Read Out Loud and Other Writing Tips

Robert Farrar Capon is an Episcopal priest and has authored more than 20 books. While I often don't agree with his conclusions, he is better at putting words on a page than any other Christian author I've read since C.S. Lewis. I read The Foolishness of Preaching recently and Capon shares some of his tricks of the trade.

• Read out loud. Read your own work out loud when you are in the editing process. It is easier to fool our eyes than our ears, and your writing will improve if you edit your work this way.

• Always use concrete illustrations. Talk about football, not sports. Talk about real estate, not business. Talk about woodworking, not hobbies.

• Take a break in the middle. Never stop writing at the end of a section, chapter, or paragraph. Stop yourself in the middle. When you come back, you will be able to pick up where you left off rather than stare at a blank page.

• Write when others sleep. Whether you are a night person or a morning person, find a time when other people are sleeping to write. Phone calls, texts, and quick lunches won't interrupt you this way.

• Adjectives pull punches. More often than not, adverbs and adjectives "pull punches rather than deliver them." Use sparingly.

Comment below if you have any other writing tips you would like to share.

Finally Alive

John Piper's work on eldership, salvation, and practical theology have shaped my beliefs as much as any other modern pastor. He is a Biblical thinker and one of the most important Christian authors in the modern era. The sheer amount of pages he has produced in his career is staggering. 

Finally Alive is one of his newest, and it is a great read for new Christians. Why should we be born again? How are we born again? What is the Holy Spirit's role in salvation? These, and many more questions regarding the new birth, are answered in this short book. I thought the best part of the book was the last section on sharing the gospel, How Can We Help Others Be Born Again? His Ten Encouragements for Gospel-Telling near the end of this section are very practical and were the highlight of Finally Alive.

Piper's numerous works understandably have a lot of overlap, but I think Finally Alive is one that contains enough new material to make it worth your while, even if you have read much of what he has put out already.  This book is geared towards those who would like to know more about being "born again." When people ask me which Piper books I recommend reading, I always recommend The Dangerous Duty of Delight first (this is the basically the cliff notes for Desiring God), and Don't Waste Your Life next. These books are short, readable, and life-changing. While Finally Alive may not be my first recommendation, it is certainly on the short list and would be a great one to pick up.

Mindless Eating

I have been following a new business writer who recommended a few books on behavioral psychology that I picked up. Out of the ones I bought, this one looked like the easiest read so I tried it first. Reading a book about the psychology of eating may not sound very interesting, but Brian Wansink is a master of food and this book will entertain anyone who picks it up.

No matter how unusual the subject may be, I love finding an author who writes passionately and coherently about his field of expertise. Wansink does a great job of doing just that. He exposes myths, creates simple strategies, and dismantles conventional wisdom. Food is a powerful subject, and many Wansink's findings can be applied to other areas of life. One study he does is on the power of variety. To demonstrate, he tests how many M&M's people will eat at a superbowl party when given a bowl of M&M's. Half were given a bowl with 10 assorted colors, the other half with 7. The ones given the bowl with 10 ate, on average, over 100 calories more apiece!

If you are looking for a diet book that will tell you all about the latest fads, this one is not for you. If you are looking for a book that uses common sense and human understanding to progressively change your eating habits, a book that will help give you insight into human desire, and a book that is a whole lot of fun to read, this a great one.