Informative Memo Assignment PDF

Preview

Summary

Assignment...

Description

Date:

September 11, 2018

To:

Dr. Deborah Schaffer Professor of English

From:

Mr. Maxwell Sheehan Student of English

SC

Subject: My Assessment of Personal Strengths and Weaknesses in Business and General Writing

In my career as a student and a writer, I have developed both strengths and weaknesses in business writing and writing in general. As a student, I have completed several different forms of writing, including academic, business, and personal types. I will discuss how I feel about my own writing within this memorandum.

Business and General Writing Background

Research and expository writing have given me most of my business writing skills. I have taken one college course in Business Entrepreneurship, which required several research and expository writings. A research writing discussing similarities and differences between Entrepreneur Mark Cuban and myself was the most memorable. My Writing 101 course introduced me to writing inquiries, which are also a form of business writing. Writing inquiries are a type of writing that explores a question in depth to develop an answer. These types of business writing have taught me the basics of communicating professionally in a business setting. Personal narratives are an area of general writing that I have the most experience with. Throughout high school and college, I have completed many assignments within this genre. My most recent personal narrative was created during my first semester of college in a Writing 101 course. I also have experience with creative writing, which has taught me basics on how to create fictional pieces of work. I have gained creative writing skills from my schooling, as well as in my free time.

Strengths in General Writing

The fact that I enjoy writing is my biggest strength. Whether it be an assignment or writing recreationally, finding enjoyment within writing is easy for me. Writing is one of my hobbies, so even if I’m required to write it feels entertaining rather than it being a chore.

I’m also effective at being creative with my writing. Fortunately, finding something to write about comes naturally to me, especially when there is not a specific topic assigned. Putting my ideas on paper usually leads me to explore new ideas to write about.

Dr. Deborah Schaffer

2

September, 11, 2018

Weaknesses in General Writing Tangential writing tends to be a weakness of mine, typically because I can get too creative. It’s easy for me to write in a tangent and forget the topic at hand. Sometimes, I find transitioning from one idea to the next to be difficult. Often, I’ll think of a good idea and write it down even if it’s not related to the topic. Using unnecessary adjectives to make the writing longer is also a weakness. I enjoy using adjectives in my work because they are effective for describing details. However, using too many adjectives can become ineffective if they’re unnecessary or used to make the writing longer. Strengths in Business Writing

Citing sources from information I use in business writing is easy for me, because I’ve done it so many times during my first year of college. I’m good at citing sources using APA and MLA formatting because they are the main citation styles I’ve used in high school and college. Additionally, I am experienced in writing research papers, so using facts rather than opinion in business writing is second nature to me. When proving a point in an argumentative research paper, it’s important to use factual information. Opinions that I want to share in my business writing are always backed up with facts with reliable sources.

Weaknesses in Business Writing

Researching is often a difficult task for me since I don’t enjoy it. Traditionally, I like writing about my own ideas rather than researching for ideas to write about. Writing using my own ideas is not always accurate and I tend to be biased without noticing. Using a personal tone in my business writing is also problematic, because I was trained in general and creative writing long before business writing. In high school, I was never taught the fundamentals of business writing. Since business writing is new to me, it’s challenging not to write using my own voice. Overall Feelings about my Writing

I feel like I am becoming a better writer each time I practice. Looking back on my previous work, I’m satisfied with what I have written. I’ve learned much in the process of learning to write. However, there is still room for me to learn new skills and habits for more effective writing in the future. Since I can identify some of my weaknesses in writing, I believe I will be able to improve upon my flaws and get better....