Writers write. That’s the bottom line.
My writing followed a kind of bell-curve last week. I didn’t start very strong, with a couple long days toward the front end of the week, but things picked up as I went along. I started writing a couple blog posts for potential series (one about the theology of Black Mirror and another about how the Kingdom might operate at various levels of the Kardashev Scale, which is a sort of futuristic gauge on the progress of humankind in the universe), which I really got into. I also put the finishing touches on a few upcoming posts, and finalized a story for Christianity Today.
Words Per Day
Sunday, January 14: 1,064 words (blog)
Monday, January 15: 519 words (blog)
Tuesday, January 16: 1,049 words (blog and journalism)
Wednesday, January 17: 1,851 words (blog)
Thursday, January 18: 2,295 words (blog)
Friday, January 19: 1,170 words (blog)
Saturday, January 20: 525 words (blog)
Week 3 (Jan. 14 – Jan. 20) Totals
Last week, I wrote 8,473 words and spent about 6 hours writing, averaging 1,432 words per hour.
2018 Totals
Since the beginning of 2018, I’ve written 22,710 words and spent just under 15 hours writing.
Published Writing From Last Week
To Grapple with Refugeeism, Mourn Better – As we’re still in the early stages of the Refuge series, it’s important to recognize the gravity of the situation and to mourn. In the words of the Scottish minister, Alexander MacLaren, “No man will do worthy work at rebuilding the walls, who has not wept over the ruins.”
For My Young Immigrant Friends – In the shadow of some rather unsavory remarks allegedly made about immigrants and the countries they come from, I wanted to relay some of my experiences with immigrants and refugees. Most of these things shouldn’t even need to be said, they should be so obvious. And yet, sometimes it is good to say them anyway.
Why We Should Return to the Catechism – At the start of the year, I read a contemporary catechism issued by friends at The Gospel Coalition and introduced by Kathy Keller. Having grown up with the catechism, this book reinforced my belief that it’s a good tool for growing in our knowledge of and relationship with God–and that more churches should return to it.
Be Pro-All-Life – While I frequently write about politics and things going on in the world, I’m not always so on-the-nose as in this piece about what it means to me to be truly pro-life. I’d love to know what you think.
Writing Tracker – Week 2 (Jan. 7 – Jan. 13) – Follow along as I track progress toward my writing goals. Here’s an update from the second week of the year.
Here’s What’s Coming Up
Upcoming, I have hopes to write more in a couple series I’m working on about Christ in pop culture and how theology plays out as science fiction increasingly becomes reality. I also plan to explore the topic of censorship, how it has changed in the last year, and how Christians should think rightly about the First Amendment and the freedoms it promises.
Why Sharing Your Goals Is Important
Accountability: Because my writing goals for 2018 are to 1) post at least twice per week on this blog and 2) publish a book online, I know that I need to hold myself accountable and be held accountable by others. Making my writing statistics is one way for me to do that. With my writing production out in the open, others can see if I’m keeping up and, if I’m not, give me the necessary encouragement/kick. Posting my stats also keeps me personally motivated, as I don’t want to be embarrassed by falling behind my goals in public.
Inspiration: Assuming I can maintain my writing production at a level I’m satisfied with, I hope it will be an inspiration to other writers. I work full-time and have a number of ongoing commitments, but because writing is important to me, I make the time. You can too. Even 15-minute writing sprints over the course of weeks and months really adds up.
Data Tracking: I love seeing trends in data almost as much as I love writing. Amateur data analysis is incredibly easy today, and I love to see my numbers crunched. It’s fun and fascinating, but it also helps me write. Tracking my writing means I know how much I can write per genre, per hours; I know my pace; I know how much time I’m actually dedicating to writing; and I can see how my writing accumulates and improves over time.
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