Pro Tips for Busy Writers Archives

Pro Tips for Busy Writers: Alex Stewart

To this continuing series on “Pro Tips for Busy Writers,” I’m pleased to welcome Alex Stewart, Academic Dean and Associate Professor of New Testament Language and Literature at Tyndale Theological Seminary in the Netherlands.

Alex and I met during our time at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Alex has published sixteen articles or essays, written or co-authored five books, and begun a second PhD.

By this point in your career, you’ve likely worked on several writing projects concurrently (e.g., articles, books). What’s a memorable example of a cluster of projects you worked on concurrently?

There is always overlap with writing projects, revisions, etc. This is necessary because, even after you submit an article or book, there are several months before you receive feedback which often requires returning to the project to make changes.

The nature of the beast requires constantly bouncing back and forth between projects to see them to completion. I have been making progress on a second academic monograph in the background for the past five years or so while doing other articles and smaller books.

Concurrent projects slow down each of the individual projects but often benefit from synergism in the research.

Larger projects (e.g., a dissertation, a second monograph) can be more important but less urgent than others (e.g., conference papers, book reviews). How do you avoid letting good-but-less-important projects push out or cause you to procrastinate on those that are more important but less urgent?

This is not easy. Before giving my main strategy, I want to mention two practices which slow down larger projects but are worth it. They both provide short-term loss but long-term gain.

1. Book Reviews

First, despite what many people say, I have greatly benefited from doing book reviews. I have averaged 3–4 book reviews a semester for various journals over the past several years.

These require time, but the semesters are often so busy with teaching, advising, and other administrative duties that they are more conducive to one-off book reviews.

It is sometimes easier to squeeze in reading and writing a book review during an otherwise full week than to get the time and mental energy to make progress on a difficult or demanding larger project.

The benefits are tremendous. I keep more up to speed with recent work in my field and in related areas.

I try not to review books too far removed (due to lack of competence) but often dabble in related areas of interest. In particular, when I know I will be working on a topic in the next 6 to 12 months, I request related books to review in advance.

As you develop relationships with book review editors, you will often be able to ask for specific books.

Finally, although book reviews do not contribute to tenure or promotion, they make a significant contribution to the field.

Sometimes I regret requesting a particular book. But more often than not, I gain new perspectives and insights that I would have missed if I had just been reading and researching for the next writing project.

2. Reading Groups

Second, I began a Greek reading group with students when I first started teaching at Tyndale Theological Seminary. This group has met from 8:30–9:00 am Monday through Friday every week during the semesters for the past seven years. I also started and ran a half-hour Hebrew Bible and LXX reading group for a year and a half.

Students who regularly participate make tremendous progress, but I have benefited the most from this practice. I am convinced that genuine competence comes from the daily and automatic habits that shape our lives and productivity.

Sometimes I match the reading with projects (e.g., we read Revelation this past semester because I am working on several concurrent projects on Revelation this year). But even apart from that, regularly reading and translating the primary sources builds a deep well of competence over time.

3. Long-term Strategy

Both of these practices (lots of book reviews and regular and extensive time reading Greek and Hebrew) don’t directly help immediate projects and often slow them down. They are a short-term loss.

The long-term benefits, however, are incredible and hard to quantify (or at least that’s what I will keep telling myself).

The best strategy I have used for making progress on long-term projects came from the academic dean who recruited me for Tyndale, Drake Williams. He encouraged me to outline the next academic monograph and then seek to fill in the sections with conference presentations over time. This could take years but would eventually lead to a completed monograph.

Every January, I consider the various conferences for the year in the U.S. and Europe and send out proposals related to sections in the next long-term major book (in my case, my second academic monograph). Between ETS, IBR, SBL, the Vrije Universiteit NT Seminar, and an annual summer conference at KU Leuven, I normally send off 4–6 paper proposals annually and end up presenting 3–5 papers a year.

Most of these papers are strategically related to the long-term project, although some end up being one-off articles. These accepted proposals then become a part of my research agenda for the year.

