{"id":471,"date":"2005-08-21T06:39:00","date_gmt":"2005-08-21T11:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/jesuscreed\/2005\/08\/21\/on-writing-some-suggestions\/"},"modified":"2014-08-02T06:27:48","modified_gmt":"2014-08-02T11:27:48","slug":"on-writing-some-suggestions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2005\/08\/21\/on-writing-some-suggestions\/","title":{"rendered":"On Writing: Some Suggestions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
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The following is a chunk of an address I gave to our Faculty. The address was called \u201cThe Professor as Scholar,\u201d and some of it was devoted to some ideas about writing. Here are some of those suggestions.<\/p>\n

Exiled to Eden<\/a><\/p>\n

First, writing is not about technique or method\u009d but about identity<\/span>. We write because of who we are: scholars need to get it down and need to express themselves. F.F. Bruce liked to call this need scribbler\u2019s itch (Latin: cacoethes scribendi ).<\/p>\n

Second, to paraphrase our late Mayor Daley, write early and write often<\/span> . I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not talking about the time of the day; I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m talking about the need to begin your career, or start now, with writing. As soon as you have your thesis in mind, start getting down; you can weave your secondary writing into your own garment \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and when it is your own garment it is both clearer in your mind and easier to manage.<\/p>\n

Third, when you want to submit a ms to a publisher, get endorsements<\/span> , both from the prominents in that field of study and from those who have already published with that publisher. You might be surprised how effective this can be.<\/p>\n

Fourth, learn to write, to use a phrase from Anne Lamott, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153bird by bird\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/span> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that is: don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t try to write a book all at once. Divide the whole project into small projects and seek to achieve those one day at a time. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re writing about the Civil War, you can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t write about the whole history all at once, but you can describe this battlefield in one day, or survey the general\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plans for that day, etc.. It is very important to divide your big project into small projects that can be accomplished day by day or no more than week by week. So, I begin the day and think about how much I will try to write that day.<\/p>\n

Fifth, end each day\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s writing by beginning the next day\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s writing<\/span>. This frequently cuts down on shiftlessness, lethargy, and late starts; it also enables quick starts and a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wait to get back to it\u00e2\u20ac\u009d attitude. Thus, if today I am writing a review of a book today but tomorrow I have to study the baptism of Jesus as a prophetic action, then when I am done with the review I need to look briefly at the baptism of Jesus, see what I will need to examine and see what I might need to read. That way when I get up I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have any wondering about what I will be doing when I sit at my desk. We all know how hard it is to begin some days \u00e2\u20ac\u201c ending the day by beginning the next day is the best thing we can do to make beginnings easier.<\/p>\n

Sixth, maintain a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153list of projects\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/span> and folders for each item on your desk and keep in mind what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s coming next.That way if something crosses my mind I stick it into a folder and when I begin serious work I have some ideas already ticking.<\/p>\n

Seventh, strike a balance between requests and self-initiated projects<\/span>. It is easy to fall into the trap of writing only what you are asked to write: a chapter in a book here, a journal article there, editing a series of essays, etc.. But it is also unfair to yourself to be only writing that sort of stuff: you have ideas of your own and you need to write those up as well. The most satisfying projects are ones you dream up yourself and these creative impulses are squelched if you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t air them.<\/p>\n

Eighth, meet deadlines!<\/span> I have edited a few books, one of which had hundreds of essays and contributors, and I can tell you the problems that occur when authors agree to deadlines (which are almost always extendable but which are set so extenders may get their wishes) and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t meet them. Not only is the book delayed but other authors are annoyed by what you are doing \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and when they find out that you were on vacation they might never want to participate with you again. If you aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to meet a deadline, and know it, tell the editor. And along with this comes reality: you need to have realistic expectations of the time you need. I say this especially for young authors: publishers know which authors meet deadlines and which don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. And they want authors who meet the deadlines.<\/p>\n

Ninth, read the best books on writing<\/span>, like E.B. White\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Elements of Style<\/span> , 82 pages of clear conviction, and W. Zinsser\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s On Writing Well <\/span>, even though I object to the dirty tricks their publishers have played in bringing out too many new editions of what was original genius. Also, read good writers in your field \u00e2\u20ac\u201c learn from them but don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t imitate them slavishly. Zinsser always reads some of White before he writes; others find it best to operate as did Hemingway, with no one else\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s style cluttering up yours. It is amazing to me that, just as many professors don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t read about teaching so many also do not read about writing. Here are some names of very good writers: Joseph Epstein, Charles Lamb, Samuel Johnson, William Hazlitt, Mark Twain\u2019s essays and letters, G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy Sayers, C.S. Lewis \u2014 I nearly always begin my day of writing by reading 2-3 pages of Mere Christianity<\/span>, Hemingway, George Orwell, Isaiah Berlin, Mary O\u2019Connor, Wendell Berry, Nancy Mairs, Joan Didion, Brian Doyle, Alan Jacobs. Again, the best way to learn to write is to read good writers and imitate them a bit.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The following is a chunk of an address I gave to our Faculty. The address was called \u201cThe Professor as Scholar,\u201d and some of it was devoted to some ideas about writing. Here are some of those suggestions. Exiled to Eden First, writing is not about technique or method\u009d but about identity. We write because […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1741],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing-blogging"],"yoast_head":"\nOn Writing: Some Suggestions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The following is a chunk of an address I gave to our Faculty. 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