The Lost Art of Writing

For a while now there have been discussions and even books written about the lost art of writing a letter.  Critics will say this romantic notion is long gone and so are the valiant knights who rode on their white horses to rescue a damsel in distress.  The lost art of letter writing isn’t what truly concerns me.  Although, I will say I wouldn’t mind a romantic letter delivered to me by a valiant knight.  What does concern me is that the invention of auto correct, spell check, iPhones and iPads, instant messaging, social media, etc. The point is that these inventions and devices, while great and useful, are single-handedly killing the art of writing. No longer do we use full sentences or even know proper punctuation (LOL).  Instead we use acronyms and rely on computers to input a period for us.  As a publicist and former journalist, this is frustrating on so many levels.  It is so important to be able to write well. In speaking recently with my former University of Illinois journalism professor, John Paul (J.P), he expressed the same concerns. “I may be generalizing here, but I'm concerned that today's younger generation (Millenials or whatever they're called) don't know some basic English and grammar...even the raw basics of knowing then vs. than or freshman/freshmen, subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement/antecedent.  Not sure who to blame--their junior high English teachers?  Society?  Mom and Dad?” said J.P.  “As you well know, communication skills are vital to a successful career such as writing, being professional, using proper grammar and spelling well, even presenting yourself professionally.  Most professionals want to be perceived as credible which involves five components: Being sociable, being competent (knowledgeable), being composed, being extroverted and being of good character.” Effective communication skills are essential in the workplace.  Whether you are a franchisee, franchisor, publicist, part-time employee, or truck driver, it doesn’t matter.  Writing skills will always help you advance in your career as it shows a level of professionalism.  Reckless abandonment of grammar, spelling and proper usage of punctuation and capitalization not only make a bad impression in the workplace, but can affect your credibility on the job. “Society isn't holding people as accountable as it should for poor writing, spelling and grammar,” added J.P. So what can be done to help this generation of shortcuts, abbreviations, hash tags and more?  Do we throw our hands up and let proper grammar go out the window?  Or do we hire writers to teach employees how to be good communicators – thus taking over the jobs of our junior high school teachers?  Or do we simply go through thousands of applications to find the diamond in the rough? “Few people are blessed with the skill of being a good writer.  It's an acquired skill that is honed over time by writing and writing and then writing some more.  Writing improvement comes through writing, whether that be creative, non-fiction, or even letters to Mom,” said J.P.  “I think good writers are usually good readers too.  Be well read and you'll likely be a stronger writer.  It expands your vocabulary.” I’m not sure what the answer is.  But I do know we need to make an effort to instill in our children the importance of proper communication.  Get on the phone and call your grandparents, write letters and thank you notes, and most importantly – pay attention in school when you are in English class. J.P. put it best when he said, “I like to compare journalism and writing to the kitchen and cooking. If you have bad ingredients, similar to bad facts, you spoil the complete meal.  If you don't force yourself to learn how to cook, parallel to writing, you'll be satisfied with microwave meals and mac and cheese.  Challenge yourself to write full emails, without a LOL and without abbreviations.” Take time to actually write someone a thank you card or a personal letter.  Few things please me more than getting a card in the mail that says "Thanks" or “Happy Birthday.”  The "art" of writing a letter –personal or business –shouldn’t be declining.