From the Spoken to the Written Word
Tips for Making The Transition Easier - Orginally Published in the Christian Communicator

Elizabeth George, author of many best selling books including Loving God with All Your Mind (Harvest House), began her writing career converting her Women’s Bible studies into books. She gave me advice that has helped me write for a national ministry.

“ I was used to reading an audience and using their reaction to gauge how I would wrap up a certain thought. But when I began writing, I found that my editors wanted me to be moderate with my readers, to bring the point in subtly and then ask the reader to make a decision about the point I made.”

Her counsel has assisted me as I transcribe other people’s messages and sermons into articles and devotionals. Here are some hints I have discovered that have helped me make the spoken word speak to the reader.

1. Single Subject An article or chapter needs to follow one theme. In speaking this is a good rule to follow but if you’re teaching an expository Bible study, then the lesson could cover many themes. For example, if you were writing an article by using a Bible Study on Philippians chapter four, you would have to narrow your focus from several themes (Standing Fast, Fellow Laborers in Christ, Rejoicing During Life’s Difficulties, Overcoming Worry, Heavenly Thinking—and that’s all in the first eight verses!) to one main point.
   
2. Vive Le Difference. A good speaker understands how to transition in between points without losing his or her audience. Many times those same transitions don’t flow in the same way when written down. The speaker has an audience to determine reaction. If the listeners seem interested in a particular point, the speaker may not go through all his prepared material; rather he might speak from his heart for the bulk of the time. The speaker usually knows whether his particular audience is Baptist or Pentecostal, whether they call Coke Cola products soda or pop, but he doesn’t always know the types of people who will read an article developed from that same message. That’s why the writer should not only transcribe a speech or sermon but also ask for the speaker’s notes. This will often give you more material and help you to understand where the speaker was going before he met Mr. Hare and family on the rabbit trail.
   
3. Prejudiced Applications If you are speaking to a group of men, then it is okay to use outcomes applying mostly to fathers and businessmen. But your readers could be mothers or senior citizens. One of my employees tends to use illustrations that apply to 25-year-old men. Why? He is 25 years old. I tend to use applications that pertain mainly to 30-ish married women with children. Guess what? I’m 33, married and have children. Today’s Christian Woman and Discipleship Journal are targeted to certain audiences but consider that working women could be 18 or 45, single or married, mothers or grandmothers. Similarly, men reading Discipleship Journal could be pastors, church workers, lay people or even newer Christians. Address your examples accordingly. Here is a paragraph from a book about biblical success and failure I worked on several years ago.

   Original Paragraph
   “ You want to be successful and serve the Lord, yet you see yourself failing every day. Does it seem like other believers have gone farther in their walk with Christ than you could ever hope to go? Maybe you have really blown it by succumbing to temptation. Whatever the case, you feel you just don’t measure up as a Christian.”

   Revised Paragraph
   “ You want to be successful and serve the Lord, yet you see yourself failing every day. Does it seem like other believers are so much farther ahead that you could never catch up? Maybe after you hear an inspiring sermon you think you’ve finally learned the secret, only to fail in some way the following week. Maybe you succumb to temptation, you say a careless word, or your devotion times with God have tapered off. Whatever the case, you feel you just don’t measure up as a Christian.”

In the first paragraph, I appealed mainly to people who have failed in big ways, who have given in to temptation and now they feel like their Christian life has stalled and they can’t make it. I didn’t only want speak to this type of person because we all do things we are ashamed of except maybe our sins don’t make national headlines. I’m sure you noticed how I added some “lesser” sins (but still sin in God’s eyes!) like gossip, missing devotional time, or failure to use biblical truth. Every Christian can identify with something in the second paragraph and that is one of the keys to making your transitions easier and better.

Remembering to stay on one main point will help the reader take something away from your article. Considering the differences between listeners and readers is sure to keep you on track. And keeping applications open to a broader audience will enhance your writing appeal. These tips just might turn your next speech or Bible study into a best selling article.

More Transitional Tips

Humor She (Or He) Wrote Humor at is an important part of speaking but it is often difficult to make that same joke work in an article. Have someone else read your piece and note if he or she smiles or laughs at the right places.

The Hour of Decision Give the reader an opportunity to make a decision after each main point in the article or chapter.

Show How Much You Care If you speak to the same people week after week, it would bore them to listen over and over again to your same personal stories. Remember, your readers haven’t heard your stories yet and these stories will help your reader get to know you as a person.