parenting

This is a perennial topic and there are lots of books on the market on this topic. Make your unique voice and point of view clear so you can stand out. Risen Motherhood by Emily Jensen and Laura Wifler releases soon. They host the popular Risen Motherhood podcast so they have already proven woman want to hear what they have to say.

Slowing Down/Waiting

This topic has been around for awhile, but is not exhausted. Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist was written in 2016, but remains a popular favorite book with over one thousand reviews on Amazon. Just You Wait by Tricia Lott Williford was recently released by NavPress. It’s a book about the discipline of waiting. Also, fellow blogger Patty Scott released a devotional this year called Slow Down, Mama: Thirty-One Days to Help You Slow and Savor.

Homemaking

We don’t hear the term homemaker very often. It’s old fashioned. But the truth is that women still spend time and energy creating, planning, and caring for their home and it’s still something they want to read about. The trick is finding something new to write about in this space. Several authors have done just that. Christie Purifoy wrote the Christian Living book Placemaker: Cultivating Places of Comfort, Beauty, and Peace. Placemaker is about her reflections about her process of restoring her historic home. Victoria Duerstock wrote Heart & Home: Design Basics for Your Soul and Living Space which marries truths from the Bible and design tips into a beautiful devotional.

Millennials

Everyone’s favorite generation to pick on has now had years of experience as full-fledged adults. Now they are writing about their faith experience and their views on Christian culture. Here is a recent  list of books about millennials and their faith. 

Hopefully this list sparked an idea in your soul about what to write for publication. But most of all, whatever idea you receive and however you receive it, I encourage you to pray first before writing. God the Father has created you with your unique experience and voice with a message to share to encourage and challenge others. If He has put it on your heart to write, seek Him first for guidance and direction.

Have you noticed any other current trends in Christian Living or Devotional publishing? Comment below!

Rachel Schmoyer is a pastor’s wife who is loving her church life. She writes about the hard parts of Scripture at readthehardparts.com. She has had devotionals published in the past, but now she is looking forward to getting her first Christian Living book published. You can connect with Rachel on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Categories
Devotional/Christian Living

Writing Wisdom from Christian Living and Devotional Author Sarah Geringer

I recently interviewed Christian Living and devotional author Sarah Geringer. I hope you gain as much writing wisdom from her as I have!

How did you get started as a devotional or Christian Living writer?

I began blogging in 2010 with reflections on my One Year Bible readings. My blogging stopped and started for several years. In 2015, I began blogging daily for Lent, and resumed a regular rhythm of writing posts for spiritual growth. I now write weekly exclusive devotions for my email subscribers in addition to blog posts. I also regularly guest post at A Wife Like Me, Devotable, and Woman 2 Woman Ministries. Every quarter, my devotions are published in Hope-Full Living, a devotional for seniors.

Do you research for your writing? What are some of your favorite resources?

I use my personal library of over 10 Bibles and hundreds of Christian non-fiction books. I also rely on biblegateway.com to research different translations when I’m pressed for time. Mostly, my inspiration comes from my quiet times alone with God in prayer and Scripture reading.

How did you get connected with your agent or editor?

Years ago, the (in)courage website had Facebook discussion groups. Michelle S. Lazurek was my group leader. At the She Speaks Conference in July 2017, Michelle walked up and introduced herself to me. We were both at the conference to pitch our book ideas. That fall, I saw on Facebook that Michelle signed as an agent. In January 2018, someone posted in the She Speaks 2017 Facebook group, asking if anyone had heard back from their publisher meetings. I posted that I was in contact with an agent who had not given a final answer. Michelle read my post and private messaged me, asking to look at my book proposal. I signed with her in March 2018, and she got me my first book contract in May 2018. God used Facebook and She Speaks to connect us. If you want to connect with an agent, I recommend attending a writers’ conference. It is an excellent way to connect with people in the industry. Read more about my experience at the She Speaks Conference here.

What do you do to stay connected with your readers?

My email subscriber list is my top priority. I try to offer them exclusive, high quality content every week to help them in their Christian faith. Pinterest is the biggest driver of traffic to my blog, and I spend several hours per week managing my feed there. I also provide content almost every day on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads and LinkedIn to reach various members of my tribe. I spend about 20 hours per week managing my social media accounts. It’s a large time commitment, but I truly enjoy engaging with my readers on each of these platforms. However, I normally take Sundays off because a Sabbath rest refreshes and recharges me.

How do you make writing a priority in the midst of your busy life?

