Career – MEMORANDUM

In the Flow: Navigating the Changing World of Professional Writing

student working at desktop — Student working at a desktop

In the Flow: Navigating the Changing World of Professional Writing

By Theodore Rowe

At first glance, the differences between the New York Times and Buzzfeed are evident: one has the appearance of a serious publication with headlines referring to events of international political theater; the other entertains with allusions to pop culture and memes. But are the two really that far apart?

Buzzfeed now has a team of journalists that interview high-level politicians—including the President—while breaking stories before more traditional sources. Meanwhile, the New York Times has sniped some of Buzzfeed’s reporting strategies, as readers can now find “listicles” integrated into older sections of the paper.

News no longer exists in its own sphere, separated from the sorts of entertaining articles sought by those online.

Additionally, the Internet, encompassing a larger network of social media, blogs, and so on, encourages massive amounts of competition between who receives attention.

What does this influx of new media mean for professional writers? Is the contemporary field of writing favorable for the professional writer and, if not, how do they push back?

Professional writing obviously extends into a number of various areas, but this essay will focus on a specific company’s “voice” in order to express an ideal. Not only do differing businesses require a variety of voices, the brand itself may necessitate numerous voices within the organization.

Thus, professional writers should expect to create a specific voice depending on what is being written. For instance, an article regarding a new restaurant near a promoted apartment complex can be more playful if the restaurant is family-friendly as opposed to something more elegant, assuming the restaurant is of a higher quality.

The example is unambiguous, but imagine juggling varying social strata in a single article. Think of the overarching audience: who is the key reader? From there, attempt to either localize or highlight details depending on the article. Buzzfeed must connect to a larger audience, so the target articles attempt to include a massive group of people via pop culture, social issues, etc. An article for a company’s blog does well to include communal elements of the surrounding city.

Attempts to frame a particular voice for a blog can run into issues of authorial erasure. The issue comes from churning out material that does not have a sense of personality behind it. These days, websites like Buzzfeed are so popularized that they merit parodies, thus a sense of individuality is unique in carrying a brand. Obviously guidelines must be adhered to, but an injection of humor by the author, even if it seems like “too much,” can be good.

Working on your own interests manifests a more interesting article, while also signaling that you have a voice that is unique from the company guidelines. A strong voice is as necessary as experience in establishing credentials to show employers.

Maneuvering from one writing job to another is a daunting task. Professional writers should expect to assume any position that is offered. Careers in journalism have become much more fluid than they used to be, meaning that one might be hired to write material that engages a multitude of audiences. Thus, the professional writer should be sensitive to contemporary political events with the ability to engagage culturally or with an adaptation to the latest technology.

Finally, professional writers should not feel restricted by the free-form world of writing jobs that exist. I do not necessarily think that jumping between assignments from different companies is pragmatic—instead, this constant freelance maneuvering is more a means of survival.

However, the sorts of shifts one must make in order to put food on the table allows for a specific working of style in developing a unique, professional voice.

Companies are attempting to brand themselves now more so than ever; language helps develop the company’s ideology.

There might exist a greater question of morality for the professional writer: when language holds such persuasive power (perhaps more intimately on an individual-to-individual basis than ever before), how should it be aligned and how should it be used?

Finding Your Niche: Hidden Careers for Professional Writers

girl with thought bubbles — Finding your niche

By Elizabeth Slatsky

Professional writing brings game-changing opportunities to English majors. PW classes equip students to take the skills they learned in their literature and creative writing classes and bend them to match a certain career field that is right for them.

Almost every organization needs writers. Because of the wonderful flexibility of professional writing, there are numerous jobs out there for a writer who is willing to branch out into other fields of study. You simply has to find where your fit in; you have to find your unique niche.

What do I mean by finding your unique niche? People are usually interested in a wide range of different topics and skills. Your niche is a place where writing and another interest intersect to form a career that will be the perfect match for you. Below I have provided three job examples. Each is different, yet they all incorporate English into other experiences and interests.

