Why Do I Write Devotionals?

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Early in my writing life, I wrote a number of devotionals.  Several decades ago, I wrote two devotional books (as a work-made-for-hire project). Each book contained sixty devotionals and each book was in the bestselling category because it sold over 60,000 copies. I wrote these books on tight deadlines and through the years I occasionally get letters or emails from readers who say they read those words over and over.

 

For many years I've written other types of writing but not devotionals. Over a year ago, I was speaking with Susan King, a long-time editor at The Upper Room.  It had been decades since I had submitted any devotionals to them. She encouraged me to send something. Each of these devotions are in a specific format. You can see their guidelines here. I wrote and submitted four different devotions and one of them was accepted—and published last week. Yes I wrote three devotions which were rejected—and it happens to everyone. The editors are looking for the right fit and select the submissions for their publication. It may take some trial and error before you find one that will work. Why do it?  The Upper Room has a worldwide circulation of six million—which is a large audience for writing a small amount of words.  I've heard the editors like devotions from the Old Testament because they mostly get ones from the New Testament and also they like devotions from men because the majority of the submissions are from women. I hope these two details help you.  Also understand The Upper Room works way ahead. I wrote and submitted these devotions about a year ago.

 

Here's the link to my devotion which was published last week. You will notice my devotion focused on an unusual verse from Isaiah and I had a current application for my own life in it. I have not been published in The Upper Room for several decades.  After my devotion was accepted and scheduled, I got an email from the editors telling me that I could also submit a blog post which had guidelines, word counts, etc. and would post the same day. I followed those guidelines and met their deadline and here's the link to my blog post. From studying published blog posts, I noticed they occasionally included a website link in the blog post—but only one link. I included a link to my personal website at the end of my post and it was published as well. We write devotions to capture on paper our spiritual connection and to encourage others to have this relationship.

 

For my writing of these devotions, one of the keys is to have the right mindset. There are several basic principles for every writer in this process:

1. You have to follow the editor's guidelines. The Upper Room has an online submission place for their devotions. It was fairly easy to use but called for you to have the specific information for each field in their form (something you can do ahead of time).

2. You have to write what the editor wants then submit it. This step is true whether you are brand new or are a much-published author.

3. You will likely have to write more than one submission to get published.

4. If you get an extra opportunity such as writing a blog post, then follow the guidelines and do what is requested.

 

There are many publications which publish devotional writing. The 2021 Christian Writers Market Guide is one of the best places to find these publications. Make sure you are not using an old edition since you want to use current information. Every magazine has desired articles and a format. Every writer needs to know this information before submission. Here's where I have a detailed article about writing for magazines.

 

I plan on writing more devotions and fit them into my writing life. This process is a good discipline for any writer to see what you can capture in a few focused words. Do you write devotions? Let me know your experiences in the comments below.

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Three Reasons to Write Devotions

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Recently at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference I spent some time speaking with Susan King, who for many years has been an editor at The Upper Room. If you don't know about this devotional publication (a bi-monthly), it reaches six million readers. Each devotion has a particular format and are less than 300 words. I have been published in The Upper Room but it was years ago. In the early days of my writing for publication, I often wrote devotionals. Susan told me they continue to need more devotions from men and in particular from the Old Testament (except Psalms). These pieces of advice are important so I write something that meets their publication needs. As a writer, you can go in many different directions so this focus was very helpful.

After speaking with Susan, I decided I would write some devotions and submit them for consideration. During the conference, I went to the freebie table and collected a sample magazine and their guidelines. Whenever you want to write for a magazine, studying their publication and guidelines is always the first step to getting published.

With a publication and writing target in sight, I began to think about writing some devotions. It is a different type of writing than I have done in a while. I decided to write several devotions for the same publication to increase my possibilities for getting published.

Here's three reasons to write devotions:

1. Different can be good for your writing. Sometimes we get in a rut with our writing. Devotional writing is a connection to the spiritual and applying these lessons to your writing. For me, writing a devotional is different from writing a chapter in a book or a book proposal or other types of magazine writing. As a writer, you still get to practice your storytelling craft with devotionals.

2. Devotions are short. They are often 300 words or less. This type of writing can be a challenge to say something meaningful with only a few words. The Upper Room guidelines give insight into this area encouraging you to look at snapshots of life in the stories that you include.

3. Looking for devotions to write puts you in touch with the “God moments” in your life. It is easy for life to drift past if you aren't in touch with these spiritual moments in your life (at least it is for me). I began to consciously look for these moments and grew more aware of them in my life.

Bonus reason 4. Devotion writing is another way to serve others with your writing and also a way to gain your own exposure. If my devotion gets published in The Upper Room, I will reach millions of readers.

Do you write devotions? What are your reasons for writing them? Let me know in the comments below.

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