Writing for yourself

1
Writing for yourself

• Writing for others

2
Writing for others

• other college classes
• cover letters seeking employment
• letters to the editor/government officials
• blogs, posts on a message board
• thank yous and other personal notes
• business communications
• professional journals
• media content

3
other college classes

• Read assignments closely. Listen in class. Take
  notes.
• Ask pointed questions. Narrative voice? Essay
  or report? Amount of research? Tone? Audience?
  Format?
• Understand that each instructors terminology
  will probably differ. If possible, speak with
  the instructor about your paper directly,
  one-on-one. Give the writing process and your
  ideas the time and focus they deserve. Shine!

4
cover letters seeking employment

• Stick to one well edited page. Review
  professional samples. Seek feedback from an
  editor before mailing. Do not send out cover
  letters with mistakes. Compose a beginning,
  middle, and end to your letter in brief
  paragraphs. Trim excess be forthright and
  under-stated.

5
blog, post on a message board

• Live in the new frontier. Maintain civility even
  in cyberspace.

6
letters to the editor/government officials

• Politely express yourself on the views of the
  day. Write with focus support your ideas with
  details. Write to the editorial pages of your
  favorite newspapers and magazines, electronic or
  print. Address elected government
  representatives as is customary for their office.

7
Thank yous and other personal notes

• Remember to say thank you. Handwritten notes are
  a nice gesture for a variety of occasions, both
  personal and professional. Send a note card
  after a job interview. Offer condolences. Reach
  out to a mentor. Make a personal connection.

8
business communications

• Learn how to write professional e-mails and other
  forms of business communications. Dont guess!
  Take a class or consult a reference. On the job,
  maintain good communication skills on the phone,
  interacting with clients and coworkers, and in
  writing.

9
professional journals

• Use the OCC database to find out whats being
  published in your intended field. Industry
  publications? Academic Journals? Write to match
  intended publication. Send your work with a
  cover letter. Getting published looks good on
  resumes.

10
media content

• Newspapers and magazines, both print and
  electronic, need content. Why aim low? Maintain
  writing skills. Who knows where they might take
  you. Write articles, novels, poems, plays and
  scripts about your professional and personal
  experiences. Write to match intended publication.
  Seek publication.

11
Writing for yourself

• journal or diary
• family stories
• scripts for job interviews

12
center

• Compose first draft essays about whats on your
  mind in order to blow steam or get in touch.
• Try journaling exercises such as
• writing unsent letters.
• Write for personal use as creativity dictates.
• Or dedicate to a loved one, such as a child or
  distant relative.
• Untangle your emotions.
• Records your dreams.
• Plot your goals.
• Detail a journey.

• journal
• or diary

13
keep records

• family stories

• Record your childs early life.
• Tell the story of meeting a spouse or close
  friend.
• Remember stories of joy and sadness.
• Include funny stories too.
• Share with loved ones.

14
Try it!

• scripts for job interviews

• In advance of a job interview, guess questions
  and compose answers.
• Actually write out a script.
• Revise.
• Rehearse out loud alone or together with a
  friend.
• Use your well composed ideas at the interview.
• Free up nervous energy for other important
  behaviors like maintaining eye contact and voice
  control.
• Operation Get That Job!

15
Unsent letter

• example
• journal
• exercises

• Write a letter to your ten year old self offering
  wisdom and advice.
• Write a letter to the deceased, lost or unborn.
• Write a letter expressing what cant be said in
  real life.
• Write a letter to your older self. Read it in a
  decades time.
• Create a time capsule with your family. Include
  letters, stories and other artifacts. Create a
  map, bury your treasure and dig it up in the
  distant future.

16
write to enjoy life

• "The unexamined life is not worth living.
• Gina Fournier
• Oakland Community College
• Summer 2008