Professional Writing Club

Providing Service: Gaining Experience Through the PWC

Elizabeth Slatsky, Social Media Manager for the PWC

By Melissa Lawrence

Professional Writing students frequently engage in emotionless, business-like writing. Unlike other English concentrations at UAB, professional writing requires students to write briefly and concisely. Despite the mechanical nature of professional writing, students in this concentration can still create meaningful products and impact their community.

For instance, UAB’s Professional Writing Club (PWC) partners with a nonprofit organization, Wordsmiths, to help design a literary magazine each year. Throughout the process, UAB students help Birmingham City students acquire the necessary skills to succeed in future careers.

Wordsmiths offers creative writing classes for students attending Birmingham City Schools or living within the city limits. They aim to provide students in 7th to 12th grade with free opportunities to develop creative writing skills. Each year, professional writers and college volunteers work with Wordsmiths to instruct a group of up to sixteen students. They educate the students through extensive individual feedback.

Since most Wordsmiths students are enrolled in schools where seventy percent of students need free or reduced lunches, Wordsmiths focuses heavily on preparing its students for college. Not only do volunteers assist with the students’ creative pieces, they also help with standardized testing preparation and college applications. Wordsmiths shows students how to submit their work to writing contests across the state and the nation. Additionally, students who have enrolled in this after-school program every year since middle school receive a $2,000 scholarship when they graduate high school.

Ultimately, the organization desires to show students that their abilities are valuable and worth improving. They believe that each student has a unique story, and they encourage students to express themselves through short stories or poetry.

The PWC first began collaborating with Wordsmiths in 2014. The organization hoped to continue publishing their students’ work in an annual literary magazine, but it was too expensive and time consuming without the help of the PWC. To save the nonprofit organization a significant amount of money, UAB students now design the layout for the entire publication. A representative of the PWC meets periodically with Gin Phillips from Wordsmiths to ensure the club’s work meets her expectations.

Although UAB students do not directly meet with the Wordsmiths students, they enjoy knowing that their hard work enables young people to have their voices heard.

The PWC’s Social Media Manager, Elizabeth Slatsky, expressed the emotional significance of the project by saying, “I really like knowing my work will have a positive effect on someone. Also, I remember how much I wanted to be a published writer in high school, and I wanted my work to be taken seriously. Creating something that looks professional and polished that the students will be proud of is important to me for this reason. I want to create something they will be proud of.”

At the beginning of the project, PWC members learn how to construct a layout for the magazine within Adobe InDesign. As they format master pages, they also select fonts and designs for the publication. Members then learn how to design a cover page for the magazine. In this process, they often utilize photography skills and gain some Adobe Photoshop experience. This year, a PWC member photographed Rail Road Park to create a unique cover.

When Wordsmiths send in their students’ poems and short stories, PWC members learn how to place their work in the publication while preserving each student’s unique style. After the club completes the project, Wordsmiths receives a final PDF that is ready to print.

Any UAB student can join the PWC and gain valuable experience while designing Wordsmiths’ creative writing magazine. Through this project, students acquire an extensive familiarity with Adobe InDesign. Specifically, students master setting up templates, creating paragraph styles and managing a 60-page document. Students also develop valuable negotiation skills from working with their clients.

Through this project, PWRC students obtain skills for future careers in publishing, and they create a product which many members of the community can enjoy.

Tips to Improve Your Professional Writing

by Payton Hamilton

Exceptional skills in writing and graphical design are necessary for aspiring professional and technical writers across all fields of work. If you hope to convey a specific message smoothly to a particular audience, your skills must be up to par. Even the most well established writers constantly strive to perfect their writing across all industries to properly advertise products. If you wish to improve your writing for your future career in Professional Writing, the following tips will certainly aid you in your quest to create quality content:

Enroll in PW Classes

The Professional Writing Program offers students various opportunities to enhance their analytic, critical, and technological skills needed to advance in their career of Professional Writing. The University of Alabama at Birmingham prepares students interested in Professional Writing with the tools needed to write and create high quality documents to impress future employers. Taking Professional Writing courses will allow you to create a unique resume and portfolio, and will not only help you develop unique web designing skills, but also gain experience as a technical writer. A professional writer will also be able to establish interest in their audiences and effectively create unique designs. Whether you wish to major or minor in Professional Writing, you will gain valuable writing, research, and designing skills needed to advance outside of the classroom and into a successful career.

Understanding of Technology

As a professional writer, you must continuously be up to date with the latest computer software. Professional Writers are always eagerly involved in all types of technical communication, varying anywhere from Microsoft Office and Excel, to Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. Since Professional Writing is heavily influenced by the Digital Age in which we live, a common knowledge of the online world is encouraged. Professional writer’s jobs are, of course, to communicate and persuade their audiences. What better way to communicate to your audience than a brief understanding of social media? Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, etc. are all valuable platforms to effectively reach your target audience. Technical communication will always be evolving and developing. As a professional writer, you must always remain knowledgeable of these changes to effectively connect with your audience.

The PW Community

Familiarizing yourself with the friendly community of professional writers around Birmingham will certainly enhance your chances of succeeding in this major. There are various student groups around UAB’s campus, for example, the Professional Writing Club. The Professional Writing Club will help you get to know fellow students interested in the same field, as well as connect with professionals that will help you hone your skills outside of the classroom. Similarly, involving yourself in UAB’s student newspaper, Kaleidoscope, may be beneficial. Not only will you practice your writing regularly, but you will also become prepared for the professional world of graphical design and media. Additionally, looking into the University Writing Center located on the first floor of Mervyn Sterne Library will also prove helpful. UWC is available for students to help with any inquiries for any category of writing.

Notice Your Surroundings

As a professional writer in Birmingham, you will more than likely see various posters, advertisements, and general postings throughout the area. Taking a moment to study and read these designs will help improve your skills as a professional writer. Whether some postings are utterly ridiculous or, perhaps, mind-numbingly dull, you will learn from them. Not only can you begin to notice these postings, but also notice brand names and commercials. Notice Company names on the sides of semi-trucks or even silly t-shirt designs. Analyze their mistakes or take note of the intricacies of their designs to gain inspiration. Notice placement, contrast, and colors to aid you in your next project. Recognize the effects their designs have on your mind and how you remember certain patterns, layouts, and composition over other designs.

Practice Makes Perfect

If you wish to boost your writing technique further, know that practice is one of the most important elements needed to master your prose. Just by writing on a regular basis, your work will improve immensely!