Repurposing Old Material to Make New

One of the tasks I had to do at my internship was to create new webpages for an upcoming training program.  The one good thing about creating the website pages was the ability to repurpose old material instead of creating brand new material.  The Forensic Science Initiative (FSI) conducts two to three large onsite training programs every year.  For each upcoming program, there is corresponding information on the FSI’s website for that current program.  My task was to update and edit the old webpages and use the repurposed material for the new event.

Repurposing old material can be beneficial especially if the projects are similar. It can save time and resources especially if you are on a deadline.  But there are a few things you have to be aware of when repurposing old material.  Here are the ones that I encountered. One, if you are not the original author you have to make sure the additions and edits have the same voice as the original content.  Secondly, you have to be extra aware of all the changes especially if dates and locations are involved.   Thirdly, make sure the content is still relevant (i.e. no rules have changed or staff is current).  Finally, if there are hyperlinks in the old content, make sure they still work in the new document. Repurposing old material is a timesaver and there is no need to reinvent the wheel. 

Grant Writing

One of the tasks I have at my internship/job is to help write grant proposals for multiple solicitations.  Where I work, we are 100% grant funded and our jobs rely on the funds that are awarded each year.  With funding opportunities being cut and limited, it is very competitive.  So this year we decided to collaborate with another department that can contribute to the solicitation. 

Grant writing is very challenging and I do not have a lot of experience in this area.  One way that I have been preparing is reading old proposals that have been funded.  This is beneficial in that I do not duplicate other research.  I also have contacted the program manager that is the point person for any questions regarding the solicitation.  This person is the “go-to” with anything regarding the grant and is like the “secretary” that knows all the ends and outs of the process.

Another thing to consider is when working with multiple writers is to make the document sound cohesive.  I have multiple collaborators for this solicitation but it is my job to make sure that it sounds like one voice.

I hope that my preparations in this grant writing experience is a positive one.

Wearing Multiple Hats

The past two weeks have been a little chaotic at work.  Working in a position where multiple tasks have to be performed and due at various times, if not at the same time, requires you to wear many hats as a writer.  I have found that being in a small office requires you, as a writer, to be adaptable and be able to perform a variety of types of writing.

Looking back on the last two weeks, here are some of the tasks I have had to complete or work on.  I have had to work on writing a proposal for a grant solicitation, while this is not a new thing for me, it is challenging.  I have also been writing two new units of instructional material for my online Forensic Drug Chemistry course.  Along with writing, I also had to edit instructional content from two new writers that are beginning to write and create their new courses.  Another project I have been working on was writing a speech and creating a PowerPoint presentation to go with it.  And if this wasn’t enough, I also had to create multiple pages and edit some pages of our company website for an upcoming program.  

With the multiple types of writing, the one thing I have learned is that you always have to be aware of your audience.  For instance, with the grant proposal, my audience is the solicitation review board which is different that the audience of the instructional material that I am writing.  That audience is made up of forensic professionals, college students, and the general public.  The audience for my presentation is my peers in the forensic science field.  While with some of the types of writing the audience types may overlap, but you still have to be aware of who will be receiving the information.

After reflecting on the work that I have do and what I have accomplished in just two weeks, I was a little surprised at the multiple types of writing projects that I do.  Until now, I have never stepped back and looked at what I actually did.  I’m proud of myself for being able to manage and put out the best product that I can in multiple areas of writing. 

Editing

Editing is one of the few tasks that I look forward to doing at my job. This past week I began editing a new forensic online course that is being developed.  The structure of the forensic online courses are different than most of the English online courses I have taken at WVU.  The forensic courses are made up of multiple units that contain a variety of sections.  Each section contains one to multiple paragraphs of information or the section can contain an interactive animation to engage the student.  I view it as a condensed version of a book that is online but more engaging than words on a page. 

When a new course is being written, it goes through a multi-step editing process.  The writer submits each unit as he or she completes it to the director and me for the initial edit.  When we complete the edits, I discuss them with the writer to let he or she know where we are coming from with our changes and suggestions.  Once the writer completes the first drafts and finishes the first edits, the second drafts are distributed to all the writers and me for the second round of edits.  Once these edits are complete, the course is beta tested by a group of peers and professionals in the forensic field.

Back to the current edits: one of our new hires from January is writing a new course and it is the first time he has ever done anything like this.  I warned him not to be afraid when he gets his edits back because the pages may look like they are bleeding since I use a red pen to make my marks.  Since it was the first time he has had anything edited by me, I provided him with a key as to what my editing symbols and marks mean.  I find this makes it easier for him and me both; he knows what I am saying and I don’t have to explain every mark.  After I finished marking the unit, I provided the writer with a handwritten note to explain major edits or thoughts and ideas that were an additional to the general edits.  After the initial edit of unit one, I scheduled an appointment with the writer so I can go over the edits and explain the process.  This opens the dialogue and lets the writer know that he can ask questions.  I find this method works best and make the writing/editing process go smoother than if there were no communication.

The Best-laid Plans of Mice and Men often go Awry...

Well, like any good idea, no matter how well you plan, something always happens.  My wonderful idea of scheduling a 2-4 hour window to go “elsewhere” to work on my projects has yet to happen.  The first day I had planned to go to the library, I already had my laptop packed up and books in hand to leave and the phone rings; I have to attend an impromptu meeting regarding an issue that needed to be resolved ASAP.  So unfortunately, I did not get to work on my writing projects that day.  

The next day, I decided to actually put my 2-4 hour window on the work calendar to show that I was busy.  Unfortunately, for that day, I had to attend an office meeting that lasted multiple hours and cut into my writing time.  So I did not get to go that day as planned either.

So, on the third day, I decided that I would just put on my sound reduction headphones and tune out all of my office mates (there are four of us in one small office).  This actually helped, for a little while.  But having two new people in the same office, there are lots of questions and disruptions.  I am the type of writer that once I get into a “groove” I hate to be disrupted.  Once that occurs, it is hard for me to focus back on what I was writing.  

So the moral of this story is that having your internship at the same place you work full time can be challenging.  But I am still trying to get away to that quiet spot to get my projects done or just tune everyone out.