The final paper doesn’t always exactly fit the major project, and I end up publishing it on its own. But it still helped build the research foundation for the larger project.

When you’ve worked on multiple projects concurrently, what processes, principles, or practices have you used to be sure you’re making good progress on all fronts?

The closest deadline gets all the attention. It is about that simple.

The other key has to do with summer and winter breaks. Everyone has different responsibilities and priorities, but I make most of my research and writing progress between semesters.

We take a normal family vacation. But aside from that, I treat school breaks as normal workdays and will be in the office 8:00–5:00 Monday through Friday researching and writing. I don’t know if this is an early career versus late career thing, but it has been the key to my research output.

I remember my first summer as a teacher when I didn’t have any projects with deadlines to work on. I still came in every day and read through and took notes on most of Charlesworth’s two-volume Old Testament Pseudepigrapha.

Research and writing productively simply takes time and hard work. If you treat school breaks as normal work weeks you will make significant progress over time.

Do you divide your process between research and writing? If so, how?

For one-off articles, I first outline the article and write an abstract of what I think I will argue.

I then try to read and take notes on 15–20 important articles or book chapters and 1–2 monographs. Then I go back and write the article.

Sometimes the final product has very little to do with the originally intended abstract, arguments, and claims.

What do you do to help you avoid overcommitting yourself either on timelines that are too short for their projects or on how many projects you take on? How do you avoid undercommitting?

This balance changes with the years (early career versus late career). As a young scholar, I have said yes to every opportunity since there have actually been very few invitations.

Some people seem to become very well networked during the course of their PhD program and get multiple contracts from the very beginning. This was not my story. I had nobody seeking me out to write chapters, submit articles, edit volumes, or do anything really.

Publishers are increasingly interested in your author platform, and if you don’t have a platform, they will likely have little interest in your proposal.

I responded by focusing more on peer-reviewed journal articles. You don’t need to be famous or have a platform to pass double-blind peer review. You simply need to do good work.

I also developed many book proposals and actively tried to shop them to publishers at the annual SBL meeting, but this has not been terribly successful.

As far as I can tell, a young scholar with no name recognition and few major connections simply needs to work hard with blind peer review venues.

I am at a bit of a turning point in my own academic journey after seven years of full-time teaching, and the danger of overcommitment is looming. Time will tell how I navigate it.

Administrative responsibilities and teaching load play a big role in how much research and writing can be accomplished without sacrificing quality.

When working on multiple projects concurrently, what tools do you use (e.g., filing systems, project management tools, apps)?

I have no major advice here. I keep a different folder for each separate project into which I put articles and other related pages. I often have files with further research ideas or for things I need to explore further in the future.

What are two or more projects you’re particularly excited about that you’re now working on concurrently?

I am really excited about four books which are all currently underway.

My second monograph on fear appeals and the rhetorical use of divine threat in antiquity has been in process for several years. I should be able to land the plane within three years. This will continue building on the theme of motivation I discussed in my revised dissertation.

I am also working on the Revelation volume for the EGGNT series with B&H. I am co-editing a volume with Alan Bandy on Revelation with Lexham Press that has some incredible contributors. Finally, I am finishing up a small, popular-level volume on Revelation for Lexham Press called Five Rules for Reading Revelation.

What closing advice (if any) would you offer to (post-)graduate students and new faculty as they try to become comfortable and competent for themselves in making progress concurrently on multiple writing projects?

Don’t compare yourself with others, and don’t rush things.

No scholar, even the most prolific, can research and write on everything. You can’t be an expert on everything, but you will be able to make a significant contribution on something.

Also, don’t sacrifice long-term competencies for short-term gains. Develop the habits which will build genuine competence over time.

Pro Tips for Busy Writers: David DeSilva

To the series “Pro Tips for Busy Writers,” I’m pleased to welcome David DeSilva.

David is the Trustees’ Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Greek at Ashland Theological Seminary.

