I’m spent and content. Moments ago, I wrote the last few words for a book I kinda needed to finish today. It’s a book about the change needed in youth ministry, built on the framework of the closing general session talk I gave at last fall’s national youth workers conventions.
I tried to crank it out over the chrismas holidays, but only got 4500 words written. It’s not meant to be a long book, by any stretch of the imagination. But 4500 words is a long article, or a pamphlet, not a book. Jay, our publisher, told me it needed to be more than 15,000 at a minimum, and hopefully more like 20,000 words. I hadn’t found time to work on it since christmas, so I carved out these last three days in my calendar a month ago.
Now, it has 21,188 words, plus 78 endnotes. What a relief.
I’m extremely pumped about this book, its message, and what ys is going to do with it (some very unconventional plans). We’re cranking it out and it should be available this fall.
Lots of editing and research to clean it up and finalize it, but I think I’ll get someone else to do most of that for me.
I needed somewhere quiet and distraction free to write these three days, so I’ve been getting dropped off at the house of a co-worker each day (she and her husband both work, and the house is empty). But my ride doesn’t come to pick me up for an hour yet, so I think I’ll take a nap!
Congratulations on what I’m sure will be another job well done. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to make that talk, so I’m looking forward to the book.
good stuff on finishing.
i look forward to reading.
Nice work, guy!
let me get my hands on it and you got a blog review right here…
truly am excited for it
Have you read Andrew Root’s new book “Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry”? It was published by IVP. I highly recommend it and I think you’ll really be blown away by how theologically rich it is. Dr. Root is one of Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean’s students.
yes, i have andy’s book, josh, but haven’t read it yet. it’s on my “to read” stack. i hope it’s theologically rich, as it is a revision of his dissertation!
you know you wanna send me a manuscript…
: )
Todd
Marko-
Are you able to give out the title of the book yet, or are you still waiting for the copyright stuff.
-Kevin
kevin — it doesn’t have a title yet, or i would gladly give it out. the working title is “youth ministry 3.0”, but that could totally change.
Might I recommend starting a new feature here called “Book in Need of Title?” I’d the opp to read your manuscript and name your book.
How about you start a topic somewhere on books that need to be written… So many youth min isters don’t have time, creativity or knowledge to write a book, but they are looking for answers… Maybe YS could do something in this area… Might even be able to find some new authors out there who would be able to write on a specific subject because they are gifted in that specific area. Just a random thought.