In the past two years by the grace of God I have read 150 books: I read 100 books in 2017; and this year, I was privileged to read Jonathan Edwards’ major works and virtually all of C.S. Lewis. I have taking in much information, therefore, in these past two years. I say this not to brag at all—trust me, I am a slow reader, a pretty poor retainer of information, and, after reading so much, I realize more than ever how incompetently I think compared to others. Instead, I say this because I was struck in November that I want to dwell and dig more on all that I’ve taken in. This especially hit me when thinking about Lewis and Edwards. There’s so much to dwell on, write down, and meditate on from both of them. Some of it I did, but most I did not. I went quickly on to the next book, and therefore didn’t retain much—and these men deserve better than that. But more importantly, for my own growth, sanctification, and joy, I want to do better than that. It’s one thing to read; it’s another to soak. I want to soak.
So, next year I have decided to read very little. But the goal is not to just read less. The goal instead is to write more. I want to go through the notable books out of the 150 in the last two years—especially those from Lewis and Edwards—and dwell on certain points and blog about them here.
Coupled with this, since in Lewis this year I saw that there is such a thing as excellent writing, I also want to pursue the skill of writing more this year. I read Stephen Wilbers Mastering the Craft of Writing at the end of the year, and will go through the exercises next year. I also plan on reading and working through other writing books as well. I do this because I have a passion to write, yet I realize I’m too wordy and unskilled at it in various ways. Devoting a year to it will not immediately make me an excellent writer, but I’m hoping that by writing more I will be able to be a tad more skilled and communicate my ideas more clearly—all in the long term for the glory of Christ.
That’s the plan. I’ve heard Stephen King quoted, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” I love reading. By the grace of God I have read more in the past two years than I ever thought I would. But now, I want to fixate for a year on writing. I want to “write a lot.” I have a book manuscript I’m working on (although I don’t know if I’ll ever do anything with it). But mainly I want to work on posts for this site. I look forward to the journey.
See you here more frequently in 2019.
