Introduction to Professional Writing

Professional Writing: An Anatomy & Reflection

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Jenna Young 9/29/2013

Introduction: The World In A Professional Sense Professional writing is a commonly misunderstood field of writing. While it is crucial in todays world, its also underappreciated and often incorrectly perceived as nothing more than a subcategory of writing dedicated purely to dull subjects and never read unless by those required to read and write such things as part of their occupation. However, professional writing extends beyond the lines of occupational profession and into the concept of conduct. Often misunderstood as a product to be sold, professional writing is instead a process. It is a form of communication, not an object. This paper aims to explain and to demonstrate the truth of professional writing, including its purpose, what it produces, and how it is done. What Is It? According to the Education-Portal.com, professional writing is defined as a type of written communication used in the workplace. (Education-Portal.com) This work must be explanatory, not opinionated, as to not step on the toes of any readers. This is because professionalism requires diplomacy, and must be approachable and agreeable to accommodate any and all parties involved. The primary objective of professional writing is to inform the reader. However, other purposes are to persuade, to encourage action, and to instruct. (Education-Portal.com) This broad range of purpose includes a great many number of various works that fall into five primary areas, including academic, organizational, corporate, representative, and governmental. Within these areas contain materials including emails, letters, articles, memos, forms, manuals, reports, service charters, newsletters, and public notices and leaflets, all of which are the responsibility of the professional writers. (Surma.) This work can be done for the intent to be published either within or outside of the company, so it is important that the author know how to communicate with a large number of people and personalities in different degrees of professionalism. Challenges and Obstacles As previously stated, professional writers are responsible for documents circulating both within and outside of a company. Though there may allow for a certain degree of casualness in a document such as a memo or a letter addressed to a coworker sent within a company, it is important that the same degree of acceptable professionalism is upheld and that the integrity of the document is not compromised. (Surma.) Authors must know how to speak in such a way that is understandable and yet carries a sense of authority. Because of the wide range of communication between different ethnicities in todays global industries, it is also imperative that the author be able to conduct themselves in such a way to present their information without risking offense to inter-cultural norms. That being said, they have to be able to write something without completely hiding their personality. A definite challenge of professional writing is to write objectively and without bias. (Surma.) This can prove difficult to do, especially when the one tasked feels strongly one way or the other concerning the content of the material. Professional writers do create sales documents as well as other content-sensitive documents that can risk encroaching on copyright infringement, which is something a professional writer needs to know how to work with and avoid. (Wise Geek.) Also, because professional writing contains factual information, it is the responsibility of the authors to cross-reference each source for

verification, as to not risk the credibility of the material. Furthermore, these professional writers are responsible for the reputations of the organizations and executives that they work for. (Wise Geek.) This further goes to show that professional writing is a whole world of communication, and not just an objectified form of writing. The Anatomy of Professional Writing Professional writing is made up of three key components. These include ethics, rhetoric, and imagination. Each serves a different purpose. And though they are crucial as a team, they are also interdependent from each other and are all equally important. (Surma.) As previously mentioned, it is another responsibility of the author to uphold the integrity of whatever work is being written. This falls under the area of ethics, which are defined as being the realm of responsibility, justice, care, and equity. (Surma.) It is through this moral law, so to speak, that an author conducts his or herself. Whether or not the author agrees with the subject matter or the outcomes it will produce are both questions of ethics. It veils the work and guides the author through introduction to conclusion to ensure that the finished product is both respectful and respectable. Contrary to popular belief, imagination is also used in professional writing and is in fact an imperative contributor to the writing system. (Surma.) It is used when needing to interpret the required content to be relatable to the audience and understandable, as well as being interesting enough to keep the readers attention. The third and final ingredient of successful professional writing is rhetoric, defined as a primarily verbal, situationally contingent, epistemic art that is both philosophical and practical and gives rise to potentially active texts. (Surma.) I translate this to be a form of communicating that varies from circumstance to circumstance, that causes the person to think after the readers eyes leave the page. As previously stated, professional writers write a myriad of different materials varying from brochures to letters to contracts. All of these works must be written differently, because different literary works require different audiences and atmospheres. Rhetoric is responsible for that atmosphere, it is the pieces of the puzzle that construct the final product of the paper. The vocabulary used, the way it is used, and the direction of the paper, as in who it is directed at and how it flows, are all products of rhetoric. As well as ingredients for successful material, they are also determinants for how the work is received. (Surma.) This is because of the well-known fact that communication is a twoway street. The reception of the material is equally as important as the projection, so it should be reviewed with the same concepts as it written with to ensure a proper understanding. Conclusion: Process Versus Product When one looks at the responsibilities and the pressure surrounding professional writing, it is clear that it is misunderstood to be something different than what it truthfully is. Though it may sound stuffy and very dull, it requires much effort and forethought to create. It is an institution of thinking and a form of communication that drives the professional industry as well as any professional setting. It builds bridges between companies and supports alliances throughout many a corporate industry by protecting the reputations and integrities of those commissioning the written materials.

Works Cited
"What Is Professional Writing?." Wise Geek . Conjecture Corporation, n. d. Web. 29 Sep. 2013. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-professional-writing.htm>. (Wise Geek.) Surma , Ann. "Defining Professional Writing as an Area of Scholarly Activity." BbLearn.uidaho.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sep 2013. (Surma.) Education-Portal.com, What Is Professional Writing?, http://educationportal.com/academy/lesson/what-is-professional-writing-definition-lesson-quiz.html. (EducationPortal.com)