Friday, October 31, 2008

Chapter 14 & 15 - 10.31.08

Chapter 14 is all about revising drafts. It talks about the 3 activities of revising. First you evaluate from the perspective of the intended reader, then decide your course of action, and finally make the changes. The chapter also points out that it is difficult to find mistakes in your own writing. I completely agree with and have encountered it myself. If time allows I will usually read the rough draft back to myself and correct and then pass it on to someone else to look over. This method has seemed to produce the best results. Like the book also states, reading aloud can be very helpful. I feel that this is the best way to take yourself outside of the paper. When you hear the words aloud you can get a better grasp of how your writing will come out on the other end.

Chapter 15 discusses testing drafts for usability and persuasiveness. Actual testing of your communications can save a lot of time and money in the long run. It lays out 8 guidelines that can help someone develop a scenario to test the particular communication. Guideline 2 discusses picking test readers that represent your target audience. I think this one is extremely important. If you test on readers that are not your target audience than the results will most likely be skewed. The purpose of testing is to hone the communication down and be very efficient. If you keep these guidelines in mind I imagine you can miles ahead of your competition.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Response to Rich Bowers

I have to agree with you regarding how difficult it must be to get into freelance writing. You are probably right when you stated that you have to start by writing stuff that will get printed. A freelance writer obviously has to build some sort of reputation to gain the type of freedom that allows them to write about what they love. I am sure it is not an easy path to get to that point, but once you get there I imagine it is extremely rewarding.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Freelance Writing 10.10.08

I missed the lecture on Monday but I have general understanding of what a freelance writer does. Freelance writing is a unique form of journalism. It has its up and downs. I am not much of a write but if I was, this is probably the medium I would like best. The ability to write about what you want, when you want is really enticing. No boundaries, no assignment, just writing about what you find interesting. I guess the downside is that you may not get any work at all. You can get turned down and be broke forever. You probably have to build up quite a reputation and a solid clientele to keep the income flowing in. Even beside the threat of unemployment, writing about what you love sounds a lot more like a career than being a slave to assignments.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Response to Robert Clemans Chapter 8 & 19

I also liked what the part about adding emphasis to the end of sentences to give them that added persuasive tone. That can be very important when writing communications at your employer. Your purpose in that arena is to have some sort of action as a result of your writing so learning to be effective with your senctence structure will take you a long way. Like you, I don't ususally create a project managment plan but after reading about it in the chapter I may just have to change my ways. This can be a very effective tool when you apply it in the workplace.

Friday, October 3, 2008

10.03.08 Chapter 8 & 19

Chapter 8 is all about how to develop an effective writing style. We have already learned about understanding your target audience, so the idea behind guideline 1 falls right in line with that. How formal and how personal need to be determined when you create your communications. Another important aspect to this s the voice that you use when writing. If you sound condescending to the reader they immediately will head to the defensive. It is more important to find a way to communicate to your reader in a way that will be received well and garner the response that you are after. In my experiences I have had communications from authority figures that throws you off from the very start. It automatically brought me to a combative state and I had to begin preparing my defense. When a communication is not written in the proper tone it usually has the opposite effect than what was intended. I feel that you can get much more accomplished by communicating in a way that is collaborative. Does anyone agree?

Chapter 19 covers managing client and service learning projects. Client centered projects have a different approach than projects for your employer. Most importantly you need to understand what your client wants. If you can't thoroughly do that you are dead in the water from the start. Getting started on a project like this requires that you also learn about the organization that you are preparing it for. Clients really appreciate it when they can tell that you did your homework and put a lot of though into the project. It can go a long way in persuading the client. Guideline 5 talks about constant communication with the client. I can say from experience that this is very important. Staying in constant communication can save you a lot of time. Rather than making assumptions, you get clarification on issues before the fact rather than after. Huge time saver. You never want to have to revise when the whole situation could have been avoided. Does anyone else hate wasting time at work?