Customer Experience Manager

Did you enjoy working as a barista at a local coffee shop in college? Do you have a thing for customer service? Toby’s Estate [now Partners Coffee], a coffee shop located in Brooklyn, New York, is looking for a Customer Experience Manger. These managers take care of the overall experience of customers as well as the staff. Toby’s Estate’s job ad mentions that these managers do a variety of different jobs including handling “complaints and customer feedback” and organizing “social media requirements for Marketing and tak[ing] photos.” A previous job you enjoyed in a certain field is just one way to lead to a future career.

English assignments prepare students to appeal to multiple audiences since professors often have different standards and preferences. Professional Writing is no exception and, in fact, exemplifies this ability. Regarding the example above, someone who has worked in a coffee shop or a similar environment can combine the variety of skills they learned on the job with their college experience to get a job that is just right for them.

Advertising Art Director

Do you enjoy art and writing? Advertising Art Directors channel their artistic side as well as the different skills gained from four years of writing experience. Amazon’s job advertisement requested a portfolio that “demonstrates big, campaignable thinking that can extend into any medium.”

An English major who is experienced in different forms of art would have the perfect portfolio for this job. This career is an example of someone who might take a hobby or a minor in a specific field and turn it into something they can do for the rest of their life.

Though English classes give students a general idea of how to appeal to different audiences, professional writing classes provide students with a more precise understanding of editorial concepts. For instance, Digital Document Design, a class at UAB, focuses on developing documents and learning programs. Additionally, someone talented in art or graphic design would find themselves better prepared for such fields.

Communications Director

Are you passionate about a nonprofit organization? Active in your faith community? Then something similar to a Communications Director at Ingleside Baptist Church in Georgia could be an option. A communications director is in charge of all the organization’s communications with those outside of their organization. This could be on social media or through emails. The job ad stated having a passion for their ministry and possessing “excellent written and verbal communication skills” was important. This is an example of how to channel a passion for a certain belief or nonprofit into a potential career.

Community outreach can be as competitive as marketing a product to a specific group of people. Good writers are needed to create successful content that will appeal to the church’s intended audience. However, these organizations also need people passionate and knowledgeable about their work to f ill these positions. Here is where a writer interested in the organization’s work could shine in a job application.

These are only a few of the possibilities for English majors. So go explore the internet! Your dream job could be right under your nose.

Alumni Spotlight: Sydnei Wheat

Sydnei Wheat and her colleagues — Sydnei Wheat (right) and her colleagues

Alumni Spotlight: Sydnei Wheat

By Danielle Ivey

UAB alumna Sydnei Wheat was a Professional Writing student at UAB. She was the first winner of the Outstanding Professional Writing Student Award in 2016, for her research paper concerning the visual representations of transgender women.

Sydnei specifically covered Laverne Cox and Caitlyn Jenner, magazine covers (and articles) and how both visuals and narratives can perpetuate longstanding racial myths and discourse surrounding women. After her internship with Good Grit Magazine and during her time at UAB, she has gone on to the University of West Georgia to work as a Library Assistant in their research library.

MEMORANDUM recently caught up with Sydnei (pictured above), to learn about her experiences.

Why did you choose Professional Writing, and what were your favorite experiences as a Professional Writing Student?

Honestly, my initial decision to go into Professional Writing stemmed largely from wanting increased job opportunities than actual interest in the concentration. I was previously in Creative Writing—from my freshman to mid-junior years—and while I loved the courses and the various prose, short stories and poems that I wrote (I did after all, aspire to be a writer/editor), it just didn’t feel like it was enough for me.

After taking all the classes in the concentration and engaging in so much awesome interdisciplinary work, I fell in love with the major. Coding websites, filming and editing videos, designing promotional/advertising materials, even studying the human psyche and how Professional Writers have a hand in influencing all of that and still getting to write? To me, it was the best major ever!

What was your goal after graduation? How did you prepare for starting out in the professional world?

I always (and still do) want to be a book editor, but opportunities in the book publishing industry in Birmingham are slim to none. But the magazine publishing industry is thriving in Birmingham. And so in order to gain hands-on experience, Dr. Ryan—who is the Internship Director for the English department—set me up with a magazine editorial internship.

