If I had to describe academic writing to a co-worker who is considering returning to
school I would tell them the benets of furthering their education but I would make
sure they understand that it is not easy. Academic writing can be very challenging,
not only with formatting but also putting your thoughts into words. To begin with,
formatting is one of the hardest parts because there are so many little details that
can go unnoticed as well as the technical errors that can occur with whatever
program you use to write your papers. I've already lost points on an assignment
because I converted APA format from Google Docs to Microsoft Word and it messed
up the spacing. Another thing that is di%cult about academic writing is having to hit
a certain word count. I feel like I constantly repeat myself or say the same thing over
and over but just with slightly di'erent wording. I nd this happens most often when
I am trying to elaborate on topics that seem to only have one thing interesting about
them. Academic writing is di'erent from e-mails because you always have certain
topics that you don't necessarily have any interest in writing in but you have to do it
to maintain a good grade in class. I'd also say that audiences in these two categories
di'er because not everybody that you email is a grammar expert and isn't grading
you on the format of your email.
