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| C. Kevin Thompson |
The very first blog entry I wrote for Seriously Write was
entitled “How
Many Four-Letter Words Do You Need?” It was a tongue-in-cheek look at marketing.
Most of the “four-letter” words didn’t actually have four letters, but they
often feel it and roll off the tongue with the same air about them.
This month, I actually have a four-letter word I want us to
address: TIME.
It’s a big deal. We’re so tied to it (and I’m not so sure
that was God’s plan in
the beginning). Every day is controlled by it. Our jobs. Our tasks. Our
marriages. Our livelihood. All judged by some increment of time. As a result,
it seems even our worth is inextricably tied to it whether we want it to be or
not.
I’ve been struggling with this age-old dilemma (See?
Even our phrases are tied to time!). As an assistant principal at a middle
school, we are now four weeks into the school year. Time is literally of the
essence these days. With the demands of education growing like amorous rabbits,
it often feels like you can only be a good educator if you live and breathe it
24/7. Just ask a teacher you know. They’ll tell you. Doesn’t matter where they
live in the U.S. The demands seem to cross all boundaries.
Now, I’m being strongly encouraged to take the next step and
become a principal. Sit in “The Chair.” Having talked and worked with numerous
principals I respect and admire, many of them being those encouragers of which
I speak, I know what a pinch for writing time that move would be.
I, like you, am always trying to carve out healthy, productive
blocks of time wherein I can do something I truly love. Sometimes, it’s twenty
minutes here, forty minutes there. I often get up at 4:00 AM and spend upwards
of two hours plunking away at the keyboard before getting ready for work.
Writing in the AM is better for me. I’m fresher. My mind has had a chance to
shut down and reboot. Conversely, writing at night is hard after a long day for
me. The only time it works is when a lightning bolt of inspiration strikes, the
adrenaline kicks in, and I have to get that “Eureka! Moment” down on paper
before it fizzles out into a wafting rumble of thunder.
How about you? And no, I’m not going to ask if finding
writing time is an issue for you. That’s like asking a dentist if he enjoys
looking into the mouths of his patients. Some things are a given. They go with
the territory, and you’d better enjoy dealing with it if you wish to be
productive.
I’m asking the tougher question. What extremes are you
willing to take to make time for your writing? I’m not advocating becoming a
recluse and abandoning all family activities. So, don’t go and tell your spouse
Kevin said you should stop mowing the lawn or cleaning the house or babysitting
the grandkids because you have to write. Some sacrifices trump writing. But for
those other activities you enjoy that have little or no eternal value, are you
willing to enjoy them a little less for the sake of your writing? I find this
to be the #1 reason why those who say, “I want to write a book!” never do. Like
so many other correlations we could list here, writing “that book” will only be
important enough to you if you make the time, sacrifice the time, and enjoy it
along the way.
How do you sacrifice that precious thing we call time? What
methods have you found useful? What works best for you?
Something
ominous lurks under the waters.
Dr.
Evelyn Sims, a brilliant marine biologist, is being watched. Her husband's
mysterious death at sea—with the only survivor of the Greenback telling a
shocking, unbelievable tale—has thrown her personal life into chaos. Her
scientific views are being scrutinized. Her husband's office and their home are
investigated. Called in by the FBI to help solve the mystery, Evelyn is thrust
into her toughest research project ever...and forced into a maze of deception
and betrayal.
Micah
Gregson, the Coast Guard captain who rescued the Greenback, is determined to
find out why a special unit at the FBI—the one assigned to cryptozoological
cases—is involved.
Together
Evelyn and Micah will uncover a plot more deadly than anything the ocean could
ever produce. One that will either save Evelyn's life and redeem her career, or
destroy everything she—and myriad others—stand for.
C.
KEVIN THOMPSON is an ordained minister with a B.A. In Bible
(Houghton College, Houghton, NY), an M.A. in Christian Studies (Wesley Biblical
Seminary, Jackson, MS), and a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership (National-Louis
University, Wheeling, IL). He presently works as an assistant principal in a
middle school. He also has several years experience as an administrator at the
high school level.
A former Language Arts teacher, Kevin decided to put his
money where his mouth was and write, fiction mostly. Now, years later, Kevin is
a member of the Christian Authors Network (CAN), American Christian Fictions
Writers (ACFW), and Word Weavers International. He is the Chapter President of
Word Weavers-Lake County (FL), and his published works include two
award-winning novels, The Serpent’s Grasp
(Winner of the 2013 Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference Selah
Award for First Fiction) and 30 Days Hath
Revenge - A Blake Meyer Thriller: Book 1, as well as articles in The Wesleyan Advocate, The Preacher, Vista, The Des Moines Register
and The Ocala Star-Banner.
Kevin is a huge fan of the TV series 24, The Blacklist, Blue
Bloods, and Criminal Minds, loves
anything to do with Star Trek, and is
a Sherlock Holmes fanatic, too.
Facebook: C. Kevin Thompson – Author Fan Page
Twitter: @CKevinThompson
Goodreads: C. Kevin Thompson
