“You are writing for yourself.”

(Zinsser 2016, p. 24)

When I read this quote, I questioned if this statement was really true. I am not a writer by trade. The only kind of writing I do is for my job and its purpose is to communicate with my colleagues. For example, I work at an advertising firm for Broadway shows and I write emails to clients, I write creative briefs to give creative direction to designers, and I write messages to my colleagues to align on our ideas. After reading the subsequent chapter on audience in William Zinsser’s On Writing Well, I realized he was referring to writing authentically and enjoying it.

As I thought about this concept, I realized there were many tips in this week’s readings that stuck out to me and could be applied to my writing at work.

1. Never say anything you wouldn’t comfortably use in conversation: Zinsser specifically calls out the use of “indeed” and “moreover” in writing and if you are a person that never uses those words they should not belong in your writing (Zinsser 2016, p. 26). I have used the word, “moreover” in every paper I have ever written since high school because one teacher told me it was a “good transition word.” I have never used “moreover” in conversation and I have decided to find another word that creates a smoother and relatable transition. This will appear more natural to any audience that I am writing to.
2. Be yourself when you write: I agree with this sentiment because it is easier to be authentic and harder to develop an artificial persona behind a writer’s pen. However, I do not agree with Zinsser when he says, “Many old men still write with the zest they had in their twenties or thirties (Zinsser 2016, P. 25). If that specific “old man” believes he has the mental internal zest he had in his thirties, he should absolutely be writing in that style as long as it is authentic and truthful. His audience may be in their thirties, even though he is older.
3. The curse of knowledge: In “The Curse of Knowledge” by Steven Pinker, he says bad writing is a result of assuming the reader knows as much about a subject as the author. This is particularly relevant in my line of work because I am frequently conveying information to designers about a specific Broadway show. It is extremely important for me to be extra clear before they start designing the art for the project because their time is valuable. I often don’t realize that they do not know as much about the content as I do and I have to be extra articulate to make sure they are on the same page.
4. Enjoying writing: This element is particularly challenging for me because I do not write for pleasure. I read for pleasure but I have never voluntarily written anything for pleasure. However, my job involves writing about advertisements for Broadway shows and Broadway shows are something I am very passionate about. The advertisements that I help create involve content that I enjoy. I realized that finding the joy in writing about the content that I was passionate about would help my readers find the same joy from advertisement that I did.

Although I do not write for myself at work, I began to realize that I enjoy my work and should begin to think of writing about my work as the same enjoyable activity. For example, I was involved in creating this social media advertisement for Sweeney Todd on Broadway. I wrote a note to the designer about adding a more dynamic music bed behind the advertisement. I realized that I am extremely passionate about the orchestrations in the show and I should have communicated why I thought this specific song should be included. This would have created clearer communication and given the designer more context behind my request.

Finding joy in communicating what I love about my work will create a more positive language between all of my colleagues. I believe it will also automatically provide more clarity when we communicate through writing. It might even help my colleagues enjoy their jobs as much as I do.

Citations:

Pinker, S. (2014, September 25). The source of bad writing. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-cause-of-bad-writing-1411660188

Zinsser, W. (2013). On writing well. Harper Paperbacks.