Writers write. That’s the bottom line.
Unfortunately, last week continued in a writing lull. Chalk it up to busy-ness and tiredness. Looking to turn it around this week and get back on track. Even with less writing output, I was able to post every weekday. I wrote about a variety of topics, including the Lord’s Supper, professional gaming, the art of writing, and an inspiring and sad story about a Christian girl kidnapped by Boko Haram who refused to renounce Christ. I also got back into a fiction novel I’m working on, which was a nice change of pace. Once again, I didn’t return to my Bonhoeffer pieces or the series about how the Kingdom might intersect with the Kardashev scale. Hopefully I’ll return to them this week. Check out all the new words and please share!
Words Per Day
Sunday, March 18: 1,443 words (blog)
Monday, March 19: 969 words (blog)
Tuesday, March 20: 920 words (fiction)
Wednesday, March 21: 0 words
Thursday, March 22: 655 words (blog)
Friday, March 23: 587 words (blog)
Saturday, March 24: 0 words
Week 12 (March 18 – 24) Totals
Last week, I wrote 4,575 words and spent about 3 hours writing, averaging 1,614 words per hour.
2018 Totals
Since the beginning of 2018, I’ve written about 87,000 words and spent approximately 62 hours writing.
Published Writing From Last Week
Why the Church Needs to Care About Refugees – The Christian is in her very nature a wanderer, living between Egypt and Canaan, between her present condition and her future perfection. Christians as refugees of faith do not look heavenward in the way of those with Right of Return. Rather, we look to God who grants the Grace of Return.
Wedding Vows – This was a fun one. After my marriage to the love of my life last year, numerous people have commented on our vows and asked to see them. I’m happy to share them, because they really are beautiful and true and solid.
Wedding Poem: ‘Old Books and Lullabies” – Continuing the wedding theme, our wedding ceremony was graced with a beautiful poem from poet-scholar bridesmaid Amy Leigh Wicks. You can find more of her writing here. Our poem is called “Old Books and Lullabies,” and it plays heartstrings.
Plain, Honest, Straightforward Men – Here’s something that has come out of my Bonhoeffer reading. When discussing the desperation of his time and the erosion of nobility and values, Bonhoeffer wrote: “Are we still of any use? What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straightforward men.”
Liya’s Freedom – It’s a harrowing story that isn’t over. A month ago, Boko Haram kidnapped more than 100 girls from a school in the Nigerian town of Dapchi. On Wednesday, nearly all those who were still alive were freed. However, one of the kidnapped girls, Liya Sharibu, was not released because she refused to forsake her God.
Writing Tracker – Week 11 (March 11 – 17) – 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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