David has published or in press more than 15 academic books and another 13 for popular audiences. Beyond this, he has contributed upwards of 50 articles and essays to journals and edited volumes.

For more about David, see his personal website.

Larger projects (e.g., a dissertation, a second monograph) can be more important but less urgent than others (e.g., conference papers, book reviews). How do you avoid letting good-but-less-important projects push out or cause you to procrastinate on those that are more important but less urgent?

I’m personally not very good at this, but the key is, first, to say “no” to conference papers, invitations to contribute essays, and especially to book reviews (and usually invitations to respond to questionnaires that aren’t about one of my projects!).

[Given this principle, my special thanks to David for his decision not to say “no” to participating in this interview! 🙂 ]

I think I’ve done five book reviews in the last decade. When I do think about conference papers or essay invitations, I try to make sure they are in line with my current (or anticipated) project so that my head keeps swimming in the same pool.

When you’ve worked on multiple projects concurrently, what processes, principles, or practices have you used to be sure you’re making good progress on all fronts?

To be honest, I don’t really work on projects concurrently. If necessary, I set the one aside and get the other done, then return to the first one.

I find immersion to be the best way for me to make progress on something.

Do you divide your process between research and writing? If so, how?

Yes, I tend to try to do the bulk of the research first, take a plenitude of notes, and shape them into the orderly progression that will become the article or book.

Of course, new questions arise in the course of the actual writing. But those tend to be rather specific things that I had not anticipated having to dig into and don’t stall the writing process too much.

What do you do to help you avoid overcommitting yourself either on timelines that are too short for their projects or on how many projects you take on? How do you avoid undercommitting?

Undercommitting has just never been a danger for me. I’ve used those rare occasions when I’ve had free time between projects to be creative in other ways, like composing anthems or arranging organ music for my church work.

I have a serious problem with overcommitting, and I’ll simply say that it’s better to err on the side of undercommitting—and having some good free time for other interests or just for the tasks of home ownership and yard maintenance!—than on the side of overcommitting.

The Hebrew Bible image for enjoying covenant blessings was sitting under one’s vines and trees, not incessantly working on them.

When working on multiple projects concurrently, what tools do you use (e.g., filing systems, project management tools, apps)?

When I can’t avoid working on multiple projects in the same time frame, I tend to compartmentalize and devote, say, Monday and Tuesday to the one and Thursday and Saturday to the other (before our kids were grown, however, Saturdays were sacred to playing!). That way, I can keep my focus in one place at a time.

But in these cases, they’ve also been significantly different kinds of projects, e.g., working on the Greek handbook on Galatians (so a lot of very technical and not-so-creative work) alongside writing my novel, Day of Atonement.

Organization is, of course, essential. I’ve never used “project management tools.” I just put all the physical books I need for one project on one group of shelves and those for the other on another group of shelves. I divide all my notes and drafts into appropriate folders on my computer desktop.

How has your approach to concurrent writing projects changed over time?

I have accepted my tunnel-vision approach and try not to work against myself.

What are two or more projects you’re particularly excited about that you’re now working on concurrently?

I’m excited not to be working on two or more projects concurrently!

What closing advice (if any) would you offer to (post-)graduate students and new faculty as they try to become comfortable and competent for themselves in making progress concurrently on multiple writing projects?

Publish articles and present papers on the way to completing larger monographs. If there are key new works that you must engage to do your own research, target those (and only those) for book reviews. (This is essentially advice not to get involved in concurrent projects, but to get the most out of a single project.)

Don’t stress yourself out about the quality of what you’re writing. Just keep working at the level at which you were working as you successfully completed your dissertation.

What you did once, you can do again—and again. Your skills will naturally grow with use and exercise, particularly as you keep engaging the research of your peers.

What’s your biggest take away from this interview?

Header image provided by Freddie Marriage via Unsplash

Pro Tips for Busy Writers: Anthony Le Donne

To this continuing series on “Pro Tips for Busy Writers,” I’m pleased to welcome Anthony Le Donne, Associate Professor of New Testament at United Theological Seminary.

