Writing Theologically by Eric D. Barreto

Author:Eric D. Barreto [Eric D. Barreto]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4514-9659-8
Publisher: Fortress Press
Published: 2015-04-01T04:00:00+00:00

Steps to Writing Publicly

To begin to writing publicly you can follow these steps. First, you need to find a place to write publicly. There are many options today where you can begin to write publicly. You can write on a friend’s blog site or begin your own blog site. This is a good way to begin the process of writing for the public by writing columns and making posts to other church sites or public websites whose readers may be interested in your writing. It is necessary to find a good site to post, share, and engage in your writing. And remember that your preaching, Facebook posts, and other forms of daily communication are public in some significant sense when you are a ministerial leader, due to the nature of public leadership.

Second, find a relatable and interesting topic to write about. Since an overabundance of material is being posted and shared on the Web, find something that will catch readers’ attention. Tie your writing interests to your personal, social, and theological interests. If you as a writer are not interested in a relatable topic of the day, it will be fruitless to engage in that writing process. The topic must be of interest to both the reader and the writer. Thus, you need to keep in touch with the relevant news and issues of the day.

Third, write about issues that people care about. This seems obvious, but it’s worth emphasizing. There are many pertinent issues today that need to be addressed theologically and politically. So pick those issues that most directly affect people’s lives and are especially important to the community you are called to serve.

Fourth, writing publicly requires that you use everyday language devoid of technical terminology and jargon. This may be difficult to do at the beginning; you might feel that you need to use technical language to sound intelligent and important. However, writing for the public does not require this kind of posture. After all, public writing is for the general public; heavy and technical language in these contexts will only become a hindrance to the reader. In short, readers should not need a dictionary or a thesaurus to read your column. If they do need them, they will not bother reading your work, no matter how insightful.

Fifth, the best public writing often tends to be concise. Attention spans are shorter online.[7] You can count on only so much attention from your readers. Convince them quickly and concisely that your writing matters.

Sixth, treat writing like a habit or a practice. Writing, in some ways, is like exercise. When you exercise regularly, it becomes natural and easy to maintain your routine. However, when you stop the regular pattern of exercise, it becomes harder to get back to it. So many excuses enter the mind, and it becomes almost impossible to fight them back. The same applies to writing. If writing is not a regular part of your daily work, then it will prove difficult if not impossible to be a regular and effective author.

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