I have heard it said that 'Writing is never finished, only abandoned.' I know from personal experience that this is true. Writing can always be reworked, polished, and made to shine. Every blog post I've written has been abandoned ... the moment I click the button to publish it.
I will be abandoning a larger writing project this week. My thesis has been revised and approved. All that remains is a final read-through to make sure nothing was missed. I know there will be the temptation to massage it some more. There is always room for improvement. The clock is ticking, though, and soon I will have no choice but to submit it to the registrar: 2 copies of all 86 pages printed on high-quality, acid-free paper, ready to be bound and placed on the library shelves of our two main campuses.
The likelihood that it will be used in that format by future students of Gordon-Conwell is slim to none. That explains why this summer I plan to take up the project again and try to have it published in some form. No use having all that hard work go to waste! Please pray that God would show me where and how to have it published. The message of 1 Peter 2:9-10 needs to be recovered by the church today -- our identity is at stake! There is a time to abandon ... and a time to engage a project once again.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
a time to abandon ...
Dr. Carmen Imes is the Associate Professor of Old Testament at Biola University in La Mirada, CA, and serves the broader church through teaching, speaking, writing, and creating YouTube videos. She earned a PhD in Biblical Theology (Old Testament) from Wheaton College under Dr. Daniel Block, an MA in Biblical Studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (Charlotte), and a BA in Bible and Theology from Multnomah University. She and her husband, Daniel, served as missionaries with SIM 15 years. They have three children: Ana, Emma, and Easton.
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"writing is revision" was a slogan of sorts I learned from an children's author, while I was a teacher. Somehow this is discouraging to young school children. I also adapted, from Dory of Finding Nemo, "Just keep writing, just keep writing, just keep writing writing writing." Again, sometimes met with moans toward the end of a writers workshop.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on finishing your thesis! I will be praying that some journal editor out there will eagerly receive (and publish) it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brian! I'm just doing the final read-through now. Hope to finish tomorrow!
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