While I did enjoy my time at Good Grit Magazine along with learning about how magazines work, my love for books and working with them didn’t go away. I decided to continue to pursue a career in which I could work around books whether through librarianship or publishing. If I’m lucky I might even be able to do both!

Honestly, I think the best way to prepare for the real world is to not put your eggs all into one basket. Meaning: always have another career option for yourself. I have always wanted to be a book editor, but I also knew that that might not be as feasible a dream as I wanted it to be.

When I got a student job on campus in the research library in my junior year, I fell in love with the environment and knew that librarianship could be another option for me. I’m happy to say that with my new job I am now on the track to further advance that dream with a MLIS (Masters in Library and Information Science) education that will be fully paid for.

The Professional Writing concentration and the English major itself was a natural precursor to library and information studies. Dissemination of information is the main foundation of both fields and I find that they complement each other well. I even wrote an article on it for the digital MEMORANDUM site.

Tell me a little bit about the job that you have now: what is your role, what do you like the most about your job, and what are the most difficult parts of your job?

I just recently accepted a job offer from the University of West Georgia to work as a Library Assistant in their research library. In fact, as I’m writing this, I’ll be completing my first official week at my new job!

I work in the circulation department, so the most difficult part of my job is actually talking to people, because that’s not my strong point. But the other employees are patient with me and answer all of my questions even if I asked them a thousand times already.

What I like most about my job is the fact that I’m surrounded by so much information and I can actually use my academic/research skills and knowledge to help patrons locate items and even make suggestions on reading or reference materials.

From Bar to Brewery: Alumni Interview with Jay Haywood

By Lexi Waldon

Jay Haywood, a graduate from UAB with a BA in English-Professional Writing, has built his career by maneuvering through the restaurant and bar business since the day he graduated high school. He made his way from restaurant gigs and bar-backing jobs to becoming a Sales Representative for Cahaba Brewery here in Birmingham.

Because there are only two members on the sales team for this swiftly growing company, Jay’s responsibilities lie beyond those of a typical sales rep. With his service industry experience and his professional writing skills, Jay proved himself to be pretty useful to a newly established brewery in a town where many competitors have already made their mark. To learn more about Jay and his line of work, MEMORANDUM met up with him on his own turf.

Jay began his journey in Columbus, Georgia where he began working various restaurant jobs after high school. At the age of 24, he decided to move to Birmingham and begin his college career at UAB.

With a major in Secondary Education and a concentration in English, he found himself enrolled in a few Professional Writing courses and became increasingly involved with the program. After establishing a relationship with one of his professors within the PW program, he decided to shift directions and begin working towards a degree in Professional Writing.

While earning his degree, he continued working restaurant jobs to stay afloat—all the while making connections and building long-lasting professional relationships.

During the beginning of his senior year at UAB, an old friend from a previous job called him up and asked if he’d be interested in running the bar at a new brewery in town—Cahaba Brewery. This put Jay’s foot in the door of a fresh company with a quickly increasing demand.

For the remainder of his time in school and the beginnings of his time at Cahaba, he began to push the company to host events and create an online presence for itself. Once the company realized the impact of social media in today’s society, its presence became imperative. The company saw the need for this and Jay saw the opportunity to fulfill it, so he began curating online content and creating a social media following for the brand.

As the online following grew, so did the sales, thus creating a new job position for Jay as a sales representative and professional social media guru.

Jay plans events, books bands and food trucks, posts on Facebook and Instagram, updates the website, writes press releases and coordinates with distributors and graphic designers to make sure the concept of the brand remains intact.

Jay calls sales meetings, meets clients, coordinates donations for non-profit events and hosts tastings at restaurants in the state. He’s the guy shaking your hand at the end of a meeting, the guy sitting behind the computer screen booking the band for the next event and the person making sure the food truck shows up for “Good Lil’ Wednesday,” a charity fundraiser Cahaba hosts every Wednesday night for a local nonprofit organization.

