The Complex World of the Writer

In the field of communication, everyone has a tough and challenging job. Achieving the goal of communicating successfully with others is no small feat. In the hectic climate in which we all live, getting a range of people such as a public to take any similar action or reach agreement on most anything is a time consuming and often complex undertaking that requires constant nurturing and sometimes overwhelming attention to detail. Having acknowledged this truism, I believe one member of the so-called family of communication professionals that deserves a shout out is the writer, the worker responsible for authoring the messages that sets change and actions in-motion.

The writer is one of those unsung communciation heroes who, upon being given the assignment of writing a communique, must contend with the challenge of doing far more than what they appear to be - at least on paper. To begin, they must conduct thorough research on the topic of their assignment as often what they are given is sketchy and incomplete. This usually entails talking to several sources in order to collect the appropriate information from which to write their article. There is also the matter of determing the ultimate destinations of the pieces. These could range from local media and a brochure to a social media outlet or a speech. Often, it should be noted, with multiple outlets comes the need to rework the original article to fit the style utilized by each.

Often what is written must be reviewed and approved by a number of individuals, including the writer's boss, the source or sources of information and possibley a press representative. It does not matter how well written a piece is. In fact, in all likelihood what the writer has composed is of high quality. Nevertheless, the other players in the mix still want to give that article a close look-see to ensure it is accurate, understandable and properly reflects the values of the client. If you are thinking jumping through this many hoops could take the writer a long time to complete their assignment. Perhaps. But sometimes they have to move quickly, thus adding to the challenge of their task at-hand. It is not always easy being a professional public relations writer, but few jobs in this field are more important.