#writers of all kinds, I need your help.
Please take a moment to comment how you use writing in your profession. I want to show my students that all jobs require writing skills and effective communication. Mention your job title, but I will keep names private. And please boost, as I am still building followers. Many thanks!
@Cullen18Cullen I am President & Founder of a nonprofit I started 20 years ago. Writing helped me initially capture the vision for the organization and generate support for it. Writing continues to be essential for connecting with our external partners as well as communicating with the team internally. #writing
@Cullen18Cullen I love this. I have used my writing skills to my advantage in every job I’ve had. As a software training specialist, clear, engaging writing allowed me to create great manuals. As a policy analyst, my skills allowed me to write well thought out, structured and easy to follow summaries of complicated legislation. As a communications specialist I found creative ways to write about important news and now as an outreach specialist, clear written communication is crucial.
@Cullen18Cullen Public Services Librarian. But also a Freelance Writer, Editor and YouTube Video Producer.
@Cullen18Cullen As a software developer, writing is important to convey the background, context, and rationale for decisions that have been made when building a software system (beyond what can be conveyed in the code itself). As a leader, writing well helps garner support for new initiatives, convey feedback to colleagues, recognise achievements, and share knowledge and experiences with others in the industry (whether as a book, blog, or conference presentation).
@Cullen18Cullen My writing skills have been central to most of the jobs I've held, including over a dozen years as a professional screenwriter, years as a freelance videographer (since I had to write pitches, scripts, emails, etc.), and to my current role as a comms specialist for a major international company. (Not to mention getting an agent to represent my novels)
@Cullen18Cullen I'm a fiction writer and poet, but actually write a lot of documentation in my day job as a software developer. Good documentation still tells a story, still hooks the reader, still brings them along a narrative arc where they are the main character who goes on a journey from knowing nothing to having the information they need to succeed. It's not written as "Here is the information" but "here is your story" An amazing example is Why's Poignant Guide: https://poignant.guide/
Why's (Poignant) Guide to Ruby

A programming adventure for Ruby beginners illustrated with cartoon foxes.

@Cullen18Cullen That became the most famous resource for learning the Ruby programming language not because it had the best dry information, but because it was the most enjoyable comic many people had read.

@Cullen18Cullen
I’m co-owner of a small accounting firm and payroll service company.

I was trained as a journalist in the military and finished my degree with a concentration in communications.

Every day requires me to draw on those skills of effective, clear, concise, professional communication. To retain and gain business, my emails and letters to clients need to reflect professionalism.

Letters to federal & state agencies require a skill with writing that reflects our knowledge as well.

@Cullen18Cullen
Yes. You read that correctly. In accounting effective communication is absolutely necessary to be competitive in the marketplace.
@Cullen18Cullen Professionally, I'm a Senior Linux (Automation) Engineer. I'm often asked to document what I've done, often for people who are not the 🐧 🧙 that I am. (I have a 👕 : "TRANSLATES FROM GEEK TO ENGLISH.") If I can't explain how to do something (often complex) clearly, I get lots of questions in my DMs when I'm busy, and my team looks bad. When I write a good document, I rarely hear about it - but that's what a good operations person WANTS, is to not be the center of attention.

@Cullen18Cullen As a former teacher and office manager, I used writing all the time for various tasks, from writing with students to show them examples of different kinds of writing to typing letters to the Department of Revenue and other officials.

Now that I am retired from those jobs, I still use writing in my small businesses and volunteer work.

@Cullen18Cullen Copywriter here! So that's kind of cheating. But in my last FT job as a moderation manager at a social network your students probably use:

-Working at an international company, you need to be able to express yourself clearly to people who don't speak the same first language as you.
-Managing a team, you need to make your communications clear or people won't read, understand, or follow them. Spending the extra five minutes on that email can save hours down the line.

@Cullen18Cullen I am a digital content writer/editor. I write the words that appear on a university website, among many other tasks.
@Cullen18Cullen I’m a senior attorney at a federal government agency. I write regulations governing broadcast, cable, and other media industries.
@Cullen18Cullen I’m in marketing and communications, and my sole function is wordsmithing. Without the ability to convert the right message to the right audience via the right means with the right tact, I might as well just post a static meme and walk away.
@Cullen18Cullen Teacher. Communication via writing is essential for us - emails to colleagues, companies, people in the community; we teach writing; write student reports, notes to parents, certificates of merit. We writer every single day.
@Cullen18Cullen As an editor, I use my writing skills to not only help my clients strengthen their writing but also to communicate effectively with those same clients when I write comments on their manuscripts, communicate with them via email/DM, or draft a contract.
I write similar communications in my instructional design work, but I also write real-world scenarios that require storytelling skills and compose quiz questions and answer choices that need to be engaging and valid.
@Cullen18Cullen
I use writing every day. Of course, I teach writing for a living as an English professor, but I also write constant emails, letters of recommendation, articles, and lectures.
@Cullen18Cullen so many ways. I’m a UX designer, researcher, information architect, UI designer, and developer. I write lots of proposals, UX copy and directional content, documentation, style guides, and proposals. I also write articles about my profession and am even writing my first book.