He stays in contact with those who drink the beer and makes sure that the people creating it understand how crucial it is to keep Cahaba Blonde in stock. He reaches out to the other breweries and restaurants in town, making sure not to host any specials on the same night as them.

When asked how he stays in the know with the community and the customers, he says, “Because most of my work is done outside of these walls, I get to experience the people of our brand and feel more connected to our customers. It feels very close knit that way.”

Because Jay is still fairly new to this position, he is eager to learn more and create more. He is always thinking of new ways to engage with the community, whether it be through planning new events, promoting a new beer on social media or helping a nonprofit put on an event of their own. These things not only drive customers directly to the Brewery itself, but allow the personality of the brand to be experienced, which is one of Jay’s priorities when it comes to his work.

Swing by Cahaba to see how professional writing and beer can come together to form a unique and exciting career.

Alumna Spotlight Interview: Allison Underwood

By Natalie Pagan

Allison Underwood, a UAB graduate, sat down with me to discuss how the Professional Writing program can help students reach their career goals. Underwood currently works at Good Grit Magazine here in Birmingham, Alabama as a digital media coordinator. Good Grit focuses on an elegant and progressive reflection of southern heritage.

Underwood said, “I’ve lived here my whole life, but it wasn’t until I started working with Good Grit that I fell in love with the South. Good Grit brings the Southerner out of the box—there’s a place for everyone here!” This August will mark Underwood’s two years of employment at this magazine.

Underwood started off at Good Grit working as a paid intern before becoming a part-time staff member and currently the person in charge of running digital and social media. Some of the job activities include posting on social media sites such as Facebook, managing social profiles, emailing newsletters and creating graphics for profiles. Underwood mentioned having taken UAB’s Digital Media Capstone course, which brought about the unpaid internship. This allowed them to receive a job offer to be a part-time employee at Good Grit Magazine.

I asked about the experience that Underwood had prior to working at Good Grit. They gave credit to a professional writing background and how the degree has helped thus far. Underwood mentioned that they are thankful for having been introduced to the major early enough to pursue and finish the degree. Underwood went on to promote the degree by saying, “A person who chooses this major can do whatever they want with it.” Underwood listed technical writing, teaching, social media and coding as a few of the jobs that are relevant in the professional field.

The interviewee explained that in their particular job, there is not only writing involved, but coding, designing and editing documents. Although Underwood does not code for Good Grit Magazine, they have done some coding as a freelancer.

During the interview, Underwood explained that the required courses for their Bachelor’s degree provided an opportunity to gain the experience needed for the job at Good Grit Magazine.

Because the internship was geared primarily towards digital media, they were able to use what was learned throughout courses such as Developing Digital Documents to better analyze the material that was going to be distributed or posted onto the internet.

This course allowed them to learn how to compare different font choices, colors and proximities on different documents, making sure that the magazine is sent out looking its absolute best. This course allowed Underwood to become familiar with programs such as Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop which many magazine companies work with, including Good Grit.

Although these skills have helped Underwood reach a stellar career goal, Underwood admits that they have also made it difficult to not feel the need to analyze every document or advertisement they see. Underwood unabashedly stated, “I’ll look at a billboard and think about what I would change to fix it.”

As someone currently taking the Developing Digital Documents course, I had to agree with Underwood that nothing can possibly look the same once you’ve figured out all of the tricks of document design. The interviewee agreed and said that this was in fact the gift and the curse of learning all of these skills. “Once you know how to do it correctly, you notice that the rest of the world does not.”

The interviewee strongly encouraged current English majors to look into the professional writing program. Underwood is the proof that with the right experience and education, your dream job can be the one that you land and thrive at.

Days after interviewing Underwood, they have just obtained a new position at Good Grit Magazine. While keeping most of the same responsibilities, Underwood’s new position now includes managing interns, gift guides, developing campaigns for magazine subscriptions and curating sponsored content.

While still being actively involved in scheduling Facebook, Instagram and the email campaign, Underwood has begun delegating a lot of these responsibilities and tasks to interns to be able to focus on the bigger picture. Good Grit is always looking for hard-working students to fill internship roles.

