Last week, Catawba students got a special visit from a local professional. Father Robert Black from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church here in Salisbury spoke for this semester’s Writers @ Work appearance. “Writers @ Work” is a series of guest speakers that come to Catawba to talk about professional writing in the real world.
Father Black had a lot to say about how he uses writing skills in his professional field and about his writing process. He used his engaging voice to speak about the many facets of his job as a priest. As far as writing, he writes about 100,000 words every year in weekly sermons, newsletter articles, submissions to the Salisbury post, and social media or PR materials. Every sermon he writes takes heavy amounts of planning and ends up being three to four pages, single spaced. Since most of his writing ends up being spoken, Fr. Black emphasized the importance of keeping the message of his sermons or speeches engaging and provocative. He plans ahead based on each year’s cycled biblical readings so that the verses he cites in the sermon are the most effective and applicable ones available. Fr. Black also stated that he does not feel like he has any days off because he is always taking in information and looking for inspiration in outside events and materials.
Fr. Robert Black’s writing process was also interesting. He translates the applicable verses himself, and then starts to research in order to sculpt an outline. Fr. Black greatly emphasizes the necessity of a strong thesis in written works in order to keep the text consistent and on-topic. He talked about how he finds his own place to write, typically a coffee house where the bustling people serve as white noise to keep him focused, and turns his outlines into full sermons. Lastly, after editing, practicing aloud, and finally presenting his final product on Sunday morning, Fr. Black takes in his feedback. He responds to most critical responses, but tries to take compliments with a grain of salt due to his generally-positive environment as a preacher.
Father Robert Black drew a big emphasis on scheduling time to write. He makes sure to set aside the time he needs to write every week – like an appointment that he never breaks. He knows that it is important for him to bring his best every Sunday because all the attendees deserve the best in return for the time they give him. It is also important to bring this sort of high-quality attitude to work in college, especially since, as the semester starts to decline into a close, students need to really focus on maximum effort in their academic work.