@Cullen18Cullen

Currently I'm a novelist. I need to be able to write a novel, but I also need to be able to write about being a writer who publishes his own work.

Before that I was an educator specializing in teaching online. I needed to help teachers learn how to use the tools, why they might want to, and how to tell when something wasn't working. I needed to be able to write clearly and succinctly.

And I had to try to explain what I've done for years to somebody who's just starting.

@Cullen18Cullen I've done quite a bit of technical writing in my profession. Some of it involved writing about how I used writing in preparing reports. Engineering documents are in part writing, in part calculations and in part graphics that show the design. Each is an important part of the whole.
@Cullen18Cullen I am an attorney and litigation-related writing is my niche. I draft appellate briefs, trial court briefs, motions, memoranda, and substantive letters on a regular basis. I also help to train new lawyers on how to be effective legal writers. I love every bit of it! #Writer #Lawyer #WordSmith #Advocacy
@Cullen18Cullen I am a Senior VP at a consulting firm. Writing reports for clients is a huge part of my job. Clear effective communication is one of the main things we look for in candidates, both for new hires and for promotions.
@Cullen18Cullen
I'm a teacher. I use my writing skills to write grants for classroom materials and field trips.
@Cullen18Cullen I do student conduct for a university. Besides the constant communication with students, faculty and staff via email, I write regular reports that could be subpoenaed if I’m sued, so they information has to be clear and concise.
@Cullen18Cullen I work in public outreach for a utility. My job revolves around writing press releases and media advisories, articles for newsletters, advertorials for newspapers and periodicals, fact sheets, talking points, etc., etc., etc. The most critical aspect of my work is taking complicated topics and simplifying them so average readers can comprehend them.
@Cullen18Cullen As a librarian I write book reviews, instruction pamphlets, public announcements and invitations, and grant proposals for funding. All are different styles of writing and all are essential.

@Cullen18Cullen Happy to!

I’m an author.

Does that count? 🙂

@Cullen18Cullen

Software Engineer here. Writing good documentation really helps other engineers learn quickly the complex systems we deal with.

@Cullen18Cullen I'm a technical writer at a big tech company. My entire job is to figure out what engineers want users to know about a product and making it as clear as possible. And sometimes making sure the engineers communicate with each other.
@Cullen18Cullen I’m going to be 80 later this month. I’ve been many things, professionally, thanks to a husband whose job moved him frequently, but I have never NOT needed writing. Maybe the most important, however, is how my writing has enriched my retirement years, especially that last 4 1/2 years, when I’ve been writing a weekly story blog for children, and now books that benefit pediatric cancer research and treatment.
@Cullen18Cullen I'm a small business owner and our business develops technical manuals with instructions on how to operate, troubleshoot and maintain equipment. I also use writing skills when communicating by email with employees, customers and vendors, writing proposals, writing steps for internal procedures, and analysis reports. In the past I've written documentation for new software for developers maintaining it and users setting it up to use.
@Cullen18Cullen
Principal Network Architect here. Effective communication is so important when detailing plans and requirements. I’m in a consulting role so writing concise design documentation is huge. It’s how we ensure everyone is on the same page with what is expected and what will be delivered.
@Cullen18Cullen I scraaaped through year 12 English. Now I write social media posts and technical information for a global company as the marketing communications manager. The tone and the message has to be correct and on brand. Every message has to be an A+, not just a pass. I love Ann Handley’s book called Everybody Writes. Great tips.

@Cullen18Cullen
I'm executive director of a wildlife conservation organization, and have also worked in the arts.

My creative writing degree prepared me for everything I have done in life--between the communication skills I developed, the creativity that was nurtured, and the critical thinking skills I learned in lit classes & writing workshops.

My work involves writing advocacy materials, bear safety info, grants, outreach materials, commenting on policy proposals, email & social media.

@Cullen18Cullen that’s cool. I own a media company and use writing in copy for ads.

I used to work in tech, and I found that writing well was more important than any other skill. If you’re a hiring manager looking at 2 resumes, you’re likely going to pick the better written one. Same goes with applications, grants, proposals, and really any endeavor that requires capturing someone’s attention.

Writing is your opportunity to make an impression and to review and edit it first.

@Cullen18Cullen
I work in commercial property management and risk management i.e. Insurance. I have to write reports and explanations around accounting and Property conditions, office conditions, letters to tenants, owners, occupier's, collections. I can't think of one part of my job that doesn't require writing skills and basic reading comprehension.
@Cullen18Cullen
As a special education teacher, I write present level of performance (PLOP) statements based on a student's historical records, grades, testing results, teacher feedback, parent and student interviews, and my observations. As a classroom teacher, I write incident reports, behavioral referrals, and correspond with parents. My skill as a communicator enables me to address the most difficult / emotionally cases calmly, within my professional role.
@Cullen18Cullen
I'm an IT tech in my dayjob. What sets me apart from many other techs is my ability to write clear, concise emails and documentation that doesn't mock or condescend to the reader. Humanities matter.
@Cullen18Cullen I've worked in communications for a number of years. Good writing is clear thinking. Many if not most organizations are awash in bad writing. The planet needs better writers (and thinkers). Please send help.
@Cullen18Cullen I’m a psychotherapist. I’ve used writing to share life skills to help people live better lives. Imagine if it was poorly written. I write notes after each session, which is required, and those notes might be read by a judge! Imagine if it was poorly written. I advertise for clients. I bet they’d stop reading and move on to another therapist if what I had described was poorly written. Keep learning how to write well, students! You won’t regret it.
@Cullen18Cullen I’m retired now, but when I was a public school teacher I wrote books for teachers about teaching writing. Later I became a web designer and wrote several technical books about that. Now I’m retired and use my writing time to blog.