On behalf of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, we wish Underwood the best of luck in continuing to further their career.

Marketing Yourself as a Writer

man working at a computer — Image courtesy of Adobe Stock

Marketing Yourself as a Writer

By Wallace Golding

There exists a common misconception in society regarding the utility of humanity degrees—particularly those in English. They are often seen as archaic and inflexible. As students of the English language, however, professional writers know this could not be further from the truth. English majors are curators and creators well-versed in all things content, design, and project management.

Nevertheless, some sort of disconnect continues to persist between what professional writers believe their degree to be—versatile and flexible—and what employers perceive it to be. As experts in written and visual communication, professional writing students already have an advantage, but there are certain steps that even the most seasoned expert should adopt in order to excel in the competitive job search arena.

There is a generally accepted rule that all professional writers believe to be true: never label yourself as a “professional writer.” Even if this is exactly what you are, this is too broad a term to include on your résumé. With the countless industries that professional writers can end up in, it is important that you cater to the specific industry to which you are applying.

Employers are looking for some sort of expertise beyond document design, typography and rhetorical analysis. That is why it is vital that you focus on the fields you would like to find a career in. So, if you are searching to start a new job with a marketing agency, your title should be something along the lines of “marketing specialist” rather than the relatively nondescript “professional writer.”

As experts in curating content, professional writers understand the importance of branding and maintaining the appropriate image. This should be no different at the personal level either. Create your identity; find one that is recognizable, original, and consistent. CocaCola is identifiable thanks to its cursive-lettered logo and high-contrast colors. Create a design and use the same elements across everything that may be sent to a future employer. This includes business cards, résumés, letterhead, and other printed materials.

Just as you should use your personality in creating an individual brand, you should also use it to create and maintain a personal website and portfolio. There is no better way to showcase what you are capable of than by showing what you have done in the past. If you are an expert in Adobe Creative Cloud programs, prove it with design and document layout work you have done in the past. If you want to dive into the world of technical writing, use documents that you have created either while in school or during internships.

Applications to some jobs may require that prior work be submitted, so keeping your best samples in one place will make this a much easier, more streamlined process. Include your website URL on your business card, résumé and letterhead so that employers can find their way to your work on their own. Additionally, employers may log on to view your work even if they are not requiring you to submit examples of prior work, which can give you an advantage over other applicants.

The most important aspect of marketing yourself as a professional writer, however, is to value industry experience over everything else. Considering the way humanities degrees are viewed, especially in the highly technical fields professional writers often enter, it is important to acquire tangible, résumé-worthy experience before you enter the job market. This can be acheived via numerous methods including internships, paid work, freelancing or even volunteering your expertise to organizations, companies and individuals.

More specifically, it is important that you obtain experience that is relevant to your desired industry. A student interested in pursuing a career in marketing may gain some valuable skills by spending the summer at a biotech firm writing technical documents, but they might benefit more from working at an advertising agency or in the marketing department of a large corporation. Simply put, the experience gained for this student is not bad experience, per se, but it may not be relevant.

Regardless of how they perceive an English degree, employers have been slow to adopt the idea professional writers are, in all actuality, very versatile and flexible. By properly marketing yourself and taking steps like the ones above, however, you can be on your way to that dream job in no time.

Keys to Successful Writing

woman writing on clipboard — Image courtesy of Adobe Stock

By Mary J. Doss

According to the UAB Writing Center, “punctuation can make an enormous difference in the meaning of whatever it is you’re writing.” Improper punctuation can result in miscommunication, misrepresentation or worse. Do you know anyone who was denied employment because they used incorrect punctuation? That’s what could happen if you apply for a writing position with grammatical errors.

When you speak to someone face-to-face, you have the opportunity to clarify or restate your intention—this is not the case with writing. For the most part, you are not present when someone reads your work, which means that clarity is absolutely essential. A misplaced comma or period could alter the entire meaning of your sentence. For example, if you write “Don’t stop” instead of “Don’t, stop,” you might end up saying the opposite of what you intended.

