✍️ Agape Love Publishing – Author DevotionalMonday, October 5, 2026

Sarah Skaggs

Oct 5

5 min read

💜 Someday Won't Write the Book — Start Today!

📖 Today's Scripture — KJV

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might..."— Ecclesiastes 9:10

Good Monday morning, authors, writers, and future authors! ☕📖✍️

How many times have we said:

“Someday I'm going to write a book.”

Someday when work isn't so busy.

Someday when the children are older.

Someday when I have more money.

Someday when I understand publishing.

Someday when I feel more confident.

Someday when I have more time.

But there's something I've learned about someday:

Someday isn't on the calendar.

Monday is.

And Monday is here. 😊

Maybe today doesn't need to be the day you finish your book.

Maybe it simply needs to be the day you begin.

🌿 You Don't Need Everything Before You Start

Sometimes we believe we need all the pieces before we can call ourselves writers.

A title.

A cover.

An editor.

A publisher.

An ISBN.

A website.

A social media following.

A marketing plan.

Those things may eventually become part of your publishing journey.

But do you know what you need before any of them?

WORDS.

You need a story.

And stories are written one word at a time.

Don't spend so much time worrying about publishing the book that you never actually write the book.

💜 Stop Waiting Until You Feel Ready

Here's a secret:

You may never feel completely ready.

Most meaningful things require us to step outside our comfort zones.

Your first page may feel awkward.

Write it.

Your first chapter may need rewriting.

That's okay.

You may not know how the story ends yet.

Keep going.

You may need help.

Ask.

You may make mistakes.

Learn from them.

Confidence often comes AFTER we begin—not before.

Sometimes we keep asking God to give us confidence to take the first step while He's waiting for us to trust Him enough to take it.

✍️ Fifteen Minutes Can Change a Dream

Maybe you're thinking:

“But I really don't have time to write.”

I understand.

Life is busy.

We have jobs.

Families.

Church.

Businesses.

Appointments.

Responsibilities.

And unexpected things that appear on calendars we definitely did not put there! 😊

So let's stop thinking you need four uninterrupted hours every day.

What if you started with 15 minutes?

Fifteen minutes before work.

Fifteen minutes during lunch.

Fifteen minutes after everyone goes to bed.

Imagine writing just 200 words a day.

In 30 days, that's approximately 6,000 words.

In six months, those little writing sessions could add up to something substantial.

Small faithfulness becomes progress.

Don't despise small beginnings.

🌸 Maybe Your First Step Isn't Writing

For some of you, you've already written the manuscript.

Your “start today” may look different.

Maybe you need to:

📝 Find an editor.

📖 Proofread the manuscript.

🎨 Begin working on your cover.

🔎 Research publishing options.

💻 Learn about formatting.

📚 Understand ISBNs.

📣 Create a plan for introducing your book to readers.

❤️ Ask someone you trust to read your manuscript.

Or maybe your book has already been published, but it's been sitting quietly while you wonder why nobody is finding it.

Your next step may be:

Tell people it exists!

Share the link.

Tell the story behind it.

Talk about why you wrote it.

Connect with readers.

Don't be ashamed to let people know about something you've worked hard to create.

💜 Pray — But Don't Use Prayer as an Excuse to Avoid Action

Now hear my heart on this.

We should absolutely pray about our writing.

We should seek God's direction.

But sometimes we keep saying:

“I'm praying about it...”

when deep down we already know the next step.

We're simply afraid to take it.

Faith isn't laziness.

James 2:17 reminds us:

"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." — James 2:17 (KJV)

Pray for direction.

Then when God gives you direction...

Move your feet.

Open the notebook.

Make the phone call.

Ask the question.

Do the research.

Write the page.

Take the step.

🙏 Monday Author Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for this new Monday and another opportunity to use the gifts You have placed within us.

Today I pray for every person who has been saying, “Someday I'll write my book.”

Lord, give them courage to begin.

For the writer who feels overwhelmed, show them the next small step.

For the author who has become discouraged, renew their excitement.

For the person who doesn't understand publishing, connect them with trustworthy people and resources that can help them learn.

Give us discipline with our time.

Help us stop making excuses while also giving ourselves grace when life genuinely requires our attention elsewhere.

Teach us the difference between waiting on Your direction and allowing fear to keep us stuck.

Bless the work of our hands.

Guide the words we write.

And help us use our gifts faithfully.

May our stories encourage, teach, comfort, inspire, entertain, and point people toward hope.

Above everything else, may our lives and our words bring glory to You.

In Jesus' precious name,

Amen.

✍️ MONDAY AUTHOR CHALLENGE

NO MORE “SOMEDAY!”

Today we're taking ONE real step.

Not tomorrow.

Not next week.

TODAY.

Choose yours:

✍️ Write your first 200 words.

📖 Finish one page.

📝 Edit one chapter.

🔎 Research one publishing question.

📧 Contact an editor.

🎨 Work on your cover.

📚 Learn about your publishing options.

📣 Share your published book.

🙏 Pray over your manuscript—then work on it.

Now finish this sentence:

“Today I will __________________________.”

Before you go to bed tonight...

DO IT.

It doesn't have to be huge.

It simply has to move you forward.

💜 MONDAY AUTHORS HUB — WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON?

Let's start this week by helping each other take action!

📚 PUBLISHED AUTHORS

Share your book title and book link!

Then tell us:

What's the next thing you're working on?

Another book?

Marketing?

A new edition?

Something completely different?

✍️ CURRENT WRITERS

Tell us:

What are you writing, and what ONE thing will you accomplish today?

Come back later and tell us when you finish!

💡 FUTURE AUTHORS

This is especially for you.

Stop saying:

“I'm not an author yet.”

If there's a story in your heart...

START WRITING.

Tell us what kind of book you've dreamed of writing.

And if you don't know where to begin, ask us!

That's what this Authors Hub is for.

❤️ EVERYONE

Find one person in the comments and encourage them.

If you know the answer to someone's publishing question, help them.

If a book sounds interesting, visit the author's link.

If someone says they're beginning today, cheer them on.

Let's build a community where authors aren't afraid to share what they know.

Another writer's success doesn't take anything away from yours.

We can grow together.

🌷 MONDAY'S ENCOURAGEMENT

“You don't have to finish the book today. But today can be the day you stop saying ‘someday’ and finally write the first page.”

Maybe you've carried the dream for years.

Maybe you've talked yourself out of it a hundred times.

Maybe you don't feel qualified.

Maybe you don't know everything.

That's okay.

START ANYWAY.

Pray.

Write.

Learn.

Ask questions.

Make mistakes.

Grow.

Rewrite.