Anthony has authored or edited thirteen books. He also serves as the executive editor for the Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus.

By this point in your career, you’ve likely worked on several writing projects concurrently (e.g., articles, books). What’s a memorable example of a cluster of projects you worked on concurrently?

My most recent example is in 2017–2018. In that two-year span I published five books.

Two I wrote from start to finish in the span of a year. Two were projects that I had started a few years before. And one was a co-edited project with a few colleagues who did the heavy lifting for the project toward the end.

One reason for the cluster is that some books take forever to write or edit and others come together rather quickly.

Larger projects (e.g., a dissertation, a second monograph) can be more important but less urgent than others (e.g., conference papers, book reviews). How do you avoid letting good-but-less-important projects push out or cause you to procrastinate on those that are more important but less urgent?

I think it’s important to know yourself as a writer. If you know that writing a book review will take a full week of your life, think hard about whether you can devote this kind of time.

Of course, say no if you can to such projects. But if you know that you can read, process, and write a book review in a day (and that this will be a positive experience for you), it may be worth it.

I will say one more thing about priorities: don’t let anything get in the way of your dissertation. Work on it every day, even if its only writing a few words or formatting a footnote. Make it a daily habit to write.

This was advice I got from a mentor when I was a student and I’ve tried to take it seriously. I write (almost) every day.

Do you divide your process between research and writing? If so, how?

I usually research while I write. Sometimes this is messy, but I use writing my own thoughts to process what I’m reading.

I know really smart people who take meticulous notes as they read so that they can organize their thoughts before they begin writing. This seems like a good idea too, just not for me.

If I need to read an entire book, sometimes I trick myself into not being tempted by the keyboard. I’ll take the book somewhere (maybe to a park) and leave the computer and phone behind.

What closing advice (if any) would you offer to (post-)graduate students and new faculty as they try to become comfortable and competent for themselves in making progress concurrently on multiple writing projects?

My advice—and I don’t know if it’s good or bad—is to avoid publishing until you’ve got your PhD in hand. Give yourself time to grow into your scholarly voice. Everyone I’ve ever met who published their MA thesis (or parts of it) has come to regret it.

What’s your biggest takeaway from this interview?

Header image provided by Freddie Marriage via Unsplash

Pro Tips for Busy Writers: Jason Maston

To this continuing series on “Pro Tips for Busy Writers,” I’m pleased to welcome Jason Maston, Assistant Professor of Theology at Houston Baptist University.

Along with Ben Blackwell and John Goodrich, Jason co-edited the newly released Reading Revelation in Context: John and Second Temple Judaism (Zondervan). In addition, Jason has co-edited another five volumes.

Jason’s other publications include Divine and Human Agency in Second Temple Judaism and Paul: A Comparative Approach (Mohr Siebeck, 2010) and a number of scholarly articles.

Jason blogs at Dunelm Road with Ben Blackwell (who has also contributed to this series of “Pro Tips”), John Goodrich, and Ed Kaneen.

By this point in your career, you’ve likely worked on several writing projects concurrently (e.g., articles, books). What’s a memorable example of a cluster of projects you worked on concurrently?

2014–2016 was a busy time with the publication of Reading Romans in Context and Paul and the Apocalyptic Imagination, and Reading Mark in Context and Anthropology and New Testament Theology were well underway.

I was also working on a couple of articles and moved countries in December 2014 to start a new job. Keeping up with all the contributors and publishers was difficult, but each of these projects was meaningful to me.

Larger projects (e.g., a dissertation, a second monograph) can be more important but less urgent than others (e.g., conference papers, book reviews). How do you avoid letting good-but-less-important projects push out or cause you to procrastinate on those that are more important but less urgent?

Honestly, I’ve not done well here since I’ve not yet gotten a second monograph. In terms of publishing most of my energy has been on edited volumes and articles. At the same time, throughout my career I’ve had a heavy teaching load and significant administrative duties.

I do try to overlap projects when possible. If you are presenting somewhere, make it align with your current major work.

