Professional Writing: Creative And Critical Approaches

Description

This book has been designed specifically for students in writing classes and other writers interested in developing proficient writing careers in a professional environment. As professional writing continues to change rapidly alongside digital developments, this book frames professional writing particularly for 'creative' and other writers. The professional world needs writers with a diverse portfolio of skills and capabilities; if writers can master these, they are more able to make a living from their writing and support their more creative endeavours. Each chapter includes a comprehensive range of exercises to build professional skills, along with learning objectives, case studies, worked examples, tips for success, and suggested websites and further reading. Contents 1: Introduction to Professional Writing What Is Professional Writing? Can Writing Really Be a Profession? This Book Approaches Professional Writing from These Three Perspectives Why Is Professional Writing Critical to Business? What Are Some of the Causes of Poor Professional Writing? How Is Professional Writing Different to Other Forms of Writing? Lose Your Own Voice and Become an Imitator! Write to Specification It May Be on a Subject You Don’t Know Much About or Have Very Little Interest In It’s Professional The Demand for High-Quality Content and Copy Business Style and a Consistent Image Key Chapter Points 2: Writing for Business External Communication Internal Communication Business Language and Tone How We Communicate Creates an Image Identifying the Subject, Audience and Objective Reader-Friendly Writing and Readability Sentence Structure and Word Choice Engaging with Readers The Way of Communication Pressure to Stay in Touch It’s All About Image Writing Professionally and the Freelancer The Professional Freelancer … Key Chapter Points 3: A Career in Professional Writing Writing as a Profession in Business Jobs Available to Professional Writers Turning Your Written Words into a Paying Proposition The Life of a Freelance Writer Standing Out from the Crowd Key Chapter Points 4: The Art of Communication and the Freelancer The Freelance Writer and Communication How Does Communicating Professionally and Business-like Differ from Other Forms of Communication? Getting Your Message Across Use Active Voice Avoid Passive Voice Stick to Simple and Shorter Sentence Structures Be Specific Be Positive But Curb Enthusiasm Avoid Qualifiers Keep It Professional at All Times Write from the Point of View of the Company Write More Univocally Avoid Nominalising Verbs Recommend Action Rather Than Refer to Individual Mental States Avoid Qualifiers That Weaken Recommendations Or Express Doubt Avoid Personalising Pronouns, and Personalising Problems Use the Imperative Voice Use Verbal Rather Than Nominal Forms (Verbs Changed into Nouns Or Adjectives) of Words Use Parallel Structure Eliminate Unnecessary Words Select Words in an Appropriate Register (Vocabulary and Tone) for Your Reader Provide Possible Solutions and Any Implications Be Cautious with the Use of Jargon The Humble Email Emailing for Success General Email Etiquette Addressing an Email Subject Line Body of the Email Some Examples Why Is This Better? Bad Email Habits Good Email Habits Disclaimers Signatures Key Chapter Points 5: Writing for an Online Market Writing for Digital Media The Style Guide Digital Platform Choice Creating Scannable Content Copy People Want to Read! The Visual and Verbal, Alongside the Written Assessing and Evaluating Online Copy Key Chapter Points 6: Self-promotion Becoming an Expert Self-marketeer Have a Website Dedicated to Your Freelancing Writing Blogs Forums What Are You Good At? Identifying Your Strengths and Weaknesses A Standout Profile Making Your Profile Stand Out The Freelance Writer’s Portfolio Change Your Portfolio Regularly Refresh Your Content Portfolio Content Some Potential Ideas Include Volunteering How to Have a Positive Volunteering Experience Key Chapter Points 7: Finding Work Finding Work Traditional Sources to Find Writing Gigs Online Sources to Find Writing Gigs Engaging in Networks Building Customer Relationships Creating a Freelancer’s CV CV Style Profile Skills List CV Highlights Other Sections Building Your Elevator Pitch Key Chapter Points 8: Navigating the Bid Process on Freelancing Platforms Freelancing Platforms: How Do They Work? Identifying Suitable Opportunities Writing Successful Bid Responses/Proposals Read the Project Description: And Then Read It Again Make an Impression Sell Your Specific Strengths Details of Your Proposal Personalise Your Bid Answer Any Questions Provide Estimates Be Polite Supporting Your Proposal The Price Your Questions Show Your Experience Be Clear with What You Will Provide Manage Expectations Proposal Outline Getting Your Proposal Noticed You’ve Won the Bid: Now What? Key Chapter Points 9: Estimating Writing Projects Estimating Rate and Work Effort Your Basic Rate Pricing Your Services Price per Project Price per Hour Price per Word/Page Calculating Rates Per-Word Rates Per-Page Rates The Marketplace Know Your Value Other Benefits? What to Charge? Negotiating Scoping the Work Have Some Standard Guides Pricing a Job Going Under Your Base Rate? Retainers Rates Are Not Set in Stone Getting Better at Estimating Some Useful Guides Writingassist.com Key Chapter Points 10: Planning and Managing Writing Projects Planning Writing Projects Planning Process Getting Started: Identify the What, Who, Why and How What Are You Really Writing About? Who Cares? Why Is This Piece Needed? How Will This Piece Be Delivered? Step-by-Step Planning for Writing Projects Discussions Keeping Track of Project Information For Each Client For Each Project For Each Task Project Management and Writing Projects Asengana Basecamp Evernote FreshBooks Podio Redbooth Taskboard Thrive Trello Ulysses III Wrike Do You Really Need a Fancy Tool? Key Chapter Points 11: The Editing Process Thinking About Ways to Edit Narrative Voice Negative Positive or Should That Be Positive Negative? Active Voice I Would Like To Punctuation Word Smart ‘Out of Work’ Words Muscular Verbs Who, What, Not That, What Not Currently, Presently, Truly, Deeply—And Killing the—Lys and—Ings Informal Contractions Your Little Word and Phrase Tics Tools to Help with Editing Key Chapter Points 12: Building a Successful Career as a Professional Writer Understanding Your Skills and Capabilities Have a Niche or Two … or Three … or Four … Learn, Learn, Learn Be Realistic Develop a Thick Skin Be Persistent Become a Risk Taker Got to Really Want It Having Long-Term and Short-Term Career Plans When Things Go Wrong Key Chapter Points Appendix: LGA-Banned Words Index