Professional Writing

837 Words2 Pages

“To write is human, to write well is divine” (Anonymous, 2010). So, why is it important to write professionally and what constitutes professional writing? Contrary to popular belief, professional writing is not merely being paid to write; although, professional writers are sometimes well paid. In short, professional writing is writing at the next level and with a purpose. It is important to write professionally (knowing the audience, knowing the purpose, being persuasive, and getting to the point) so that one is able to communicate effectively and efficiently. This enables the reader to see the writer as organized, thoughtful, intelligent and worth listening to.

Professional writing is more than just writing with the elementary skills of correct spelling, grammar and sentence / paragraph structure. Aspects of professional writing include all of the elements of the basic writing plus knowing one’s audience, writing with a purpose, being persuasive and delivering the message clearly and concisely. One should also have advanced sentence structure / paragraph structure (for effectiveness). In addition, one should know how to format the medium as a whole for readability. A little forethought through research and organization will go a long way in making the writing look professional.

As part of the organization process, one must know why one is writing the message and what one is hoping to achieve. In addition, one must know the purpose of the message and who the audience will be as well as their potential response. Writing the message with the audience in mind will not only help shape the style of the message itself but the tone in which it is presented as well as the formality of the language used. Tone is the main t...

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...cy, clarity and tone? If the answer is no, then one has mostly likely failed in delivering the message at all if not effectively. In fact, the wrong message was probably delivered. If the answer is yes, then one has not only written well as everyone should, but written professionally.

Professional writing not only has all the aspects of proper writing (spelling, grammar, sentence structure and paragraph structure), but it has the additional thought of advanced writing (research, organization, style, tone, and purpose) with the audience in mind. The purpose of professional writing is to write with a purpose and be able to sell that purpose to the reader effectively and efficiently. Due to the nature of today’s business world, if one is to be successful in selling the purpose of the message, one should write professionally, even when one writes recreationally.

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