• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
  • Archives
  • Book Reviews

Hobo Theology

Theology | Ministry | Soul

Encouragement for Writers

Derek Leave a Comment

I enjoy writing. I like words, and I like sentences. I even appreciate grammar. But none of that means I will produce good writing. Good writing is just plain difficult to do.

The other day I was re-reading my favorite pure prose writer, Annie Dillard, and she reminded me of the monumental task that is writing, just how difficult a few good sentences can be to find. Considering the average production rate of various published authors, Dillard observes:

“If a full-time writer averages a book every five years, that makes seventy-three usable pages a year, or a usable fifth of a page a day.”

Think about that, a usable fifth of a page a day. The speed of quality is slow.

Elsewhere, Dillard quips, “Out of a human population on earth of four and a half billion, perhaps twenty people can write a serious book in a year. Some people lift cars, too…Some people feel no pain in childbirth.” Point taken! Writing well is a hard and long process. The prolific writers are exceptions not rules.

If you’re an average blogger like me, or a student typing papers or a pastor writing sermons, be encouraged. What you are undertaking really is as difficult as it seems.

(If you would like to stoke your writing vision and abilities, be sure to check out The Writing Life by Annie Dillard.)

You may also like...

  • The Key to Good Style
  • Commending John Stott
  • The Power of Rituals, Habits, and Sacraments

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Writing

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

just one beggar
telling another beggar
where to find bread

Join the Journey

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

(Unsubscribe any time.)

Recent

  • The Lord Works Righteousness
  • Danger of the Disciplines
  • Who Satisfies You with Good
  • Spirit of the Disciplines
  • Who Redeems Your Life from the Pit

Tags

#R66 1 Corinthians Apologetics Bible Bible Study C.S. Lewis Chasing Soul Christ Is Risen Church Church Planting Communication Ecclesiology Ephesians Evangelicalism Exegesis Faith Family Gospel Grace Jesus John John Piper Leadership ministry NL Our God Passion 2016 Pastoring Prayers Preaching Proverbs Psalm 103 resurrection Sabbath Sabbath Dimensions Sanctification Soul Spiritual Disciplines 101 Spirituality Student Ministry The Gospel Coalition Conference 2013 Theology Tim Keller Worship Writing

Copyright Hobo Theology © 2022