Writers write. That’s the bottom line.
Last week, I wrote everyday, continued my streak of thousand-or-more-word days to 10 before taking a breather on Saturday. I started the week working on pieces for Christianity Today that are still upcoming. I’ll leave you in suspense about their content, especially as details are still unfolding. On the blog, I worked on projects related to evangelism–as you can see in the four-part series that rounded out the week–and hymns. I also worked a bit more on my Bonhoeffer pieces, and returned to the series about how the Kingdom might intersect with the Kardashev scale. I’m very excited about that series because I think it’s so unique and fascinating. Check out all the new words and please share!
Words Per Day
Sunday, March 4: 1,028 words (blog and journalism)
Monday, March 5: 1485 words (blog journalism)
Tuesday, March 6: 1,495 words (blog and journalism)
Wednesday, March 7: 1,010 words (blog and journalism)
Thursday, March 8: 1,150 words (blog)
Friday, March 9: 1,851 words (blog)
Saturday, March 10: 350 words (blog)
Week 10 (March 4 – 10) Totals
Last week, I wrote 8,369 words and spent about 7 hours writing, averaging 1,182 words per hour.
2018 Totals
Since the beginning of 2018, I’ve written about 77,500 words and spent approximately 56 hours writing.
Published Writing From Last Week
Refuge and Refugees in Church History – This was a really fun, interesting piece trying to summarize the place of refugees in church history. I also looked at how the church has been, historically, a place of refuge–and, unfortunately, a refugee-maker. In the Old and New Testaments, I trace the lineage of refugees, and I end with a discussion about how we can find ourselves in the story of refugeeism.
Evangelism – Part 1: Justice Is Evangelism – This is the first installment of a four-art series about what evangelism is and isn’t. The first three pieces look at why justice, ecumenism, and love are all components of evangelism. The fourth piece looks at what’s missing–why none of those things are sufficient–and why speaking the good news is the essential component of evangelism.
Evangelism – Part 2: Ecumenism Is Evangelism – See above.
Evangelism – Part 3: Love Is Evangelism – See above.
Evangelism – Part 4 – Evangelism Is Not Justice, Ecumenism, or Love – See above.
Writing Tracker – Week 9 (Feb. 25 – March 3) – Follow along as I track progress toward my writing goals. Here’s an update from the sixth week of the year.
Here’s What’s Coming Up
In the near future, I’m planning to write more in my series about the Kardashev Scale, which I’ve been steadily plugging away at, and how it might come into contact with the Kingdom of God. I’m also working on pieces related to Bonhoeffer’s theology and how it may be applicable today; the significance of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “crusade” of nonviolence; what the gig economy might mean for Christians specifically; and I may return to my piece about a movie on Netflix I watched with my wife called “The Heart of Man.”
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. If I’m not, they can give me the necessary encouragement/kick. Posting my stats also keeps me personally motivated. 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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