Reflection: From a Practical Perspective

Make an argument for your persona as it stands, discussing how you plan to move beyond the course.

As stated in my mid-term self-evaluation, my current writing voice and persona has become more distinct and conclusive through the learnings and applications of this course. I am no longer a reluctant writer. Before, my writing was littered with passive phrases, such as might have or may have, as if I was afraid to put a definitive stamp on my own thoughts or ideas. I now feel more knowledgeable and empowered to share my ideas and thoughts in writing, particularly in social media. 

I will move beyond this course by maintaining my blog, The Healthy Journey, and Twitter handle, @behealthy__now to share my insights and opinions on healthy living topics. Perhaps, this will lead to a new profession in copywriting or editing for a digital magazine or travel site. The text, On Writing Well, will continue to be my bible on writing clean, compelling copy and prose.

I will continue to hone my interactive voice by writing more blog posts and evaluating other non-fiction writing in magazines, articles and blogs. One website that has recently caught my attention is Joyous Health. The founder of Joyous Health, Joy McCarthy, has positioned herself as a subject matter expert in all that is healthy living through the writings on her blog, published books, and other tools and resources on the site. 

Has your perspective on writing or its use online changed? 

My perspective on writing has changed greatly. At first, I didn’t believe that people would care or even take my opinions and insights about healthy living seriously. I mean, I must be one of a million people writing about healthy living in a blog or in social media. Also, posting regularly on Twitter was quite intimidating at first; as writing something compelling in only 140 characters or less seemed impossible.

I quickly learned that people with common interests are willing to “comment”, “like” and even “share” their thoughts and opinions if they are passionate about the topic. It goes back to the notion of a participatory culture where consumers are active contributors and producers of published media. We are like wannabe newscasters, carving out our own niche in the media landscape.

How might you use the course lessons in the rest of the program and in your personal and professional future?

I am eager to take my elective course, ICM522: Social Media Practice, in the spring to leverage some of the learnings from this course. I have often considered that a career in managing social media for a large, retail brand would be viable for my skillset. I will also inherently leverage learnings from this course in my Master’s Capstone.

In my current job, I am frequently tapped to write and copyedit disclaimer language and customer service FAQs for the BathandBodyWorks.com website. This type of written communication must be succinct and instructional at the same time. This course has helped me to eliminate the fluff and evoke a tone of credibility and expertise in my writing. Again, maybe this will lead to a new career in digital copywriting or editing. I am now up to the challenge!