Don’t spend much time on book reviews, unless it is a serious critical review. Hiring committees are more interested in one serious article than ten book reviews. If you are doing reviews, only do them on books directly related to your current work or on books that you know will be relevant to you at some point.

When you’ve worked on multiple projects concurrently, what processes, principles, or practices have you used to be sure you’re making good progress on all fronts?

I try to coordinate projects with my teaching schedule. If I can teach on something I’m researching, then it saves me time and energy.

When I’m really busy with deadlines, I keep a schedule of due dates and set a schedule for when I want to have something completed.

I also try to get more than one publication out of a topic. For example I wrote several pieces on Pauline anthropology, one of which was put in Anthropology and New Testament Theology.

Do you divide your process between research and writing? If so, how?

The balance between research and writing is partially determined by how much I know about a topic.

If I’m working on something new (like my contribution to Reading Revelation in Context), then I will read some commentaries and articles to get a feel for the issues. I then sketch out what I think I want to argue. If I’m working on something familiar, then I start writing almost immediately.

For me, writing is necessary almost from the start of any project. It’s only when I begin to put words on paper that my thoughts start to come together. I then see the gaps in my own thinking or issues that I don’t think others have resolved.

What do you do to help you avoid overcommitting yourself either on timelines that are too short for their projects or on how many projects you take on? How do you avoid undercommitting?

Two thoughts come to mind here. First, I think one should only publish when there is a clear benefit to the academy or some other audience (e.g., students or the church). Not everything needs to be published, and I try to only publish things that are worthwhile (I’ll leave it to others to judge if I’ve been successful with this).

Second, I’m selfish with my publications. I don’t accept every offer that I get. When considering a project, I ask questions such as these: how will it help me personally (e.g., in my understanding of some topic, in my career)? If the project is not in my normal area, how much time will it take from me? How widely received will the publication be?

When working on multiple projects concurrently, what tools do you use (e.g., filing systems, project management tools, apps)?

I’m a huge fan of Zotero for all bibliography stuff. I don’t see any reason for making footnotes when Zotero will do it for me. There are other bibliography systems, but Zotero is free and links nicely with Word.

What are two or more projects you’re particularly excited about that you’re now working on concurrently?

I’m an associate editor for a new series in New Testament Theology being published by Cambridge University Press.

The previous series edited by James Dunn served the previous generation of scholarship admirably. However several of the volumes are now outdated.

Under the guidance of John Barclay, and along with Ben Blackwell and John Goodrich, we are issuing 19 new volumes over the next five years. I’m writing the volume on 1 Peter.

I’m also working on the way that Psalm 8 is interpreted in Hebrews. My goal is a short monograph.

What closing advice (if any) would you offer to (post-)graduate students and new faculty as they try to become comfortable and competent for themselves in making progress concurrently on multiple writing projects?

Be realistic. Many of us work at institutions that focus primarily on teaching, and administrative tasks are always increasing. A major monograph may not be possible as one adjusts to teaching new preps and completes administrative duties. Don’t compare yourself to others who may not have the same tasks as you.

Write for yourself. Every project should have some benefit for you.

Write what matters. Don’t assume that every thought you have needs to be published. Some of the best scholars in the world have only produced a few monographs over their careers. But these monographs are groundbreaking. They are the ones still read 30 years after their publication.

What’s your biggest takeaway from this interview?

Header image provided by Freddie Marriage via Unsplash

Pro Tips for Busy Writers: Matthew Bates

To this continuing series on “Pro Tips for Busy Writers,” I’m pleased to welcome Matthew Bates, Associate Professor of Theology at Quincy University.¹

Matthew has just released his fourth book, Gospel Allegiance, which continues the line of argument from his Salvation by Allegiance Alone. Personally, I’ve particularly appreciated Matthew’s Hermeneutics of the Apostolic Proclamation, which does an excellent job trying to sketch a portrait of a hermeneutically coherent Paul.