@Cullen18Cullen

As a nurse, my notes had to be clear, concise, and thorough. Especially if things gad gone pear--shaped.

Here, in writing image descriptions, I fall back on freshman English and the descriptive paragraph.

My favorite comma use story is from high school.

You smell putrid, little dog.
You smell, putrid little dog.

Best

@Cullen18Cullen I'm a "Document Publishing Specialist" working w/a sales team for a large contractor. (We do cool engineering and space stuff.) I don't *write* our proposals... but I do proofread and tech edit them, helping to get writers' sections all into "one voice," streamline their content, finesse their words, make proposals easier to read and understand. I keep them from writing i.e. when they mean e.g. and redistribute all their commas to more appropriate locations.
@Cullen18Cullen I'm a #product #designer who also has to #write and compose product descriptions to help sell the same. Requires clever copy, a bit of fun with wordplay, some imagination and more #SEO than you'd imagine. Most important is writing copy that is easy to read and understood by a host of readers. The fact is everyone still uses 'words' (not voice or images) to search online, so you need to use those 'words' properly to cull the right attention.
@Cullen18Cullen I’ve built my career around writing after joining the college newspaper staff and serving as editor more than four decades ago. I wrote print columns for various local and trade newspapers for years which led to an evening school teaching position and even a business training recording contract. In those days we recorded over land line telephone and recorded onto CDs for distribution; a primitive version of a podcast today. Later my environmental writing drew rage from right wing politicians. I survived and recovered from an attempted murder attempt 16 years ago. In 2019 Beacon Publishing issued the biographical story by Andrew Lewis called “The Drowning of Money Island”. Throughout it all, I’ve tried to be a clear logical voice for small business owners in my communities. Writing has proved more powerful than I could have imagined.
@Cullen18Cullen
Way cool! I run a co-op that buys & renovates crumbling #Baltimore homes in redlined neighborhoods, hires & trains folks on the block or coming back from prison or rehab to do construction, & rents the finished homes to these same folks. I am a #UMD English BA, now an accidental prof teaching how to write clear concise construction scope language, contracts, budgets, project plans, leases, rental listings, media posts, & communiqués to our investors & clients.
@Cullen18Cullen
title: director of revenue management. i also use math every day. i have a lib arts degree, and am consistently the only person in any office i’ve ever worked in 15yrs who can write. that is, communicate complex (usually statistical) ideas in a way that is effective without talking down to people. my reports are read by corporate vice presidents, ceos, cfos, asset managers. i write most of our annual strategic plan, and proofread and edit the parts i don’t write.
@Cullen18Cullen I'm a funeral minister. My job is to interview families and condense people's life stories into a couple of thousand words, which I then read out at their funeral.

@Cullen18Cullen

I'm physicist by education, working in more applied type of research (crisis management and climate change) for the last 15+ years. To get somewhere in research, one has to write a whole lot.

- scientific papers, project proposals, project deliverables, white papers, best practice papers, policy support papers, PR...

Researchers that know how to formulate their ideas as compelling narrative are more likely to get their papers published and project proposals funded.

@Cullen18Cullen I assist software developers in securing the products they build. I write to clearly communicate risks my colleagues face and actions they can take to address those risks.

I write carefully because my recommendations often have two audiences - technicians who need to act, and leaders who need to make decisions (sometimes that's the same person, reading the report twice with different goals.)

@Cullen18Cullen It’s perhaps one of the more obvious examples of a field where writing is critical, but as a litigator, maybe 75% of my job is writing: to convince courts, to organize teams, to negotiate with opposing counsel, to draft contracts. Unlike TV, talking in courtrooms is relatively limited and most judges rule mostly “on the papers.”
@Cullen18Cullen lawyer/coder building self help tools. I need to think deeply about writing instructions and prompts to help people solve legal problems without an attorney's help. I also do this in a law school setting and need to write about what I do all the time
@Cullen18Cullen I used my writing skills in my job as a habitat biologist, writing restoration plans that are scientifically appropriate yet accessible to the public. I’m a manager now, so I write grant proposals, contracts, outreach pieces for our magazine and website, etc. I also do freelance fiction editing on the side. It’s probably the most important set of skills I learned as an undergrad.
@Cullen18Cullen I’m a lawyer, and clear, concise, persuasive writing is critical, be it motions or briefs filed in court or letters, memos, and emails to my clients explaining what’s happening and what we should do about it. Years ago I had a side business as a freelance advertising copywriter, creating marketing materials for various companies. The ability to write is so important to everything I do. I was an English major in college, by the way, and I loved it.