The Importance of Punctuation by The Write Corner shows how punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence. If you write “He was bitten by a dog which hurt him” or “He was bitten by a dog, which hurt him,” the meaning becomes unclear and the sentence could become misleading. The comma after “dog” changes the meaning of the sentence. The first statement means the dog hurt him, whereas the second sentence means the bite hurt him.

Improper punctuation can damage well-intentioned writing. The most commonly used punctuation marks in writing are periods, commas, exclamation marks and question marks. In the wrong place, an innocuous comma has the power to mislead your reader, whether that is your professor or your client.

Sometimes we forget to use the correct punctuation, which means that we must take extra care when writing for someone else’s eyes. Make sure to indicate where you want your reader to slow down, to pause, and to stop.

Between 1984 and 1992, I had the opportunity to work in the Word Processing Department for the Army. We were assigned to read, properly punctuate and occasionally rewrite sentences. Everything we read had to be perfect because we were editing training material for the soldiers. This is just one context of many in which professional writing has to be perfect.

If you are looking for a writing career, look no further. The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a resource which offers many types of occupations. The handbook reads, “What Reporters, Correspondents, and Broadcast News Analysts Do.” The job description went on to say, “These workers are often responsible for editing interviews and other recordings to create a cohesive story and for writing and recording voiceovers that provide the audience with the facts of the story.”

If you are considering becoming an editor, then you must be prepared to use punctuation correctly. The handbook’s description says editors typically do the following:

Read content and correct spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors.
Rewrite text to make it easier for readers to understand.

Punctuation is of the utmost importance for freelancers, who often work alone and must proofread their own work. Since they write for different companies, the text must be edited to reflect the tone for each. Freelancers must therefore be careful when rereading their content to ensure it comes across properly.

Professional Writing courses prepare students for the real world of writing. Be careful, read and reread everything you write. Knowing how to punctuate correctly is essential for anyone pursuing employment as a professional writer. Former UAB Professional Writing student, Olalekan A. Dada, shares his experience in Professional Writing. Olalekan says, “Writers are needed in a variety of fields, from engineering to the tech industry.”

A few careers that involve high levels of linguistic accuracy can be found at nonprofit organizations, publishing companies, manufacturing plants, medical institutions and legal offices. With that being said, you should always be willing to write well—no matter which path you decide to take.

The Art of Collaboration

students collaborating — Students collaborating

By Tammy Blue

Regardless of your career choice, mastering collaborative skills is essential for success. Whether you’re working with clients, editors or other writers, collaboration is a necessary feature of professional writing. While it can be one of the more challenging aspects of the job, it is often the most rewarding part of the creative process.

In virtually every professional scenario, a writer will find themselves without full creative control. Business clients will have guidelines that serve as the blueprint from which the writer bases their work. The writer must learn how to implement these ideas effectively without losing their own unique edge. They must make the ideas their own.

Even freelance writers will report to an editor or publisher, who ultimately has the final say on subject, content and style. The professional writer who is able to collaborate within the administrative hierarchy is going to be more valuable. After all, one role cannot exist without the other. There isn’t a successful writer today who will tell you their work has not improved with advice and input from an editor.

Collaboration is often most difficult when working laterally with peers. Though a healthy competition can bring out the writer’s best work, it can also cause stalemates, ultimately derailing a project timeline. It is imperative for the professional writer to express their ideas but remain open to the feedback and constructive criticism. They must always remember that everyone is on the same team.

“This isn’t going to work” are the words every professional writer dreads to hear. Sometimes, even after a successful collaboration, the client will change their mind or realize they actually don’t like what was mutually agreed upon. This can be frustrating for the writer, who now has to modify the project’s design or edit content they feel does not need revision. To the writer, these new ideas might even feel like a regressive step backward. Yet the seasoned professional will dig deep for patience and dive back into the creative collaboration process for their client’s benefit.

One of the most difficult collaborative challenges is working across age or experience gaps. In the professional world, coworkers tend to be in different stages of their careers. For example, a writer may work with a professional who has over 20 years of experience with the organization, or they could be a new hire who just graduated.

