Advice from Professors on Healthy Writing Habits

By: Esther Wermer

Writing Habits

A few weeks ago, students heard from four of our professors on how they cultivate writing in their lives and academic careers. Drs. Ayman Ibrahim, Jarvis Williams, Gregg Allison, and Andrew Walker all have a unique rhythm as to how they fit writing into their life, but they each have found a balance that deserves to be emulated. For Walker, self-awareness is key. Each student needs to determine what type of writer that they are and integrate writing into their schedule accordingly. Both Ibrahim and Walker emphasized that writing needs to be a daily practice if you want to improve, like a “muscle” that needs to be exercised regularly. Yet Williams takes somewhat of a different approach. He focuses on teaching during the semester and then dedicates large amounts of time to writing during the breaks. Students may find writing in periodic increments helpful, too.

Drafting Habits

As for the process of drafting, each of the professors also had their own unique contribution. Ibrahim finds a momentum, writes until he needs to stop, does something else, and then returns to his draft for re-writing. Allison prefers to write an entire draft (even of an entire book!) before making any edits to avoid perfectionism. This is the best way for him to preserve his own voice but still improve the first draft before submitting a piece of writing. Critique and feedback play a role in the professors’ writing process. Walker particularly emphasized how painful critique can be because writing is so vulnerable, but he notes that it is an essential part of improvement. Ibrahim went a step further and encouraged students to find a professor they admire and “be mentored” by them. Theological education presents these opportunities rather organically and students ought not waste them.

Enriching Habits

Each of these professors has an individualized approach and style to writing based on their own needs, goals, life phases, and particular opinions. What these professors have in common, however, is that they dedicate a significant portion of their time and energy into writing. Their investment pays off not only in finished writing, but also in their ability to know God more by thinking and reasoning well. I don’t think it would a stretch to say that writing had enriched these professors’ lives in ways they can’t begin to articulate. In fact, Allison went so far to say that he is “addicted to writing,” and I think each of the professors on the panel share the desire to pass such an addiction on to students.