GlocalNet

I’m busy doing the re-edits on my fourth book.  Not quite sure when it will be out - we’re talking about that now with Zondervan, but I’m really excited about the book.  This is my first book written exclusively to normal every day disciples - not pastors.  I hope I’ve written my last pastor book, but I probably haven’t.  There is at least one more which I think will be very unique, but I have to finish this one first. 

I don’t think of myself as a writer.  I think of myself as a guy who’s a pastor who discovered God and the world, and is a practitioner of glocal engagement seeking transformation.  That drives the writing.  BUT, as I was cleaning out my desk and my office - both home and at the church, I realized I’ve written a lot.  I have 13, 200 pages of journals.  I have 4 books.  I have a doctoral dissertation.  I am printing off all my blogs and putting them in a hard copy right now.  Soooooo, that is a lot of writing.  I love to write essays and even poetry and I’ve written tons of articles for different magazines and publications.  This year I’ll be published in at least two secular journals at their invitation. 

What have I learned about writing:
1.  Narrow what you want to write about.  Don’t try to say it all in one book or article.
2.  Make it as creative as you can.
3.  Write for “them” not you.  You have probably thought a lot about and studied what you want to write about and assume people understand a lot of things they don’t.
4.  Write at your most alert time of the day.  Stop when you lose your fire.  Come back later.
5.  Have others look at, critique, and give you suggestions on how to say it better.
6.  The more passionate you are about something, the better you’ll say it.  First write about what you feel is your greatest contribution, what you will leave behind. 
7.  Don’t write on something until you know what you are talking about, and realize, hopefully, that you’ll keep on learning even after you write.
8.  Its all about the stories.  Theology books and science journals can get so technical they miss the point.  Jesus is a story.  The books we remember the most are stories.  The Bible is a collection of stories.  Stories change, challenge, and inspire us. 
9.  Give some pragmatic steps.  I’m very entrepreneurial.  Give me the idea and I’ll take it from there.  That’s not everyone.