The veteran professional may feel intimidated by a younger writer with expertise in programs and software they have never used or have yet to master. If your technical skills are lacking, i is important to set pride aside and consider collaboration with a tech-savvy writer as an opportunity to learn.

At times, you might have to fight the instinct to dismiss a novice writer due to their inexperience. Writers who have worked in the field for many years may be set in their ways with a “been there, done that” mindset. This attitude is a hindrance to effective collaboration.

New writers have a lot more to offer than is often realized. They have fresh eyes and innovative approaches to their work. Conversely, recent graduates should pay attention to writers with more experience and listen to their advice. Veterans can also steer beginners clear of mistakes and potential setbacks before they occur.

When all parties involved donate their personal expertise, collaboration can create a masterpiece. It is important to come into a collective creative process with an open mind and a positive attitude.

Regardless of previous failures, each new collaborative effort is an opportunity to start again. The most amazing ideas often blossom from the distinctive strengths of each contributor.

A professional writer’s talent can be attributed to the fact that they themselves are a product of collaboration. All writers have been influenced by others’ ideas. Professors, editors, publishers, clients and other writers have all contributed to your personal style in some way. It’s likely that you have also learned from a failed collaboration and come out stronger.

Professional writers know their weaknesses and are willing to lean on the strengths of their collaborative partners. By implementing and expanding on these influences, the writer doesn’t lose their voice—in fact, that is how it’s found. That is the art of collaboration.

Creative and Professional Writing: What to Do if You’re Interested in Both

open laptop and book — Creative vs. Professional Writing

By Lauren Moore

As new students come flooding into UAB every fall, some know exactly what they want to study. However, the majority of the lowerclassmen are going to explore their options, possibly making changes to their career paths along the way through a process of trial and error.

For some, this process goes a step further—a student may find the right subject matter to study, but what about the concentration? I struggled with this decision myself. After changing my major a few different times and feeling unsatisfied, I realized that what I really wanted was to study English.

However, my insecurities with this major resurfaced when I had to select a concentration. There were many stigmas that clouded my judgement when I was faced with this decision. I have always loved constructing fiction and other forms of creative writing, but was it practical enough for the real world?

I enjoyed being on the newspaper staff in high school, and writing in a professional sense. Would it be more beneficial to my career to be a professional writer, despite my passion for crafting stories? I had to find out.

In this article, I hope to not only break some of the stigmas surrounding both concentrations, but to also examine potential careers that allow English majors the opportunity to exercise creative and professional writing.

Creative Writing Offers More Than You Think

When people ask me what I’m studying, I usually don’t specify creative writing. I’ve grown tired of the judgmental looks and comments that many give in response. Creative writing suffers from the stigma that it can only lead to teaching jobs. This notion could not be further from the truth. In fact, the creative writing concentration opens the doors to a wide range of possibilities.

Creative writing teaches you how to be a skillful, observant writer. Students are taught to manipulate language in ways that are visually and audibly pleasing to the reader. While a short story and a term paper are very different in content, they both require skillful writing. This concentration will provide you with such expertise.

There are many careers that can derive from this concentration, including publishing, marketing and journalism—proving that creative writing can be a very practical concentration.

Professional Writing is Not as Rigid as it Seems

The idea that first struck me when I considered a professional writing concentration was that it was boring. I immediately feared that there was no way I could be as creative in my career as I wanted to be. Again, this idea is a false stigma associated with this concentration. There are many ways to be creative with a degree in professional writing.

Professional writing is an interesting concentration because it is essentially applicable everywhere. Students in this concentration will learn to develop skills in technical writing, editing and publishing. These skills are useful both in the print and digital media worlds. Not only can professional writers find work as editors and publishers, but they can work at virtually any company that requires a skilled writer.

The Two Concentrations Can Collaborate

The thing to keep in mind with both of these concentrations is that they teach you how to write well. At the end of the day, it often comes down to how you advertise yourself when you interview for a job. If you can assure potential employers that you have the skills they’re looking for, that’s usually all that matters.

