Class Update

I have now come to realize the many types of jobs that involve professional writing forms. There are numerous careers that would not be classified as to involve writing but actually do just as much as the more common professions. The field of broadcasting that I am embarking in could actually be a type of professional writing career. When broadcasting on the radio it may now even be helpful to do a quick audience analysis.

The Process of Communication in the Workplace

Communication is one of the most important aspects in a working environment. It is also a necessity for a long successful career. Proper communication does not always come easy and can take time to perfect. A person needs to know how to adapt the way they communicate both verbally and non verbally depending on the situation and the other participants. In a workplace it is necessary to develop a good relationship with your co-workers as well as your superiors. Doing this is not always as simple as just being nice or working hard. You need to learn how to communicate by expressing yourself clearly. In the lives of professional writers and editors communicating is essential for success. Professional writers do most of their communicating by documenting their needs and wants. They write what they are looking for in other people such as co-workers as well as what they can bring to the table. It is important for writers to communicate in the workplace more then any other part of their lives. A lack of proper communication can lead to failing a task or being thought of as not doing your job. Communication is done to administrate and let others know how you will go about completing the task and the process that will lead you and the rest of the organization to the so called promise land. Communication is not like taking notes or recording information that encompasses other parts of some professional writing careers, however it is documenting information to provide to equal peers.

Brainstorming PWE Positions

*What different skills does a technical writer need to have that other professional writers may not?

What kind of ethics do technical writers have?

How do editors deal with controversial subjects or things they don't believe in?

How does a technical writer sort through their information to decide what is worth publishing and what can be discarded?

What does it take for a technical writers work to be respected and used?

Rhetorical Activities 2 & 4

2.) Today people argue about almost anything. Arguing has become a form of speech just as common as talking. Most people can even find themselves arguing about something that they truly don't even care about. Sometimes during an argument the people involved tend to discover they agree with each other and there was no need for the argument to take place at all. Our current society doesn't not think anything of arguments unless they become more serious then the normal everyday argument. During each day people argue about very little things like where to go to lunch or who is better between Kobe and Michael Jordan. These are not serious arguments but even these debates can become heated and spark a possible confrontation.

I work for the WVU college radio station of U92. I am involved in both the sports and news departments there. While at the station employees who are either just sitting around in between classes or are working on a cast tend to randomly get in arguments. During each day we argue about very little things usually like where to get lunch or who is better between Kobe and Michael. These are not serious but sometimes can lead to heated debates. We do not mean to be cruel or scream but in the heat of the moment it just happens. Sports and politics are hot button issues at the station and people have strong opinions one way or the other. This sets them off and forces you to defend what you believe in. Everyone there is studying some form of English or broadcasting in college and is not afraid to speak their mind. We have both theatrical arguments as well as rhetorically engaged arguments in our everyday lives. A theatrical argument is where the participants yell until there points are heard. This is similar to the example to the arguments I described at the station. A rhetorically engaged argument usually has a winner and loser. In this type of argument one person tends to stand out and dominate the debate even though both people get time to state their points. However, in a theatrical argument it is hard to determine a fair winner or loser since not everyone always has time to speak and the content can be lost in the shouting match.

4.) There are many reason why people change their minds about topics. When one person feels a certain way he or she may attempt to persuade someone else to agree with them. Persuasion is something that can be a skill and can only work if done correctly. If you start out by looking down at the person for their beliefs or by coming across as arrogant the persuasion most likely will fall on deaf ears.

I am usually an open person. I am eager to learn new things and can accept change if it is presented to me properly. It may be hard to change my mind about something but it can be done if enough facts are presented in the opposite direction. This was true for me recently in the presidential race. I originally felt as if Obama did not have enough experience to lead our country and even though I am a Democrat was not going to vote for him. I then decided to conduct research sparked by others and after reviewing all the facts have since changed my opinion on the matter and realize he is the best man for the country at this time.

Controversial topics such as changing ones religion is a very serious issue. Most people feel strongly about their religious beliefs and do not change them. In order to persuade someone about religion or even for a person to switch religions a lot of work needs to be put in. This work includes first hand research as well as trying to live that religion experience for yourself. It is important in a decision like that one you take everything into account and know what your getting into before making the change official. Other serious issues are easier to persuade someone about. Deciding to stop smoking is very difficult to be successful at but usually smokers try to stop at some point or another. This is due to the obvious health risks attached to the habit. These risks are on the labels and are made evident by commercials and other forms of media. Deciding to attempt to quit smoking is something that may not even take much persuading because the smoker may want to be healthier on their own. This could be for themselves or wanting to live long for their loved ones. The only catch with this is smoking is an addictive habit and is hard to stop all together it takes time to eventually be done. It can not just be stopped cold turkey. Finally the topic of how people become racist usually goes back to how a person was brought up. Most racist people had racist parents and are around other racist individuals reinforcing their negative beliefs. If this same person was born to non racist parents and was surrounded by accepting people. Being around others who do not judge a person by the color of their skin or where they are from might help to change that person and they probably would not be racist to begin with. Presidents use all of these approaches when either running for office or when trying to persuade the public to agree with them. Recently this is seen in the President trying to use these strategies to persuade the public to believe he made the right call in deciding to go to war with Iraq and other terroristic countries.

