Ask the Author: Samuel M. Powell
Answered Questions (7)
Samuel M. Powell
Hi Cecilia. Thanks for the note. Amazon has it: https://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Ou...
Samuel M. Powell
I'm going to repeat what I said in another question:
1. I try to develop a very detailed outline of each chapter before I start writing. Ideally, the outline already contains all of the ideas I want to say. Typing just fills in a few details.
2. If I'm procrastinating, I wait until there is something even worse that needs doing, like grading student papers. At that point I have some motivation to do something else--like type.
3. Sometimes it's best to just start writing something, worrying about logic, grammar, and coherence later. As Robert Graves is supposed to have said, there is no such thing as good writing, there is only good rewriting, i.e., editing.
4. Sometimes I can't find anything to say because, I realize, I don't understand the subject enough. At that point, I need to study more. The temptation is to not use this as an excuse to read endlessly ("just one more book or article") instead of typing.
5. Don't try to write a masterpiece. Don't hold yourself to an impossibly high standard. I don't pretend that people are going to be reading my books in 50 years or even 20. I'm writing what I want to write because I want to write. Obviously, to get published, you have to write things that others want to read, but don't think that you've got to equal the accomplishment of Shakespeare or Thomas Aquinas.
6. Adopt a blue collar approach: think of writing as a job requiring skill. Practice the skill, do the job. Don't think of it as art that requires "inspiration."
7. As Descartes advised, take big tasks and divide them into small, manageable tasks. Don't write the book all at once; write it one chapter at a time. Divide the chapter into small bits and do them one at a time. If necessary, just write one sentence at a time.
Thanks for asking.
Sam Powell
1. I try to develop a very detailed outline of each chapter before I start writing. Ideally, the outline already contains all of the ideas I want to say. Typing just fills in a few details.
2. If I'm procrastinating, I wait until there is something even worse that needs doing, like grading student papers. At that point I have some motivation to do something else--like type.
3. Sometimes it's best to just start writing something, worrying about logic, grammar, and coherence later. As Robert Graves is supposed to have said, there is no such thing as good writing, there is only good rewriting, i.e., editing.
4. Sometimes I can't find anything to say because, I realize, I don't understand the subject enough. At that point, I need to study more. The temptation is to not use this as an excuse to read endlessly ("just one more book or article") instead of typing.
5. Don't try to write a masterpiece. Don't hold yourself to an impossibly high standard. I don't pretend that people are going to be reading my books in 50 years or even 20. I'm writing what I want to write because I want to write. Obviously, to get published, you have to write things that others want to read, but don't think that you've got to equal the accomplishment of Shakespeare or Thomas Aquinas.
6. Adopt a blue collar approach: think of writing as a job requiring skill. Practice the skill, do the job. Don't think of it as art that requires "inspiration."
7. As Descartes advised, take big tasks and divide them into small, manageable tasks. Don't write the book all at once; write it one chapter at a time. Divide the chapter into small bits and do them one at a time. If necessary, just write one sentence at a time.
Thanks for asking.
Sam Powell
Samuel M. Powell
I'm not sure "inspiration" is the right word. Sometimes I'm studying a topic and realize that there's no book on the specific topic in which I'm interested. That provides opportunity and motivation. That's the case with the book I want to write on the idea of scripture. Sometimes I realize that I've done some much studying and teaching on a subject that I could probably write a book without having to invest several years of research. There's also vanity--the hope that one is somehow contributing to a noble cause and that one's thoughts will be honored and treasured by others.
I guess it's finally a matter of finding an opportunity and taking advantage of it.
Sam Powell
I guess it's finally a matter of finding an opportunity and taking advantage of it.
Sam Powell
Samuel M. Powell
For me on my most recent book, go to: http://samuelmpowell.com/impassioned-...
I wanted to produce a study in the Christian doctrine of creation, and specifically theological anthropology, and I was not satisfied with the general state of scholarship in this area. Many books treat the doctrine of creation in a strictly theological way–without incorporating the results of scientific study. I was convinced that today theological engagement with the sciences is both necessary and salutary. Other books on creation do engage the sciences; however, the majority of these deal with cosmological issues (Big Bang cosmology, quantum physics) or with evolutionary theory. As important as these studies are, they don’t address the concrete realities of human nature. I was initially interested in the Christian idea of freedom and then realized that, relative to freedom, the main theological and pastoral concern of the Christian tradition is emotion (construed broadly enough to include feelings, affects, impulses and desires). It is emotion that is morally and spiritually problematic. Human rationality, on the contrary, is rarely regarded as a problem. Quite the contrary, the Christian tradition has usually identified the image of God with rationality. So, I thought I could contribute to Christian thought by reviewing the concept of emotion in the formative centuries of Christianity and by incorporating the insights of scientific research into a theological understanding of emotion and its relation to reason.
