ROWAN WRITING ARTS
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        • An Interview with a Publisher
        • Excellence in Writing Arts Medallion Winner: Sara Skipp
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      • Fall 2017 >
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        • The Writer's Journey Blog by Earl Garcia
        • Rewriting The Department's Social Media Platforms
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        • Glassworks Launches Issue Fifteen
        • For Futuristic Consideration: An Exploration of Careers in Writing
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Picture

What You Think You Know About
Technical and Professional Writing
​Is Wrong

                                                                   
​                                                                        by Rachel Barton


As a student in Writing Arts, my focus always centered on Creative Writing. Like many writers in the major, I have been writing my whole life. I had a clear image of the sort of writing I did in my head: short stories, creative nonfiction, longer fiction, sometimes poetry. My extension into New Media Writing & Publishing, based in career advancement, made sense to me. I had the writing I liked to do and I had the sort of skills I needed for future careers. I never once even considered Technical Writing -- and I’m not the only one.

To me, Technical Writing seemed boring. It certainly wasn’t the same as writing fiction. I couldn’t create characters and stories. How could it be fun? I also veered away from Technical Writing because I viewed it as a solitary act. I pictured grantwriters shut up in tiny cubicles, tucked away from humanity -- maybe even someone editing a procedural handbook in a boiler room somewhere.

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, these thoughts have been written in the past tense. Why? What changed my mind? What’s going to change yours or the next Writing Arts student that may be inclined to glance over Technical Writing?
PictureDr. Jennifer Tole
This paradigm shift was catalyzed by an interview with Dr. Jennifer Tole, who earned her Ph. D. from Temple before coming to Rowan in 2014. She teaches classes within Writing Arts, like Writing for the Workplace, but she also bridges into other disciplines through courses like Sophomore Engineering Clinic. In Fall 2018, she will be teaching a Special Topics course in Writing for Nonprofits. Hearing Jennifer explain the course not only caught my interest, but also challenged me to reevaluate my perspective on Technical Writing as a whole.

According to Dr. Tole, Technical Writing didn’t have to be boring. In fact, it could be extremely creative.

“We tend to think of creative writing as poetry and  short stories, fiction. Or we might think of writing in the academic sense in terms of Comp I or Comp II class. But technical and professional writing has a distinctly creative aspect as you are creating information, documents, and work that help people get things done in a work setting that wasn’t there before. There are choices that you make in this situation that are creative. There is no rule book. There are strategies, there are techniques, there are genres and conventions of those genres. But within all those parameters there are a number of choices that each writer makes.”

These choices include, but are not limited to: document design, layout, word choice, sentence structure, visuals, paragraph breaks, and number of sentences.

As Dr. Tole described, we tend to view Technical Writing as the process of creating “cold informational pieces to get information from Point A to Point B.” However, hours of intricate planning go into that document to insure the author’s meaning is delivered and understood by readers who can then produce the desired effects. These documents help people to get things done, change minds, and influence the adoption of new ideas.

When Dr. Tole explained Technical Writing this way, I was confused at first. Was she talking about the right subject? Then, as I processed her well-chosen words, I began to understand. The only thing keeping Technical Writing from being creative was the way I approached it. If you treat a document like a cold, straight-forward piece, it will probably end up that way. However, if you take the time to craft the document and make those choices Jennifer described, you can create something as nuanced as a creative piece.

Dr. Tole didn’t stop there. As she described Writing for Nonprofits, she explained that the course
gives students experience writing in genres specific to nonprofits: PR, press releases, grant proposals, and fund-raising materials. The skills of analyzing and producing those documents, rhetorical flexibility, and professional communication can extend beyond the realm of nonprofit, just as Dr. Tole herself stretches from Writing Arts into other disciplines.

The course itself is heavily based in service learning. Small teams throughout the semester will work in partnership with a local nonprofit. Although each team will be doing something different, projects may include social media, promotional brochures, informational reports, or even powerpoints.

“There are obvious reciprocal benefits. The students get to practice their course skills and the nonprofit receives help with their own specific communication needs.”

This service learning experience can be featured by students on their CVs, resumes, or in their professional portfolios.

Technical Writers, then, are not restricted to drab cubicles or locked away in boiler rooms. In fact, Technical Writers are vital to successful communication in the workplace. Furthermore, these writers can bring their skills to nonprofits and causes that matter to not only have social based work, but also to do the sort of work that matters. One of my favorite things about Creative Writing is how personal it can be, how much of myself I can present in my words. Service and social justice are both things I consider to be major parts of myself. Technical writing presents a special way of combining my love of writing and these aspects of myself to better serve community and causes in need.