Matthew co-hosts the OnScript podcast and keeps a personal website where you can learn more about him.

By this point in your career, you’ve likely worked on several writing projects concurrently (e.g., articles, books). What’s a memorable example of a cluster of projects you worked on concurrently?

I drafted Salvation by Allegiance Alone (Baker Academic, 2017) while working on revising and copyediting The Birth of the Trinity (Oxford University Press, 2015).

Larger projects (e.g., a dissertation, a second monograph) can be more important but less urgent than others (e.g., conference papers, book reviews). How do you avoid letting good-but-less-important projects push out or cause you to procrastinate on those that are more important but less urgent?

Be passionate about your own research agenda. Do not let someone else’s agenda co-opt your time and talents. You’ll find yourself exhausted and producing lower quality work if you try to sustain projects you care little about. Say ‘no’ to less important projects. Always. Well, as much as possible without alienating friends and mentors. If you don’t have a spine, grow one, so you can find a nice way to say ‘no.’

When you’ve worked on multiple projects concurrently, what processes, principles, or practices have you used to be sure you’re making good progress on all fronts?

I try my best never to draft multiple projects simultaneously, although I revise and edit nearly finished projects concurrent with drafting new ones. But for drafting, which requires more creative effort, I work in a strictly linear fashion, starting and completing each project without letting any other writing work intervene. I want and need total immersion (especially if the subject is baptism—sorry, bad joke, couldn’t resist).

Even within my book projects I always work sequentially, writing the introduction and each chapter in order, then the conclusion. I don’t skip around at all, except I may rearrange slightly while in the midst of the writing process. Once a project is drafted, however, I always let it sit on the shelf for a minimum of three weeks before revising it—and during that time I may start a new project. I find copy-editing, proofreading, and book reviews can be a welcome break when I am in the middle of drafting a major project (e.g., between book chapters).

Momentum is key. Find a large enough block of time to get moving. Then have a weekly writing schedule that you refuse to disrupt. Do. Not. Stop. I also find it invigorating to read some good fiction while doing my academic writing.

Do you divide your process between research and writing? If so, how?

I do enough preliminary reading and research to get oriented and to feel certain that I know mostly where my argument is heading. But after that I read and write simultaneously. I find that if I do too much preliminary research, I have trouble finding my own voice, and my creative energy is stunted. My best research-writing, I think, is informed by what others have written, but rarely driven by it.

What do you do to help you avoid overcommitting yourself either on timelines that are too short for their projects or on how many projects you take on? How do you avoid undercommitting?

While it is important to be a team player, working with others on large projects that matter, I teach a heavy load. So I really have to believe in it to say ‘yes.’ Personally, under-committing isn’t possible. I want to safeguard time to work on the projects that I feel matter for the church and the academy, so that I have a margin that permits me to say ‘yes’ when I spot a new opportunity.

When working on multiple projects concurrently, what tools do you use (e.g., filing systems, project management tools, apps)?

Apart from interlibrary loan, only Microsoft Word, files of electronic articles, the internet, and past bibliographies I’ve created.

How has your approach to concurrent writing projects changed over time?

In the past I wasn’t as careful. Now I avoid concurrent writing as if it is a plague of death, at least for initial drafts. I’ve learned over time that I work better if I am deeply engaged in only one project at a time. Given this seems to be rooted in my psyche, I doubt this will ever change.

What are two or more projects you’re particularly excited about that you’re now working on concurrently?

While finishing final edits and proofreading for Gospel Allegiance (Brazos, 2019), I was drafting a more scholarly article on “faith.” When I finished that, I started penning a dictionary article on Paul’s gospel. I am about to start a new book on salvation for Brazos. I will be revising and editing the articles while writing the new book.

What closing advice (if any) would you offer to (post-)graduate students and new faculty as they try to become comfortable and competent for themselves in making progress concurrently on multiple writing projects?

Only this: If you are like me, you’ll be most efficient if you work sequentially. Do not try to work on multiple creative projects concurrently. But you might not be like me. I might be weird. We can be friends anyway, I hope.

