Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Taylor University
http://www.wincorduan.com/
By Trisha Smith
T4J: Where did you come up with the idea for Islam: A Christian Introduction? How do you usually come up with the ideas for things you write?
WC: This little e-book is actually an updated and slightly expanded version of my book Neighboring Faiths (also published by InterVarsity Press), which is a survey of many world religions (incl. Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.) from a Christian point of view. It was the publisher’s idea, in light of the times, to rework the chapter on Islam into an e-book, and I really liked the idea. There is much that we need to learn about this religion, both in terms of its history and its present status in the world. This e-book has new material on the religion of the Taliban, among other additions.
I can’t point to any one way in which I come up with ideas for the various things that I write. Sometimes it’s a specific research interest, wanting to explore a particular idea; at other times it’s an attempt at creativity; at still others it may be a desire to set the record straight on a point or to teach my readers some subject matter. The latter would be the case particularly, of course, for my textbooks, such as Neighboring Faiths or No Doubt About It. The one thing that is true for anyone setting out to write anything applies to me as well: When you get started you better have a passion for what you are going to write because if you don’t, you won’t have the motivation to stick with it. Writing is hard work that requires time and commitment.
T4J: How much time did you spend preparing for this book? How much research did you have to do? Did you have help? How much time do you normally spend researching any writing you do?
WC: This material stems originally from many years of teaching college courses in world religions, not to mention travel and field trips abroad and at home. By the time I actually wrote it, it was more of a matter of pulling together my notes and other sources of information than actually researching specifically for this book. So, in one sense this book was preceded by many years of research, in another by the time of writing the research was basically done. That’s the peculiarity in writing a textbook or something that consists of general information.
But then there are other writings that require a lot of immediate research as well as constant compilations of data as I go along. My book on mysticism as well as some articles on specific figures in the history of religion come to mind. These are times when my desk becomes totally hidden under piles of books, printouts, and little slips of paper of various sizes as I plod on. It all depends on the subject matter.
T4J: What are your next plans for writing? Do you plan to do any more books along the same lines as this book?
WC: My next book to come out will also be with InterVarsity Press. It will be a Christian theology of religions. In Neighboring Faiths, I surveyed the world’s religions and gave a Christian response to each. In the new book, Tapestry, I will address the specific theological issues of integrating other religions with Christian doctrine, e.g., views of revelation, morality, salvation, etc.
T4J: What is your background in regards to writing? Did you take courses to learn the necessary skills for writing? Or is your writing simply a gift from God that needed no professional training?
WC: In the professional world of academics, particularly in this field, writing is something that you are simply expected to do. During graduate school one writes papers in all of one’s classes and produces a master’s thesis and a Ph.D. dissertation. Hopefully, as you move along, your professors teach you not only to say the right things, but to say them well. Then, when you are professionally employed, you may write books and articles and again, there is probably no formal training in writing. That’s also the case for me. Other than professors in graduate schools and editors for my various publications, I have not received any formal teaching on how to write for publication. It’s just something that (hopefully) happens. I continue to be aware of my shortcomings in that regard. I wish I were as easy and natural a writer as some folks I know, but I thank God for the way he has used my writings.
T4J: How did you get started in writing? How many times did you find your work was sent back to you before it was finally accepted by a publisher?
WC: Let me put it this way. The first serious article I wrote was based on my M.A. thesis. I sent it to many journals, but was always rejected and never did get published. Around the same time, while still working on my Ph.D. dissertation, I wrote a lay person’s study of some important figures in church history. I sent it to dozens of publishers, but it never did get published. I wrote another article at about that time, and that one did get published—about four years after I originally wrote it.
Now, here’s the thing: one item out of three is not a bad average! This is particularly true for someone just starting out to write. Unless you have a contract for an item in advance, if you send things out to magazines, journals, or publishers “on spec,” you need to be prepared for a lot of rejection. Some things may never get published, and those that will may be rejected by a large number of publishers before they ever see the light of day. I know several people who have written some fine things, but never sent them out after the first turn-down or two because they simply could not handle the rejection.
T4J: Do you face a lot of criticism as a writer? Do people share how they feel about your works with you personally? How do you handle any criticism you might take?
WC: I’m learning to get better a handling bad reviews. But I’m not the kind of person who just naturally shrugs things off; I might spend hours (if not days) composing little devastating responses in my mind, which I fortunately never send anywhere. But it helps me work through the reaction. Having said that, I must say so that most of the time the responses I have been getting to my work have been positive.
T4J: What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing writing as a career?
WC: Writing as a career? Very few people actually bring that off. Most authors, except the most successful ones, are actually working in some other profession as well because writing does not usually pay all that well. So, you have to want to write badly enough to be willing to do something else to support you while you write. And, as mentioned above you need to be prepared to be turned down a bazillion t
Be the first to comment