Writing Tracker – Week 25 (June 17 – 23)

Writers write. That’s the bottom line.

I finally posted my series on the Kardeshev Scale and the kingdom of God! I really enjoyed thinking, researching, and writing about the subject. It’s a cool blend of science, science fiction, ethics, and theology. If you haven’t checked it out, please do.

I’ve also been writing quite a bit more on theology around spiritual gifts (not published on the blog), as well as how to engage with war reenactments as Christians. The latter is a question I didn’t think much about as a teenager, when I really enjoyed attending and learning from reenactments. Now I’ve been confronted with the question, and it’s been interesting to really consider the ins and outs of the issue. All this talk about Romans 13–submission to governing authorities–in the public sphere has also proved fascinating writing fodder, though I don’t know if any blogs will come of it.

I’ve continued to write for Christianity Today at a good clip, and am really enjoying that. I should have more pieces coming out with that magazine, as well as the Chicago Tribune, in the next few weeks. Check out all the new words and please share!

Words Per Day

Sunday, June 17: 0 words

Monday, June 18: 847 words (blog)

Tuesday, June 19: 2,701 words (journalism)

Wednesday, June 20: 1,620 words (blog and journalism)

Thursday, June 21: 4,653 words (blog)

Friday, June 22: 2,074 words (journalism)

Saturday, June 23: 0 words 

Week 25 (June 17 – 23) Totals

Last week, I wrote 11,895 words and spent about 7 and a half hours writing, averaging 1,551 words per hour.

2018 Totals

Since the beginning of 2018, I’ve written about 211,767 words and spent approximately 143 hours writing.

Published Writing From Last Week

Wanting Refugees and Making a Home for Them – The Church must want the dispossessed not only in a sentimental way, not only in feelings, but also in action. That means intentionality. It means being proactive. It means seeking refugees out, not just waiting for them to come to us.

Kardashev’s Scale and the Kingdom of God: Part 1 – Christianity and the Cosmos – The spinning of the world and the expansion of the universe don’t wait for our theology and practice to catch up. Let’s think about how the church will look in the near and far future of human civilization.

Kardashev’s Scale and the Kingdom of God: Part 2 – Type 1 Civilization – Kardashev’s Type I civilization is one that has control over its planet. What does God’s Word have to say about humanity’s mastery over the power of Earth?

Kardashev’s Scale and the Kingdom of God: Part 3 – Type 2 Civilization – Kardashev’s Type II civilization is one that has control over its host star. What does God’s Word have to say about humanity’s mastery over the solar system?

Kardashev’s Scale and the Kingdom of God: Part 4 – Type 3 and 4 Civilization – Kardashev’s Type III and IV civilizations have control over their galaxies, and ultimately their whole universe. What does God’s Word have to say about humanity’s mastery over the known cosmos?

Writing Tracker – Week 23 (June 3 – 9) – Follow along as I track progress toward my writing goals. Here’s an update from last week.

Here’s What’s Coming Up

Looking ahead, I’m planning to continue plugging away at a couple fantasy novels. On the blog, I’ve got a really fun theology-and-Harry-Potter themed blog just around the corner. There should also be a number of media pieces on the way–so keep an eye on my blog Facebook page for that. And I’ve been thinking more about that movie I wrote about a while ago, “The Heart of Man,” and may write some more thoughts about that. We’ll see if I keep going with the 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.