Writers write. That’s the bottom line.
I didn’t hit the same stride as the week prior, but last week was still pretty productive in terms of output. Like the last several weeks, I have really been committed 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, especially related to Pentecost, which we observed this past Sunday. 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 new blogs related to prayer and purification! Check out all the new words and please share!
Words Per Day
Sunday, May 13: 501 words (fiction)
Monday, May 14: 2,024 words (blog and fiction)
Tuesday, May 15: 3,518 words (fiction)
Wednesday, May 16: 2,251 words (fiction)
Thursday, May 17: 1,605 words (fiction)
Friday, May 18: 2,546 words (fiction)
Saturday, May 19: 0 words
Week 20 (May 13 – 19) Totals
Last week, I wrote 12,445 words and spent about 6 and a half hours writing, averaging 1,890 words per hour.
2018 Totals
Since the beginning of 2018, I’ve written about 169,485 words and spent approximately 110 hours writing.
Published Writing From Last Week
How to Love the Alien and Fight Bureaucratization: Refugees as Data – In humanitarian aid work, I see three chief bureaucratic temptations that often hinder organizations from responding as powerfully as they might to the problem of refugeeism. Here they are, and here’s how the Church can move beyond them.
Samwise’s Pentecost – I had never noticed before the similarities between Frodo and Sam’s adventure in Shelob’s cave with the story of Pentecost.
The Sound of the Spirit – Whether he comes in a windstorm or not, the Spirit makes noise. Like Jesus entering Jerusalem to cheers and cries of Hosanna, the processional music of the Spirit is the sound of a hurricane.
Writing Tracker – Week 19 (May 6 – 12) – 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 pieces related to paternalism and how it’s a plague in humanitarian aid work. I’m also excited to show a couple pieces about God’s work in our hearts as we are temples of the living God, replacing the old physical temples of the Old Testament. I still haven’t forgotten about my series on the Kardashev Scale, which I’ve been steadily working 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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