Comments on: About Me http://dwainesmond.wordpress.com Walk the Word. Watch the Sky. Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:20:45 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: neil247 http://dwainesmond.wordpress.com/about/#comment-21 neil247 Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:19:46 +0000 #comment-21 Hey, Spencer. Thank you so much for the encouraging words about the devotional. God be praised!! I'm so excited that you want to give writing a devotional a shot. It's a challenging and thrilling experience. Here's some advice I recently shared with someone who had the same questions. First, let me say that writing devotionals is something I really enjoy and I'm excited that you want to give it a shot. First, pray and ask God to give you direction. That's really, really important. Second, try to find a cool idea to guide your writing. Some people write devotionals that are a hodge-podge of different things. These are good, but it's tough for me to write that way. I like to write with a them and direction in mind--such as I did with 24-7-365, which was designed to take the reader all the way through the Bible, with some sight-seeing along the way. Write as much as you can from your personal experience. It's tough to do for 365 entries, but when you do your writing will be more passionate and focused. Ask friends to read your work as you write, so that they give you some constructive criticism. Have them explain things they like and dislike about the writing. Ask them if the points are clearly made. Is everything theologically sound, is another question you'll need answered by someone like a Pastor, for instance. After you've got the idea, start writing. Once you have two or three weeks completed and edited, start shopping your devo to different publishers. Getting a book published can be tough, so don't let the no's get you down. Better yet, consider publishing it yourself. There are several options online for self-publishing your work. You'll need a killer strategy to market it, but it can work, and you'll get to keep more of the profits. Finally, focus on making God real to the reader. God often seems mysterious and incomprehensible to many people. Keep it simple and profound, and God will lead you. Hey, Spencer. Thank you so much for the encouraging words about the devotional. God be praised!! I’m so excited that you want to give writing a devotional a shot. It’s a challenging and thrilling experience. Here’s some advice I recently shared with someone who had the same questions.

First, let me say that writing devotionals is something I really enjoy and I’m excited that you want to give it a shot. First, pray and ask God to give you direction. That’s really, really important. Second, try to find a cool idea to guide your writing. Some people write devotionals that are a hodge-podge of different things. These are good, but it’s tough for me to write that way. I like to write with a them and direction in mind–such as I did with 24-7-365, which was designed to take the reader all the way through the Bible, with some sight-seeing along the way.

Write as much as you can from your personal experience. It’s tough to do for 365 entries, but when you do your writing will be more passionate and focused. Ask friends to read your work as you write, so that they give you some constructive criticism. Have them explain things they like and dislike about the writing. Ask them if the points are clearly made. Is everything theologically sound, is another question you’ll need answered by someone like a Pastor, for instance.

After you’ve got the idea, start writing. Once you have two or three weeks completed and edited, start shopping your devo to different publishers. Getting a book published can be tough, so don’t let the no’s get you down. Better yet, consider publishing it yourself. There are several options online for self-publishing your work. You’ll need a killer strategy to market it, but it can work, and you’ll get to keep more of the profits.

Finally, focus on making God real to the reader. God often seems mysterious and incomprehensible to many people. Keep it simple and profound, and God will lead you.

]]> By: Raevae http://dwainesmond.wordpress.com/about/#comment-14 Raevae Mon, 30 Mar 2009 02:45:08 +0000 #comment-14 Hey, I've been reading your book along with the Bible (day to day). God has really inspired you to write this book, Dwain! Thanks for sharing your experiences with people like me- always wanting more of God. I am also quite interested in writing a book or two about what God has done in me through His Word. How can I get started if I want to publish something I've written? Can you give me a brief run-down about how it works? Hey, I’ve been reading your book along with the Bible (day to day). God has really inspired you to write this book, Dwain! Thanks for sharing your experiences with people like me- always wanting more of God. I am also quite interested in writing a book or two about what God has done in me through His Word. How can I get started if I want to publish something I’ve written? Can you give me a brief run-down about how it works?

]]> By: neil247 http://dwainesmond.wordpress.com/about/#comment-13 neil247 Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:36:03 +0000 #comment-13 Hey, Megan. First of all, thanks for reading my book. It's always great to hear from readers. I did some investigative work and found the guy who had stolen my clothes. They were all neatly folded and in the dresser drawers in his room. It was crazy. I got most of my stuff back. I was broke, so I really needed my clothes. lol Hey, Megan. First of all, thanks for reading my book. It’s always great to hear from readers. I did some investigative work and found the guy who had stolen my clothes. They were all neatly folded and in the dresser drawers in his room. It was crazy. I got most of my stuff back. I was broke, so I really needed my clothes. lol

]]> By: Megan http://dwainesmond.wordpress.com/about/#comment-12 Megan Sun, 29 Mar 2009 02:06:49 +0000 #comment-12 I was reading 24-7-365 and you told a story of how your clothes were gone when you back to the laundry room while in college, probably stolen. Well I was just wondering if you ever got your clothes back or if they were really stolen. I was reading 24-7-365 and you told a story of how your clothes were gone when you back to the laundry room while in college, probably stolen. Well I was just wondering if you ever got your clothes back or if they were really stolen.

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