Editing Tips for Devotional and Bible Study Writers
By Katy Kauffman
I used to think books
that had typos weren’t proofread enough before they were printed. Surely
someone would have caught those mistakes. Now I know better.
After I self-published
my first book, I found more typos than I want to admit. Mistakes happen. Our
goal as authors is to catch as many mistakes as we can. First, it’s helpful to
be aware of the technical aspects of grammar and punctuation and what the trends
are these days. The Chicago Manual of
Style acts as a safety net as we fly through the pages of our books, making
sure everything is formatted properly. Second, it’s helpful to know what makes
writing sparkle—lead-ins, insights, a conversational voice, great takeaway, and
so forth. Reading books on the writing craft and books by authors we love,
helps us to know what to shoot for in our writing.
So, if you’re a
devotional or Bible study writer (or a Christian living writer), use this
checklist to make sure your writing is edited as best as it can be. Following
these rules will help you to feel more secure when you post something on your
blog or submit something to an editor or agent.
Always cite the Bible translations you
use. This is easy to forget when we’re in
“listener” mode instead of “writer” mode. We don’t have to cite a translation
when we’re listening to a sermon or studying God’s Word in our quiet times, but
it’s a must for our writing. The same applies for creating memes. Include the
translation.
Bring your commas and periods inside
the “house.” As a
magazine editor, I often see commas and periods standing in the wrong place in
sentences. Remember, periods go inside quotation marks, not outside. Think of quotation
marks as the walls of your sentence. Commas and periods need to go inside the
walls of the house, not standing outside in the cold.
Know the difference in citing Scripture
in running text and block quotes. Use
the following example to know how to format a Scripture reference in running
text: “God is love” (1 John 4:8 NKJV). Notice that the period goes on the
outside of the last parenthesis, and there is no comma after 1 John 4:8. When
your Bible verse or passage is longer than a few lines, make it a block quote
and put the period after the words of the verse, within the quotation marks. The
reference and translation are as above, but there is no period after the parenthesis.
Know the difference in how to format your
endnotes and bibliography. The
following are the essential
ingredients you need to cite a book: author’s name, title of book, publisher’s name
and city and state, and the copyright year. For your endnotes, put the page
number (or location for e-books) where your quote is found.
The following is
how to cite endnotes: Author’s first and last name, Book Title, (City, State: Publisher, copyright year), page number.
And the following is an example of an entry for a bibliography: Last name,
first name. Book Title. City, State:
Publisher, copyright year.
Put your byline under your title in the
body of your text. It may be
an easy thing to forget, but help your potential editors, agents, and readers
know who wrote your writing. Be sure to put your byline underneath the title of
your work.
Check your work for what makes the
content truly “wow”—a
captivating lead-in, great first lines of paragraphs, memorable stories, a
conversational voice, and superb takeaway. We may be perfectly correct in our
grammar and punctuation, but our voice and message is the heart of our writing.
Craft your writing to include so much sparkle that readers will be looking for
what else you have written.
Which of the tips above
do you find the most challenging to incorporate into your writing? What other
tips would you suggest? Tell us in the comments below, and keep editing.
(Photos courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Stuart Miles, and digitalart.)
TWEETABLE
Katy Kauffman is an award-winning
author, an editor of Refresh
Bible Study Magazine, and a co-founder of Lighthouse
Bible Studies. Her first compilation, Breaking the Chains, won a 2018 Selah finalist award. Her second
compilation, Heart Renovation: A
Construction Guide to Godly Character, released this summer. Katy’s writing
can be found at CBN.com, thoughts-about-God.com, PursueMagazine.net, two blogs
on writing, in online magazines, and on devotional blogs. She loves spending
time with family and friends, making jewelry, and hunting for the best peanut
butter cookies. Connect with her at her blog and
on Facebook and Twitter.
Thanks Katie. I love your simple explanations of someetime hard things to remember and do. I always struggle with citing my references. Thanks for sharing.
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