There are some opportunities that allow you to use both of these concentrations at once. For instance, some literary magazine publishers and editors get to enjoy designing the magazine and submitting their own creative work as well. All in all, these concentrations are what you allow them to be; if you really look deep and explore all of your options, there will be something there for you.

Five Professional Writing Must-Haves

By Sarah Goodman

Has a professor ever advised you to keep the textbook from their class? Did you listen to them? In an age where renting textbooks is often the most financially feasible option, it can be hard to follow their advice. Still, wouldn’t it be nice to know which professional writing materials will help you in the real world? Here is a breakdown of the books, manuals, stylebooks, software and online resources that both professors and alumni swear by.

Number 1

An online portfolio where you can display your writing is a must-have. To do so, however, requires an ability to maintain the website. Content curation is not everyone’s strength so the ability to manage or code a website is extremely valuable. There are website hosts that are free such as Wix, WordPress, and Weebly, which offer premium services for small subscription fees.

Without subscription fees, you can still manage and customize the website through coding. Sometimes a single line of code can make all the difference in the aesthetic and readability of your content. If you are a coding novice, there are free online training and tutorials like Dash by General Assembly, CodeAcademy, and W3 Tutorials.

Number 2

The responsibilities of professional writers have evolved over the past decade; these days it is a good investment to keep a book on design rules and tips. “Because of everything that professional writers have to know and be able to do in 2017, sometimes our attention to writing effective, clear, balanced, and elegant sentences gets lost in translation,” said Dr. McComiskey, Director of Professional Writing Programs. “So for me, every professional writer, and every professional writing student, should own and use a book on style. Style is not grammar: grammar is about correctness; style is about making writing clear and powerful.”

Now, which stylebook do you go with? There are plenty of valuable ones; it boils down to the approach. Dr. McComiskey offered, “If you’re interested in academic writing, Joseph Williams’ book Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace is excellent. If you’re interested in more general non-fiction writing, then Joe Glaser’s book Understanding Style is great. If you’re interested in writing for the Web, then Nicole Fenton and Kate Kiefer Lee’s book Nicely Said is wonderful.”

Number 3

Adobe Creative Cloud is a must-have for many professions. The utility of Creative Cloud is practically unmatched in the mainstream digital design market. Adobe has an affordable package for students that features all the programs for $19.99 per month. For individuals who are not students, Creative Cloud offers all applications costs for $49.99.

However, UAB alum Olalekan Dada said that if you or the organizations you work for do not have access to Adobe Creative Suite, it is worth your time to learn how to design your work through Microsoft Office. Microsoft Office users can attest that creative design is not an easy task in Word, but learning how to use the other components (Powerpoint, Publisher, Sharepoint, Visio, etc) could also serve as useful tools.

Number 4

When writing is your job, you have to write properly; the online resource called Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) can help with that. Whether you are citing diverse bodies of work or trying to remember an obscure grammar rule, Purdue OWL has the endorsement of professionals and professors alike. Purdue OWL is a free online resource that provides extensive guides in different writing styles, citation, grammar and writing techniques for job searches. The OWL even provides guides for writing in specific industries such as technical writing, creative writing, healthcare writing, literature, engineering and more.

In addition to Purdue OWL, A Writer’s Reference by Diana Hacker is a great resource introduced in English Composition 101 and continuing through professional careers. However, Director of the University Writing Center, Dr. Jaclyn Wells said, “There is nothing that beats just writing for a long period of time.” Experience is the best teacher, but it never hurts to have a cheat–sheet.

Number 5

The last must-have is coffee. Dr. Wells, Director of the University Writing Center, said that coffee is one of her many must-haves. The discipline of professional writing is a tough one that requires working hard hours and enduring criticism. But if you have the dedication, willpower and an energy boost, you can be a great and successful writer.

You may not need all or any of these extra resources. Just remember that it’s tough to fix things without tools. Having a knowledge of industry-standard programs like Adobe Creative Cloud or best-practices for curating your online content can make a difference.