Header image provided by Freddie Marriage via Unsplash. ↩

Pro Tips for Busy Writers: Ben Blackwell

To this continuing series on “Pro Tips for Busy Writers,” I’m glad to welcome Ben Blackwell, Director of Houston Theological Seminary at Houston Baptist University.¹

Ben has published several books and scholarly essays. His monograph Christosis is now in its second edition (Eerdmans, 2016), and he has a further volume currently forthcoming, Participating in the Righteousness of God: Justification in Pauline Theology (Eerdmans, 2020).

Ben blogs at Dunelm Road with John Goodrich, Ed Kaneen, and Jason Maston.

By this point in your career, you’ve likely worked on several writing projects concurrently (e.g., articles, books). What’s a memorable example of a cluster of projects you worked on concurrently?

It seems that almost all my projects are overlapping others in some ways. I’ve had the pleasure of working on joint edited volumes with a couple of friends. These include Reading Romans in Context, Reading Mark in Context, Reading Revelation in Context, and Paul and the Apocalyptic Imagination.

One of those projects always seems to be going, so my individual articles, essays, and books are concurrent projects. Over the past couple of years I co-authored a theology textbook, Engaging Theology, while also trying to make progress on a monograph, Participating in the Righteousness of God. As time progresses, the opportunities to write increase, and my selectivity has had to substantively increase.

I should also note that I had a brain condition arise about 2 years ago. It wasn’t life-threatening, but it set me back about a year. Its greatest damage was to my productivity, and so I’ve borne a bit of additional stress (not unlike my PhD days) since I’ve had overlapping deadlines.

Larger projects (e.g., a dissertation, a second monograph) can be more important but less urgent than others (e.g., conference papers, book reviews). How do you avoid letting good-but-less-important projects push out or cause you to procrastinate on those that are more important but less urgent?

The tyranny of the urgent is a real factor. I find that administrative work is more distracting than smaller projects. I tend to find that the smaller projects give me the space and deadlines to keep advancing when administrative work and teaching maintain their relentless demands.

Of course, saying yes to essay requests, or even book projects, can eat into your time and dilute your productivity if you are not selective. But, I have found benefit in them because they offer external deadlines that motivate completion in a way that my internal motivation doesn’t always produce. So, you need a balance. I find the committed projects get the most attention since they have external deadlines, so I’ve not been as fruitful in the journal article area since these don’t have deadlines.

When you’ve worked on multiple projects concurrently, what processes, principles, or practices have you used to be sure you’re making good progress on all fronts?

I’ve found the most helpful thing is to have regular dedicated time, particularly chunks of time. Since it seems to take at least 2–3 hours to make substantive progress for me, I block out sections of time and either shut my door or work out of my office. (I get almost nothing done at home beyond email, so I find coffee shops most helpful.)

For example, when I was doing my PhD, I knew I needed to have a journal article published before I graduated to demonstrate my research competencies, so I devoted every Thursday night just to that task. It took about a year at that pace, but it produced a product on glory in Romans that’s been well received: “Immortal Glory and the Problem of Death in Romans 3:23.” Now that I have day hours, I block out chunks during the day.

Do you divide your process between research and writing? If so, how?

I don’t guess the distinction between research and writing is one that I use since I’m always writing as I research. Of course, I read monographs and articles just to advance my knowledge, but if something is relevant to a project, I try to sit down when I’m working through it to incorporate the key ideas or quotes into whatever writing project it relates to. I’m a mostly in-the-moment kind of person, so I tend to read and focus on each project serially, though I’ve got a word document going for each project, so as I come across ideas I’ll add references and quotes so I can come back to them later.

Some of my best ideas come out of teaching, and that can be an underestimated source of writing. When I have the luxury of teaching a more focused class, it can be very helpful for me to test ideas and to sharpen the presentation of those ideas. However, it can be difficult since even graduate students can’t always catch the places where you are pushing academic boundaries into new areas since they are still trying to grasp where things are currently at.