Thanks for asking.
Sam Powell
I wanted to produce a study in the Christian doctrine of creation, and specifically theological anthropology, and I was not satisfied with the general state of scholarship in this area. Many books treat the doctrine of creation in a strictly theological way–without incorporating the results of scientific study. I was convinced that today theological engagement with the sciences is both necessary and salutary. Other books on creation do engage the sciences; however, the majority of these deal with cosmological issues (Big Bang cosmology, quantum physics) or with evolutionary theory. As important as these studies are, they don’t address the concrete realities of human nature. I was initially interested in the Christian idea of freedom and then realized that, relative to freedom, the main theological and pastoral concern of the Christian tradition is emotion (construed broadly enough to include feelings, affects, impulses and desires). It is emotion that is morally and spiritually problematic. Human rationality, on the contrary, is rarely regarded as a problem. Quite the contrary, the Christian tradition has usually identified the image of God with rationality. So, I thought I could contribute to Christian thought by reviewing the concept of emotion in the formative centuries of Christianity and by incorporating the insights of scientific research into a theological understanding of emotion and its relation to reason.
Thanks for asking.
Sam Powell
Samuel M. Powell
Here's some stuff taken from my website: http://samuelmpowell.com/impassioned-...
The Impassioned Life: Reason and Emotion in the Christian Tradition is my latest book, published by Fortress Press and due to appear early in 2016.
Why did I write this book?
Because I wanted to produce a study in the Christian doctrine of creation, and specifically theological anthropology, and I was not satisfied with the general state of scholarship in this area. Many books treat the doctrine of creation in a strictly theological way–without incorporating the results of scientific study. I was convinced that today theological engagement with the sciences is both necessary and salutary. Other books on creation do engage the sciences; however, the majority of these deal with cosmological issues (Big Bang cosmology, quantum physics) or with evolutionary theory. As important as these studies are, they don’t address the concrete realities of human nature. I was initially interested in the Christian idea of freedom and then realized that, relative to freedom, the main theological and pastoral concern of the Christian tradition is emotion (construed broadly enough to include feelings, affects, impulses and desires). It is emotion that is morally and spiritually problematic. Human rationality, on the contrary, is rarely regarded as a problem. Quite the contrary, the Christian tradition has usually identified the image of God with rationality. So, I thought I could contribute to Christian thought by reviewing the concept of emotion in the formative centuries of Christianity and by incorporating the insights of scientific research into a theological understanding of emotion and its relation to reason.
A brief description:
The Impassioned Life argues that theology’s task today is to rethink the nature of the emotions and their relation to human reason. Such rethinking is necessary because the Christian tradition feels ambivalently about the emotions. Armed with a commitment to body-soul dualism, many writers have equated the image of God with rationality and wondered whether emotion is an essential feature of human nature; however, the tradition has also affirmed the value of emotions such as love and compassion and has sometimes asserted the value of so-called negative emotions such as anger. The question, then, is whether the tradition’s pastoral insight into the importance of moderation and control of the emotions requires us to think dualistically about soul (identified with reason) and body (the seat of emotions). To answer this question, The Impassioned Life explores the vital resources of the Christian theological tradition and also of contemporary scientific and psychological research in order to achieve a more adequate theological understanding of the emotions and reason. At heart, it offers a holistic, integrated vision of the Christian life lived passionately in its full range of human feeling as life in the Spirit.
Status report:
I submitted a draft of the book to Fortress Press around June 1, 2015. Their acquisitions editor, Michael Gibson, has read through the draft and seems to like it. I just sent in promotional-information–list of possible endorsers, author information, and so on. Next stop: the tedious interaction with the copy editor, whose job it is to scrutinize the manuscript, looking for errors. The scheduled publication date is Spring 2016.
Thanks for asking.
Sam Powell
The Impassioned Life: Reason and Emotion in the Christian Tradition is my latest book, published by Fortress Press and due to appear early in 2016.
Why did I write this book?
Because I wanted to produce a study in the Christian doctrine of creation, and specifically theological anthropology, and I was not satisfied with the general state of scholarship in this area. Many books treat the doctrine of creation in a strictly theological way–without incorporating the results of scientific study. I was convinced that today theological engagement with the sciences is both necessary and salutary. Other books on creation do engage the sciences; however, the majority of these deal with cosmological issues (Big Bang cosmology, quantum physics) or with evolutionary theory. As important as these studies are, they don’t address the concrete realities of human nature. I was initially interested in the Christian idea of freedom and then realized that, relative to freedom, the main theological and pastoral concern of the Christian tradition is emotion (construed broadly enough to include feelings, affects, impulses and desires). It is emotion that is morally and spiritually problematic. Human rationality, on the contrary, is rarely regarded as a problem. Quite the contrary, the Christian tradition has usually identified the image of God with rationality. So, I thought I could contribute to Christian thought by reviewing the concept of emotion in the formative centuries of Christianity and by incorporating the insights of scientific research into a theological understanding of emotion and its relation to reason.
