Writing Assignment # 3: Determining Your Program's Values

The English Program at WVU values many things in a writer and editor; and much of it is what any employer would greatly value as well.

-Analytical Skills: It is important as a writer and editor to be able to analyze the reader, their needs, and the purpose of the work. It is imperative to understand who your reader is, why they will be reading the work, and their needs. Every paper must have a purpose and these are just some of the questions to ask oneself, as a writer, when completing a piece of work. Not only should the reader and purpose be analyzed, but the content itself. A writer must analyze the key points of a work and convey the message based on the previous assessment of the reader. In many English classes at WVU, we are required to ask, who is your audience and why. The work can be extremely different depending on your reader. So, being able to analyze the work based on this will make it more relatable to whomever it is intended to reach.

-PWE (Editing): Here at WVU and Professional Writing and Editing major and minor are offered. This gives many people a chance to expand on their writing skills even if it is not their major. I have met others in the program who are minors and realize the importance of writing for their major. There are a vast amount of jobs in which a PWE minor will help push a potential employee ahead. Writing skills are imperative and it is important for a school to offer a minor in such a field.
Editing skills are also an important part of the WVU English program. As a writer, one must be able to read and reread their document and correct mistakes. Usually in college, students do not turn in a rough draft and then a final draft as we did in high school. High school was to lay the ground work for writers to do this on their own in college. Without understanding and applying edits to one's paper, there is no room for growth and learning. Editing is the foundation in which writers can learn from their mistakes and continue to grow in style and skill.

-Critical Thinking: This is an extremely important skill that I've learned here at WVU, especially in my literature classes. When writing a paper for literature classes, students are asked to think critcally about the text and express one's own opinion. I have noticed in several literature classes the emphasis on thinking for yourself when writing a paper, rather than just writing a summary on the text. Professors at WVU push this ability to assess the text and write a paper from your own idea and to express that idea clearly; but also be able to counter a rebuttal to present the best argument/analysis. This is also an important skill when writing proposals. One must be able to present an idea after critically thinking about all the aspects of the problem and addressing every potential problem.

-Communicate Effectively: In English 302 Editing, we learned how important it is to be able to know why a change must occur and to articulate that to a client in a way they can understand. As an editor, one must be able to communicate to clients and help them to understand each step in the editing process and every change made. If communication fails, then so does the project. The client is the number one concern and if they don't understand your purpose, you will not get hired. In our editing class we did an exercise where some of acted as clients and others an editors. The editors had to explain their intentions and ideas to the clients, but also explain why some of their ideas will be better for the project. This was a great way to show the importance of effective communication between editor and client, but also for us to understand our changes too.

-WVU Writing Center: This isn't a skill, but I believe this is an important part of the WVU English Department. The writing center is a amazing place for students to get help with papers and for volunteers to expand on their own skills too. Whether a volunteer is planning to be a teacher, a writer, or an editor, it is a wonderful place to continue learning outside of the classroom.