Recently I shared a post on Instagram, telling how I apply Dave Ramsey’s financial advice to my writing life. He tells his followers to “pay yourself first,” because no one else will do it for you. Years ago, I realized that my writing wouldn’t happen unless I made it a high priority. I decided to pay myself first in writing, even though many other responsibilities called my name as a wife and mother. In 2015 I began getting up at 4:00 a.m. to write for a couple hours before going to my day job. This habit resulted in hundreds of blog posts, three self-published books, and a traditionally published book releasing in Oct. 2019. Even before I started that habit, I wrote in the afternoons while my children were napping. If you want to write for a living, you must make a daily no-break appointment with yourself. As you keep planting seeds, you will reap a harvest in due time. You may be interested in my course, Best Tips for Christian Writers. In it, I explain how I started out as a blogger, self-published three books, and work to build my platform as a traditionally published author.

Sarah Geringer is an author, freelance writer, blogger and artist. Her book Transforming Your Thought Life: Christian Meditation in Focus will be released by Leafwood Publishers in October 2019. Sarah also volunteers as a proofreader for Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Encouragement for Today devotions. Her books include Newness of Life: Trusting God in Times of Transition, The Fruitful Life: A Unique Look at the Fruits of the Spirit, and Christmas Peace for Busy Moms: 25 Days of Quick Devotions to Calm Your Stress. She lives in southeast Missouri with her husband and three children. You can follow Sarah as she writes about Finding Peace in God’s Word at sarahgeringer.com.

Rachel Schmoyer is a pastor’s wife who is loving her church life. She writes about the hard parts of Scripture at readthehardparts.com. She has had devotionals published in the past, but now she is looking forward to getting her first Christian Living book published. You can connect with Rachel on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Categories
Devotional/Christian Living

Rachel Hollis and the Dangers of Writing Christian Living Books

In 2018, Rachel Hollis, motivational speaker, popular podcast host, and entrepreneur, released her bestselling book, Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies about Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be. The book was (and still is) wildly popular and widely scrutinized by the Christian media such as The Gospel Coalition, Tim Challies, and Sheologians.

Just last week, in March of 2019, Rachel Hollis released a new book, Girl, Stop Apologizing: A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals, and a whole new round of criticism has begun.

Although her books are labeled as the Christian Living genre, the content is apparently far removed from a Christian worldview.

She allegedly encourages the reader to depend on herself and her own strength rather than the Lord and His strength. In addition, there seems to be an expectation that life is to be happy and fulfilling according to a woman’s own definition of happiness. What’s missing in her books is that Christ told us to expect suffering (John 16:33) and to live serving others rather than ourselves (Galatians 5:13).

Since I have not read Rachel Hollis’ books, I am not comfortable weighing in on whether or not her books belong in the Christian Living genre or not.

But what I am sure of is that Christian Living and devotional writers have a huge responsibility to portray the Christian worldview accurately. If you decide to write in these genres, your work will be under scrutiny.

Although I am still working towards publishing my first book, I have faced some small-scale scrutiny from readers of my Read the Hard Parts of Scripture blog. One man did not like when I wrote that God doesn’t condone polygamy. Others did not like when I pointed out that your favorite Bible verse may be taken out of context.

It is an enormous responsibility to both meet your reader’s needs and accurately portray God’s truth. Neither can be compromised or left out of your writing process.

 If you write about God’s truth, but do nothing to address how His truth meets reader’s needs, no one will read your writing. If you write to fulfill your reader’s needs, but don’t offer God’s truth, are you really meeting their needs?

What can steps can you take in your writing process to be sure you are accurately presenting the Christian worldview and meeting your readers’ needs?

Pray before you write. Ask the Lord to guide your writing and help your heart to listen to the Holy Spirit’s leading. This is a daily occurrence. Also, prayer in God’s presence is the cure for writer’s block.

Use Scripture wisely. If you are adding Scripture to your writing, study the passage carefully so you are handling God’s word accurately. Don’t just randomly pull out a verse. Look at the context.

Read the Bible on your own. Starting your day in God’s word refreshes your mindset so that you are thinking from God’s point of view in whatever comes up in your life that day—including your writing.

Listen to your readers. Ask them questions about what they are struggling with. This is where social media is key. You have instant access to your readers. Find out what problems they have. Listen to their answers with compassion and tenderness. Talk to your readers whom you meet in person as well.

