Professional Writing I

Chapter 14 of Teaching English, How To…. By Raymond Stopper (Xlibris, 2004).

Question: What can teachers of writing learn from trying to publish professionally?

Answer: Writing professionally will teach teachers of writing that they are still learning to write. In this chapter, I suggest how to begin writing for professional journals.

I think teachers of writing should attempt to publish professionally.

From my first experience in submitting an article for publication. I learned humility. I learned what it feels like to be rejected. I gained a better understanding of the writing process. I developed empathy for my writing students. I became a sufferer along with my students in learning how to write. From publishing professionally, I learned that learning to write is a lifelong process, that every time I write, the situation is different and I learn to write all over again.

In attempting to write for publication, I learned that asking others to review my work can have a damaging effect on my ego and that I must insist on asking my reviewer not to make judgments on the quality of the writing, but to identify ideas that are not clear, advice that I have passed on to my students. Nonjudgmental responses have been most helpful to me in revising my articles for publication.

My second attempt at publishing professionally demonstrated to me the strange twists that the writing process can take.

Finally, I offer suggestions on how to begin publishing professionally.

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