What do you do to help you avoid overcommitting yourself either on timelines that are too short for their projects or on how many projects you take on?

I am the king of overcommitting because I overestimate my ability to produce in a timely manner. Most often this is related to administrative roles.

I have a former life as a CPA (now inactive) with an MBA and worked for seven years as a benefits consultant on retirement and medical plans for corporations. Beyond the general business acumen I accumulated, I also became very proficient at Excel and budgeting. These are key skills that the university finds helpful since most around me are not as adept at these things that keep institutions going.

I also have a knack for recruiting graduate students. So, I’ve rotated through being department chair, graduate director, interim dean, and now director of our seminary. I’ve had to learn to book in time just for the unseen issues that always arise with roles like these.

When a project arises, I now consciously think about what it should take and then plan for it to take almost twice as long because I know that the workable bits of my schedule will get eaten up by some administrative or teaching duty. Another reason for doubling the time is an attempt to pay better attention to my health. While I don’t have any lingering side effects from my brain issue, I do think I’ve lost some stamina that helped me push through in the past. So, being realistic about what I can mentally and emotionally process is just a reality that I didn’t have to consider before.

Booking in sabbath is necessary for longevity and production. I got to below empty this spring, and it took me almost the whole summer to recharge my batteries. I intentionally never teach in the summer because I know I always go full-tilt in the regular semesters and need that recuperation time.

As you consider the amount of time to commit, another issue to consider is the afterlife of the project. No project is done even when you send off the “final” manuscript. There are potentially multiple rounds of responding to editor responses and the requisite time and effort spent developing indexes. Plus, with books, there are all the necessary marketing aspects, particularly if the you’re not just with a strictly academic press. This includes managing endorsements, blog work, etc. If you don’t mentally book in that space, it can really throw off your subsequent projects.

When working on multiple projects concurrently, what tools do you use (e.g., filing systems, project management tools, apps)?

The primary tool is having a Word document for each project. As I mentioned, I work on projects serially, so there’s always a chapter or essay that I’m currently working on which will be organized into sections, etc.

For the other projects, I keep both a Word document with general list for ideas that are in the germination phase and another document for each project that has spawned into something specific. The general list has paper ideas that I think I would like to come back to some day but that I haven’t thought through enough to have an outline or anything. The specific projects are ones that I have usually committed to or just have in progress.

How has your approach to concurrent writing projects changed over time?

I try more and more to use my concurrent projects to overlap in some way. That way, I can maximize my productivity and use the multiple projects to sharpen my thinking about my larger monograph projects.

That said, some opportunities just don’t fit. I’ve not written nor will I come back to anything on Revelation and the Damascus Document anytime soon. So when I was working on Reading Revelation in Context, I just had to add that to my Paul and reception history work. While I was not as efficient on the Revelation project, it is helpful and even necessary to branch out of your comfort areas to expand your competencies.

What are two or more projects you’re particularly excited about that you’re now working on concurrently?

I’m most excited about my in-progress monograph—Participating in the Righteousness of God. It’s been delayed by at least two years beyond when I first expected to finish it, but those delays have been providential because some new work has come out in the meantime that has given me clarity on the project. The next monograph that I’m just at the initial phases on is the Theology of 1 and 2 Thessalonians for an update to the Cambridge series.

What closing advice would you offer to (post-)graduate students and new faculty as they try to become comfortable and competent for themselves in making progress concurrently on multiple writing projects?

While writing is important and gives an opportunity to have a dispersed impact, I believe investing in institutions and people is necessary for the longevity of our work as well. Finding that balance is necessary. Institutions are generally poor at valuing anything other than that which contributes to the current need, so they will often not value writing even though it is necessary for the reputation of the institution (and your career progression).

Everyone will have different gifts, but acknowledging to yourself the value of institutional progress and personal writing progress is necessary. By understanding and evaluating the relative value, you can then allocate your time appropriately to those relative areas.

Header image provided by Freddie Marriage via Unsplash. ↩