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  • Home
  • Advising
  • Programs
    • Undergraduate Programs >
      • Minors >
        • Writing Arts Minor
        • Creative Writing Minor
        • Technical & Professional Writing Minor
        • New Media Minor
    • 4+1 (B.A.+M.A.) Program
    • Degree in 3
    • Certificates of Undergraduate Study >
      • CUGS in Creative Writing
      • CUGS in Technical and Professional Writing
      • CUGS in Writing Studies for Educators
      • CUGS in Professional Communication
      • CUGS in Writing for the Environment
    • Graduate Programs
  • WA Major
    • Writing Arts Journey
    • Required Courses >
      • General Education >
        • Science and Mathematics
        • Social and Behavioral Sciences
        • Literature, History, Humanities, and Language
      • Introduction to Writing Arts >
        • History & Materiality of Writing
        • Issues in Writing
        • Technologies & the Future of Writing
      • Methods Choice >
        • How Writers Read
        • Tutoring Writing
        • Communication Theory
      • Creative Choice >
        • Creative Writing I
        • Writing Children's Stories
      • The Writer's Mind
      • Writing, Research & Technology
      • Senior Seminar: Methods of Analysis and Evaluation of Writing
      • Portfolio Seminar
      • Free Electives
      • Literacy Studies >
        • Writing With Technologies
        • Situating Writing
    • Elements of Language >
      • Rhetorics of Style
      • Linguistics
      • Semantics
      • Editing for Publication
      • American English Grammar
      • Introduction to Anthropological Linguistics
    • Concentrations >
      • Creative Writing >
        • Writing Comedy
        • Writing the Young Adult Novel
        • Creative Writing I
        • Creative Writing II
        • Writing Children's Stories
        • Writing and Craft for Elementary Students
        • Writing Fiction
        • Writing Poetry
        • Writing Creative Nonfiction
        • Screenwriting I: Writing the Short
        • Screen Writing II: Writing the Feature
        • Magazine Article Writing
        • Fundamentals of Playwriting
        • Film Scenario Writing
        • Tutoring Writing
        • The Publishing Industry
        • Professions in Writing Arts
        • Internship
        • Research Practicum
      • Publishing & Writing for the Public >
        • Introduction to New Media
        • Self Publishing
        • The Publishing Industry
        • Writing for Popular Culture
        • Publication Layout & Design
        • Rhetorical Theory
        • Environmental Writing & Rhetoric
        • Writing for the Workplace
        • Writing Comedy
        • Professions in Writing Arts
        • Fiction to Film
        • Participatory Media
        • Photojournalism
        • Online Journalism I
        • Media Law
        • Applied Media Aesthetics: Sight, Sound and Story
        • Internship
        • Research Practicum
      • Technical & Professional Writing >
        • Introduction to Technical Writing
        • Writing for Nonprofits
        • Scientific Writing and Rhetoric
        • Medical Writing and Rhetoric
        • Tutoring Writing
        • Writing for the Workplace
        • The Publishing Industry
        • Professions in Writing Arts
        • Internship
        • Research Practicum
    • WA Learning Community >
      • Publishers
    • Portfolio Seminar Overview >
      • PS Analysis Statement Assignment
      • Checklist
      • Core Values
      • Questions Concerning Core Values
      • PS AS Peer Group Instructions
      • Portfolio Contents and Uploading
      • PS AS Rubric
      • FAQs: Students
      • FAQs: Instructors
  • Internships
  • Careers
  • Faculty
    • Faculty Resources >
      • Best Practices in Online Learning
      • Syllabus Requirements
      • HyFlex/Remote Learning
      • Canvas Support >
        • Writing Comedy
      • Accessibility in Online Courses
      • Racial Equity Online
      • Supporting Developmental Writers Remotely
      • Building an Online Classroom Community
    • Acknowledgements
  • Blogs
    • Writer's Insider Blog >
      • Fall 2020
      • Spring 2020
      • Fall 2019
      • Spring 2019 >
        • An Interview with Devon James & Rachel Barton
        • Confession Travel Writer
        • Self-Publishing: A Change in Perspective
        • CCCA Career Fair: Having Your Future in Mind
        • Alumni Success: Entering the Working World
        • Behind the Scenes of Rowan's Hiring Process
      • Fall 2018 >
        • Singularity Press: Rowan's New Start Up
        • Writing Arts Club
        • How Can We Evaluate Creative Writing?
        • More Inclusive Events for Technical Writers
        • Guest Speaker Manuela Soares
        • Glassworks Reading
        • Spotlight: Taylor Henry, Recently Published Rowan Alum
      • Spring 2018 >
        • Publishing and Writing for the Public: A Reconstructed Concentration
        • What You Think You Know About Technical and Professional Writing is Wrong
        • The Toni Libro Medallion Award Winner: Myriah Stubee
        • An Interview with a Publisher
        • Excellence in Writing Arts Medallion Winner: Sara Skipp
        • The College of Communcation and Creative Arts 6th Annual Student Awards and Showcase Ceremony
        • Rowan Alum, Marissa Cohen, On Self Publishing and Advocacy
      • Fall 2017 >
        • Upcoming Classes in the Writing Arts Department
        • The Writer's Journey Blog by Earl Garcia
        • Rewriting The Department's Social Media Platforms
        • Rowan University Writing Arts Club Reinvents Mission
        • Glassworks Launches Issue Fifteen
        • For Futuristic Consideration: An Exploration of Careers in Writing
      • Spring 2017 >
        • Technical Communication: An Overview
        • A More Inclusive Future for Technical Writers
        • Easing the Tension: Breaking Down Technical and Professional Writing
        • Growing the Technical and Professional Writing Concentration
      • Fall 2016
      • Spring 2016
      • Winter 2015
      • Fall 2015 >
        • 2014 and Prior >
          • Archive
    • The Bulletin Board
    • RU Writing? Podcast
  • Creative Writing
  • Writing Center
  • Alumni
    • Undergraduate
    • Graduate
  • Awards
    • 2021 Emerging Writers Scholarship
    • Denise Gess Literary Awards >
      • Rowan University Award for Poetry
      • Edward J. Czwartacki Award for Fiction
      • Pat B. Tweedie Award for Creative Nonfiction
      • Award Winners
    • Excellence in Writing Arts Medallion Award
    • AnToinette Libro Graduate Medallion Award
    • Past Awards >
      • 2008 Hollybush Writing Competition
      • Write Rowan, Right Now! Contest
  • Student Groups
    • Rowan Writing Arts Club
    • Avant Literary Magazine
    • The Whit Newspaper
    • Her Campus Rowan
    • Odyssey at Rowan
    • Singularity Press
  • Calendar
  • ECCCA
    • RU Deptartment of Writing Arts - Home
    • News & Announcements
    • Rowan University - Home
    • Ric Edelman College of Communication & Creative Arts at Rowan University - Home
    • Student Groups