Introduction to Professional Writing

English 250-01, Fall 2000

Kim Pearson

Class: 234 Bliss Hall at TF 2:00 - 3:20
Office Hours: Thursday 9:00 -- 12:00 or by appointment
Office: 217 Bliss Hall
x2692

Frequently asked Questions:

What is Professional Writing, and how is it different from Journalism? 

• Professional writers use communications media to help a client clarify its identity,  and project its image to specific audiences. Professional writers are involved in both the strategy and tactics of business communications. As TCNJ '72 alum and corporate communications director Stuart Z. Goldstein, argues, "Companies are looking for communicators who can integrate their activities with the firm's business strategy and who see themselves as catalysts for change. These seasoned communicators will have experience across the communications disciplines and will know how to leverage the pieces to influence outcomes and affect results." (Information Preparedness: An Integrated Model for Communication in the Information Age)
  
• Professional Writing is designed to solve a specific problem or provide information in a way that supports the client's relationship with specific publics. Thus saith Goldstein:  "Writing effectively is not an academic exercise; it is a business imperative."
• Professional writers and editors need the same writing and editing skills as journalists. To quote Goldstein again, today's business writing is much more "journalistic."  That's particularly true with the proliferation of e-mail business communications. However, professional writers have to understand the industry for which they are writing, and they also have to be technically sophisticated. They don't have to be web design or desktop publishing experts, but they have to know enough to create basic documents, and they need to understand how to deploy these technologies effectively.  
  • This professional writer's resume is a graphic example.
  • Here are some excerpts from recent job listings which further make the point. All of these jobs are for applicants with bachelor's degrees in journalism, public relations or a related discipline.

    Job	Responsibilities
    Assistant Media Liaison	Launches, promotes, writes, refreshes, and works on daily upkeep of the online Press Center; Develops, coordinates, guides, and promotes media strategies for online and computer-oriented media initiatives; Assists in providing counsel to strategic issue teams on the best media strategies, tactics, and messages to use for promotion of strategic issues. Serves as an expert on the web for promotion of strategic issues and organizes appropriate duties for media promotion....
    Assistant Editor	Duties will include copyediting and proofreading articles for style and grammar. Additional responsibilities include overseeing production process from raw author files to typeset proofs to blue lines, and preparing materials for Web site.  Knowledge of Macintosh OS 8.6, QuarkXPress 4.1, and Microsoft Excel a plus, but will train.
    Technical Writer/Editor	Produces technical end-user documentation (manuals and guides), training material, and online help systems software products, using desktop publishing technology, graphics programs, and help authoring tools. Writes, edits, formats, and produces final camera-ready copy and/or publication-ready (.pdf) files for manuals, as well as completed help files.

     

• The specific tools that professional writers need depend upon their audience, the industry in which they are operating and the range of problems they are called upon to solve. Thus, professional writing in the health care field differs somewhat from professional writing in, for example, financial services or telecommunications.
• In professional writing, journalism and other communications, images, graphics and hypertext have expanded (and in some cases, overtaken) linear storytelling methods. This affects the way professional communicators work, their career prospects, and the nature of the career preparation aspiring professional writers should undertake. If you're curious here's an article that further explores the philosophical implications of these new realities. Be forewarned that it may seem a little confusing and theoretical.

Some sample Professional Writing curricula at other schools:

• University of Massachussets
• University of Victoria
• San Francisco State University

You've taken so long to answer the first question, that I'm afraid to ask more, but, here goes. What will I learn from this course?

At the end of this semester, you will:

1. Be able to discuss the goals, purposes and media employed by professional writers.
2. Be able to articulate the principles of ethical business communications. 
3. Be able to create: 
   1. A simple web page, using HTML coding
   2. A business presentation using Power Point
   3. A newsworthy press release written in Associated Press style
   4. A business memorandum recommending an ethical, practical solution to a hypothetical client problem
   5. A standard business report: This semester, you will produce a feasibility report for a proposed website for the Mill Hill Child and Family Development Centers with recommendations.

Since you've learned to answer more concisely, I have another question. I'm a journalism major -- why do I need to know this stuff?

1. While about 28 percent of our graduates become newspaper reporters and copyeditors after graduation, 72 percent do not. This course is designed to familiarize you with some of the other ways in which one can make a living as a writer.
2. The work that journalists do, and the skill set they need, is broadening. Increasingly, the story that is created for print ends up on a web page, on the radio, or as part of a streaming media broadcast. Further, a 1999 study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism suggest that professional communications skills are increasingly important in the newsroom. A study of the way news is framed found that at national newspaper, particularly, news decisions are the result of internal communications, and that the resulting stories are more likely to be interpretive and thematic, rather than inverted-pyramid style. (Framing the News. The bottom line is that whether you plan to be a print reporter or a public relations writer, the skills that you will acquire in this course are relevant.

Enough, already. Sorry I asked. So I suppose you want to tell me alll about all the experience you've had in this field.. Not really, but if you're curious, you can look at my resume on-line here.. It's fairly current.

 

Texts

At the Bookstore:

AUTHOR OR EDITOR

TITLE

PUBLISHER

Goldstein, Norm	Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual	Associated Press
Kozol, Jonathan	Ordinary Resurrections	Crown
Lindsell-Roberts, Sheryl	Business Writing For Dummies	IDG Books Worldwide
Lanson, Jerry and Croll Fought, Barbara	News in a New Century; Reporting in an Age of Converging Media	Pine Forge Press

 Online:

PUBLISHER	TITLE
David Mc Murry	Online Technical Writing Online Textbook
Detroit Free Press	JobsPage: Your Link to Newspaper Careers
Dave Kristula	HTML: An Interactive Tutorial For Beginners

 

 

Class Requirements and Policies

A TCNJ e-mail address. If you do not have one, you may apply to activate your account online.

Access to a computer with internet connection an Microsoft Powerpoint(TM) software.

Note: Students needing accomodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act are encouraged to consult with the TCNJ Office for Differing Abilities. Additional information on TCNJ's ADA policies is available here.

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 Grading Breakdown for major assignments:

1. Power point presentation:  10 percent

2. Personal website: 20 percent

3. Contribution to feasibility study: 20 percent

4. Ethics memo: 20 percent 

5. Press release: 20 percent

6. Stylebook and grammar quizzes: 10

Grading Criteria

A Logic and facts are in order. Writing and reporting are clear, effective, and interesting. No substantial spelling, grammar or mechanical errors. Presentations are delivered in the appropriate style and format, within the established time frame. Web pages are readable and have functional links without "Mystery Meat Navigation." Sources are clearly identified.  

B Logic and facts are in order. The writing are clear and competent. Errors are minimal.

C The writing is thoughtful and produced with care. Some errors.

D An effort has been made to meet the requirements of the assignment, but substantial work is needed.

F The requirements have not been addressed.

0 The work has not been handed in, and no extensions have been given.

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            Tentative Class Timetable:

                Note: These timelines and due dates are likely to change, because we are working     with a real project with real data and real people. I'll keep you informed.