These past few classes have really helped me to see the many different purposes of writing. I have never before thought this much about writing and its objective prior to this week. In college, when we write, it seems like a task- an assignment on which our knowledge and eloquence will be evaluated, criticized, and scored. Also, when we write for a class, we typically are only given so much freedom. We must stick to the professor’s guidelines, and the professor must stick to the curriculum, and the university must establish a uniform curriculum, and so on. Because of all of these regulations, our creativity is stifled and the flames of our imagination at time can seem smothered. However, this structure allows for us to better learn the techniques of good writing, and the criticism helps us to improve and shapes us into unique and talented writers.

In the workplace, depending on our careers, writing can vary from brief and informative to expressive and free. If you are a creative writer or a journalist, your writing can include your opinion. It can be fiction, nonfiction, satirical, comedic- whatever you desire. You could write a novel or simply an article for the local newspaper. Creative writing is boundless.

On the other hand, if the workplace is an office for a successful company or firm, writing will likely be more concise and based on fact. These types of writings could include anything from a small business memo to a lengthy white paper. Many times in these types of workplaces, all writings are a matter of public record, so even informal emails should be composed properly and contain professional and appropriate content. Rarely in a corporate setting would writing be solely creative or expressive.

These examples all effectively show how various settings, whether in college or the workplace, can determine the overall objectives of writing and how these objectives can differ immensely.