Use everyday examples to explain God’s truth. I’ve noticed that some Christian writers, preachers, and bloggers, as they become more popular with a wider audience, tend to lose this ability. Use examples from nature or from family and friend relationships. What everyday life things do you do that your readers do, too? Elisabeth Elliot was the most amazing writer and speaker. One of my favorite programs of hers is when she talked about her typical day including her ironing, cooking supper for her husband, and taking a daily walk to the post office. I do not have an audience of millions, so I cannot relate to her on that level, but I can feel connected to her because we do the same everyday chores.

Let a mature Christian friend or church leader check your writing to be sure it portrays Christ accurately. You may think you are explaining things clearly, but how is it perceived by fresh eyes? You could also take the extra step to be sure your editor is a Christian. While she is editing for content and grammar, she can also watch your theology.

Stay humble. There is a difference between confidence in Christ and what He has called you to do and a desire to boost yourself for the accolades found in this world only. The picture of a servant is what helps me with this goal. Christ came to serve. I am His follower and serving is my goal– serving others and serving Christ. When Christ is lifted higher, then everything else in this world is exactly where it needs to be.

What steps do you take in your writing process to be sure you are both meeting the reader’s needs and accurately portraying Christianity? I’d love to hear your comments!

Rachel Schmoyer is a pastor’s wife who is loving her church life. She writes about the hard parts of Scripture at readthehardparts.com. She has had devotionals published in the past, but now she is looking forward to getting her first Christian Living book published. You can connect with Rachel on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Categories
Devotional/Christian Living

What’s the Difference between Devotional and Christian Living Book Genres?

In the quiet of the morning, I open up my Bible. I clip my booklight onto the front cover so I can see the pages in the darkness. After a short prayer, my mind is ready to read God’s Word. Some days I simply read, preparing my heart for the day ahead. But other days I read something I never noticed before. My eyes wide open, I grab my notebook, jot down my observation, and jump up from my bed with the burning desire to write about what I’ve discovered. What is the best way to share my new-found treasure?

I could blog about my observations or create an article or a standalone devotional to submit, but sometimes my ideas and observations snowball into a book idea.

I have several big ideas from Scripture that I want to write in book form. For each of these ideas, I need to decide what genre the book will be: devotional or Christian living.

What are the major differences between the devotional and Christian Living book genre?

Length.

Chapters in a devotional book are much shorter than the chapters of a Christian Living book. In fact, in a devotional book, each section or entry is not often called a chapter. Each portion of the book usually corresponds to the day, so the devotional is divided up into days rather than chapters. Victoria Duerstock, author of the devotional Heart & Home: Design Basics for Your Soul and Living Space, says the word count in her devotional book is no more than 300 words per day. That word count includes the Bible verse, the story/application, the prayer, and the design tip. Since this is a 90 day devotional, Victoria’s total word count for her devotional book was about 27,000.

In comparison, the word count of Christian Living books is similar to other Christian non-fiction trade books with a total word count of 45,000-55,000 or more. Michelle Lazurek, author of An Invitation to the Table: Embracing the Gift of Hospitality and Righteous and Lost: Finding Hope for the Pharisee Within shoots for 3,500-4,000 words per chapter in her Christian Living books.

For all of you who are now saying, it’s easier to write a devotional because it is shorter, not so fast! Shorter is not always easier. Devotional writing is tight. It takes a long time to choose the perfect words since there isn’t wiggle room for further explanation.

But the longer word count doesn’t make Christian Living easy either. Readers expect an in-depth exploration of the topic you cover in your book meaning you will be spending time researching and studying. You will use quotes from experts on your topic in order to connect your book with the existing conversation. It takes time and thought to select the quotes and use them naturally in your writing.

Depth of focus.

Even if the devotional book as a whole is focused on a particular topic, each devotional entry in the book centers on a Bible passage, usually just one or two Bible verses. Each devotional is narrowly focused on the Bible truth of that particular verse. In contrast, the chapters of a Christian Living book may start with a verse or Bible passage, or more often, a Bible topic, but the Bible portion is a springboard for exploration.

It’s like going off the diving board into the deep end. One person dives in with a small splash and beelines for the stairs to exit the pool and go on to next thing, refreshed from the dip in the water. Another person cannonballs in, treads around, and floats from one side of the pool to the next before slowly returning to the ladder.

A devotional zeros in. Christian Living broadens and explores.

Do you have experience writing either devotionals or Christian Living books? What else have you noticed as the difference between the two genres? Comment below!

Rachel Schmoyer is a pastor’s wife who is loving her church life. She writes about the hard parts of Scripture at readthehardparts.com. She has had devotionals published in the past, but now she is looking forward to getting her first Christian Living book published. You can connect with Rachel on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.