The Writer's Porch--Shortbread--How To Write a Great Devotion Part 6

Shortbread: How to Write Great Devotionals, Part 6—The Extras

Today is the final day for our Shortbread: How to Write Great Devotionals. We have covered the primary sections of a devotional writing and what editors are looking for in a devotion. There is one last section that I want to touch on and that is the little extras that a publisher may want included.

In the Proverbs 31 Ministries "Encouragement for Today" devotions we add several additional sections. We request the author add the following:

Application Steps: This is a short concrete action that the reader would be able to accomplish in a short period of time. For example, read a Scripture, write a prayer, memorize a verse, etc.

Reflections: These are questions that the reader would ask themselves. Do I worry? Why do I allow anger to influence my relationships? Etc.

Additional Resources: Books, blogs, etc. that we feel tie into the day’s devotional.

Power Verses: We have 3-5 additional Scriptures for the reader to read that relate back to the main point of the devo.

These additional sections enhance the devotion and add a touch of variety from other devotionals.

One time I was writing devotionals for Standard Publications and they requested that I give three titles to hymns that would refer back to the point of the devo. YIKES! My church hasn’t had a hymnal in twenty years. However, I eventually found a hymnal and was able to search through it for the required songs. Then the editor needed the composers’ names and copyright information. This was not an optional part of the assignment. If I wanted the five devos to be published and wanted to receive payment, I needed to include this information in my submissions.

In my devotional book, Divine Prayers for Despairing Parents: What to Pray When You Don’t Know What to Say, I selected Scripture, wrote the devotional and then used the same Scripture for the parents to be able to pray by inserting their child’s name in a blank. Tomorrow, I will post one of the devotions for you to be able to see how that looks.

Okey dokey, that’s it for this series on The Writer’s Porch. Send me some suggestions on what you would like to see on upcoming posts of The Writer's Porch.

Keep Writing,