A brief description:
The Impassioned Life argues that theology’s task today is to rethink the nature of the emotions and their relation to human reason. Such rethinking is necessary because the Christian tradition feels ambivalently about the emotions. Armed with a commitment to body-soul dualism, many writers have equated the image of God with rationality and wondered whether emotion is an essential feature of human nature; however, the tradition has also affirmed the value of emotions such as love and compassion and has sometimes asserted the value of so-called negative emotions such as anger. The question, then, is whether the tradition’s pastoral insight into the importance of moderation and control of the emotions requires us to think dualistically about soul (identified with reason) and body (the seat of emotions). To answer this question, The Impassioned Life explores the vital resources of the Christian theological tradition and also of contemporary scientific and psychological research in order to achieve a more adequate theological understanding of the emotions and reason. At heart, it offers a holistic, integrated vision of the Christian life lived passionately in its full range of human feeling as life in the Spirit.
Status report:
I submitted a draft of the book to Fortress Press around June 1, 2015. Their acquisitions editor, Michael Gibson, has read through the draft and seems to like it. I just sent in promotional-information–list of possible endorsers, author information, and so on. Next stop: the tedious interaction with the copy editor, whose job it is to scrutinize the manuscript, looking for errors. The scheduled publication date is Spring 2016.
Thanks for asking.
Sam Powell
Samuel M. Powell
Being able to do what you want to do. Having the sense that you are giving verbal expression to thoughts and feelings that others have. Doing something creative. Participating in a dialog about important matters that has been going on for millennia.
Samuel M. Powell
There are (for a writer) few things worse than sitting in front of a blank screen trying to come up with something. Here's what I do:
1. I try to develop a very detailed outline of each chapter before I start writing. Ideally, the outline already contains all of the ideas I want to say. Typing just fills in a few details.
2. If I'm procrastinating, I wait until there is something even worse that needs doing, like grading student papers. At that point I have some motivation to do something else--like type.
3. Sometimes it's best to just start writing something, anything, worrying about logic, grammar, and coherence later. As Robert Graves is supposed to have said, there is no such thing as good writing, there is only good rewriting, i.e., editing. Just get something on the screen and fit it later.
4. Sometimes I can't find anything to say because, I realize, I don't understand the subject enough. At that point, I need to study more. The temptation is to not use this as an excuse to read endlessly ("just one more book or article") instead of typing.
5. Don't try to write a masterpiece. Don't hold yourself to an impossibly high standard. I don't pretend that people are going to be reading my books in 50 years or even 20. I'm writing what I want to write because I want to write. Obviously, to get published, you have to write things that others want to read, but don't think that you've got to equal the accomplishment of Shakespeare or Thomas Aquinas.
6. Adopt a blue collar approach: think of writing as a job requiring skill. Practice the skill, do the job. Don't think of it as art that requires "inspiration."
7. As Descartes advised, take big tasks and divide them into small, manageable tasks. Don't write the book all at once; write it one chapter at a time. Divide the chapter into small bits and do them one at a time. If necessary, just write one sentence at a time.
Hope this helps. If you get any good ideas, let me know.
Sam Powell
1. I try to develop a very detailed outline of each chapter before I start writing. Ideally, the outline already contains all of the ideas I want to say. Typing just fills in a few details.
2. If I'm procrastinating, I wait until there is something even worse that needs doing, like grading student papers. At that point I have some motivation to do something else--like type.
3. Sometimes it's best to just start writing something, anything, worrying about logic, grammar, and coherence later. As Robert Graves is supposed to have said, there is no such thing as good writing, there is only good rewriting, i.e., editing. Just get something on the screen and fit it later.
4. Sometimes I can't find anything to say because, I realize, I don't understand the subject enough. At that point, I need to study more. The temptation is to not use this as an excuse to read endlessly ("just one more book or article") instead of typing.
5. Don't try to write a masterpiece. Don't hold yourself to an impossibly high standard. I don't pretend that people are going to be reading my books in 50 years or even 20. I'm writing what I want to write because I want to write. Obviously, to get published, you have to write things that others want to read, but don't think that you've got to equal the accomplishment of Shakespeare or Thomas Aquinas.
6. Adopt a blue collar approach: think of writing as a job requiring skill. Practice the skill, do the job. Don't think of it as art that requires "inspiration."
7. As Descartes advised, take big tasks and divide them into small, manageable tasks. Don't write the book all at once; write it one chapter at a time. Divide the chapter into small bits and do them one at a time. If necessary, just write one sentence at a time.
Hope this helps. If you get any good ideas, let me know.
Sam Powell
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