Writers write. That’s the bottom line.
Last week was far and away my most productive week in terms of words put down on paper. I closed in on 20,000 words, which is double what I normally chart in a week. Like the last couple weeks, this is in large part due to my return to an emphasis on fiction-writing, which is what I enjoy the most. It’s also the sort of writing that comes the most easily and quickly. Even so, I was able to put out several blogs last week–shorter than they often are, but still really enjoyable. As always, I’m still chugging along with my “Refuge” series, for which posts come out every Monday, and these Writing Trackers. I also put a lot of words into my fiction projects and spent some time on blogs around the upcoming celebration of Pentecost! Check out all the new words and please share!
Words Per Day
Sunday, May 6: 500 words (fiction)
Monday, May 7: 1,913 words (blog and fiction)
Tuesday, May 8: 5,361 words (fiction)
Wednesday, May 9: 4,058 words (fiction)
Thursday, May 11: 2,518 words (blog and fiction)
Friday, May 12: 3,238 words (fiction)
Saturday, May 13: 1,570 words (fiction)
Week 19 (May 6 – 12) Totals
Last week, I wrote 19,158 words and spent about 10 hours writing, averaging 1,854 words per hour.
2018 Totals
Since the beginning of 2018, I’ve written about 157,040 words and spent approximately 104 hours writing.
Published Writing From Last Week
Relief AND Development – In the aftermath of disasters and migrations, relief is the fundamental need. The usual necessities are in the queue: food, water, medicine, trauma care. But after months and certainly after years, at the point where crises leave the stage of emergency and become protracted, relief must be supplemented by development.
Genealogy of Jesus – Part 1: It’s My Family Tree, Too – “Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
Genealogy of Jesus – Part 2: Fathers and Foreigners – If we are in the Church, we are children of Abraham. Heirs of the promise and inheritors of the lineage of Christ. Jesus calls us brothers and sisters.
Genealogy of Jesus – Part 3: You’ve Got to Know the Word to Know the Word – We need the Old Testament to understand the New Testament. How much more would I appreciate the opening of Matthew’s gospel if I already appreciated the historical books earlier in God’s Word!
Genealogy of Jesus – Part 4: Descent from Antiquity – Luke’s genealogy of Jesus goes all the way back to Adam. The family line from Abraham to Noah and Noah to Adam is offered in Genesis–Matthew would have known it–so why does he stop at Abraham?
Writing Tracker – Week 18 (April 29 – May 5) – 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 continue plugging away at a couple fantasy novels. On the blog, I’ll have a couple pieces coming up related to Pentecost, when we remember the coming of the promised Holy Spirit upon Jesus’ disciples. I still haven’t forgotten about my series on 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, and what the gig economy might mean for Christians specifically.
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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