The Composing Process of an Engineer

Why did Jack Selzer want to study the composing process of an engineer?

Selzer wanted to investigate how someone in a profession that was outside the norm used writing their lives. Engineers are not typically thought of as people who are professional writers. They are not considered people who use writing that often. Selzer may have been interested in looking into a job such as an engineer for those reasons. He wanted to learn how engineers use writing and what type of writing they incorporate into their career. Selzer hoped to examine their scripts of tasks or jobs, letters about engineer work, and other pieces of writing that are different for engineers then any other more common professional writing job.

How do engineers plan, write, arrange, and revise?

What did you find interesting, unique, or surprising about his answer to this question?

Selzer realized the engineer used many similar techniques that someone who was writing a big research paper would also include. The engineer did have a structure and topic sentence in his writing like most more common forms would use. However the engineer spent more time planning and making sure everything was sound in his work. The engineer of course did not spend time trying to translate his writings as they would be easily understood by fellow engineers working on the same assignments. I was surprised how much the engineer focused on the audience analysis stage. Since he does not dumb down his work it was curious that he spends most of his time trying to determine who his audience is and what they may want to know. The engineer also doesn't revise or change his work often he just makes sure it is accurate originally.

How did Selzer convince you he was correct or on target?

The investigation into the engineers every day writing and his process gives Selzer credibility. He spent time studying how the engineer jotted information down and what steps he goes through. Selzer did not guess but examined every move of the engineer while observing him in his natural habitat at work. Selzer did this by recording the engineer exactly how he went about his writing. After his study Selzer collected all of the engineers documents and looked over them with a fine tooth comb.

*The engineer only spent 5% of his time revising.
*He spent 80% in the planning phase.

Proffessional Writers and Possible Futures

During my time in school I have realized that writing is one of my strong suits. Having the ability to construct a proper well thought out piece of writting is something that should truly be appreciated. This skill can be very usefull not only while in college but also in the work force. In almost every type of professional career writing comes into play. That fact makes it one of the most important aspects and abilities to learn. There are many different forms of writing. Writing can be as complicated as analyzing a piece of literary work or constructing a brief news cast.

Many people who feel writing comes easy chose to focus on it while in school and incorporate it into their future career. There are many options and career choices for professional writing students. Some of these include working for a magazine or publishing company. If involved in either of those fields a person will possibly write articles or stories as well as looking over already written novels and sections of different magazine genres. You can also focus in on your interest in a career such as one of these by deciding to work for a magazine or publication that focuses on music, sports, or any other form of popular culture and hobby. Another type of potential career path for a professional writer is working for a law firm or hospital. In these jobs you would write legal scripts for a case or record medical information for a patient. All of these possible options are well paying jobs that can lead to a successful and fullfilling life.

There are positions that may require a lot of writing where the person would not even consider themselves a professional writer or even someone who feels it to be a strong suit of theirs. Examples of jobs such as this are engineers and numerous types of broadcasters. Both of these two careers are involved with the media in television and radio. Most people with either of these two jobs would classify themselves as professional writers but use a significant amount of writing every day. Engineers need to write when jotting down the information they need to know while using their technology. They also have special lingo that only other engineers would know. This lingo is written down in most cases. Engineers in both the radio and t.v. world communicate with their co workers every second especially while on air. During a show engineers need to quickly be able to translate in writing what they need and have done in order to have a successful program for the on air talent. An example of this is an engineer for a show such as "Sunday Night Baseball" which shows the Major League Baseball game of the week during the season.

From my own personal experience being a Communications major in college with an English minor I have realized broadcasters with a strong writing background have a leg up on the competition. I have been involved in the college radio station for West Virginia University and have worked in both the news and sports departments. There I have discovered the several different ways a broadcaster uses writing in their lives. They need to know how to write casts which are a skill all in themselves. It is necessary to write casts in certain ways. This is true in that passive voice is forbidden by reporters who are broadcasting news updates or political stories in which the persons opinion is not supposed to be added. A professional writer would have a much easier time adjusting to this type of writing then someone who just knows how to speak and not write as well. Casts also universally for all broadcasters need to have short phrases and statements on each line. This is to not bore the viewer or listener. When reporting what took place in last nights game it is necessary to get to the point as quickly as possible while still be entertaining and interesting. Having a strong writting background will help a broadcaster do this easily by knowing how to break down information and put information into sections signifying breaths in the cast.

Do not hesitate to use a solid writing ability to help fullfill your hopes and deams career wise. There are tons of great options out there for all types of writers with vast interests.