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FROM
THE

CONTENTS
4
7
4

8
12

12

GRAMMAR FAUX PAS

WEB DESIGN

EXPLORING PROFESSIONAL
WRITING: GHOSTWRITING

14

GERVASE MARKHAM:
INSTRUCTIONAL WRITER

17

PW: THE WACKY &

WONDERFUL

18

14

THE RENAISSANCE LENS

20

A LOOK AT THE FREELANCE

WRITING LIFE

INFOGRAPHICS: ITS ALL IN

YOUR HEAD

Produced by the University of Cincinnati professional writing graduate program. Sources available upon request.

CONTENT IN

CONTEXT

This magazine began, as many endeavors do, with a long

conversation over a short cup of coffee. Along the way, a
piece of writing about Renaissance glass sparked the notion
that professional writing is everywhere, and it covers almost
any topic you could think of.
This conversation left us with the distinct impression that
there is no shortage of interesting ways professional writing
and technology have shaped our world. It also reminded us
that most people dont know exactly what professional
writing is.
We, a collection of self-professed word nerds, would like to
show you. In the beginning, we envisioned a magazine that
showcased professional writing articles centered on the
theme of the Renaissancea time of innovation and renewal.
Youre not going to find that inside these pages, though. As
most ideas do, the concept of this magazine evolved from
where it began.
We shifted focus to broaden the scope of our magazine.
Instead of having a Renaissance theme, we wanted to showcase the ways todays culture of innovationsimilar to that
of the Renaissancehas shaped professional writing. New
technologies and an increasingly digital presence mean that
professional writers have to do more than write. They have
to design infographics, create websites, tinker with instructional design, know the nuances of editing. They can work
from anywhere, they can work for anyone, and they have the
stories to prove it. Professional writing is a big, squishy field
that is hard to define. It needs to be framed.

Thats how we came up with our name: FrameWork. This magazine will provide a frame for professional writing. Its a tangible example of everything professional writers are capable of.
From year to year, this publication will change in design, content and even style. But the frame of its purpose will remain.
FrameWork is a name that encapsulates everything wed like
to do with this magazine. It provides content in contextit
frames the kind of writing that is interesting, insightful and
sometimes downright strange. It broadens your ideas of what
professional writers do and what they influence. Its a name
that you can trust to surprise and delight you as you read.
Each of the articles youll find within FrameWork is itself
professional writing, and is also about some sort of professional writing. A group of Renaissance glassmakers whose
work helped craft a culture of learning and innovation explain
where the concept of FrameWork began. An in-depth look at
what makes your brain craves infographics highlights one of
the fascinating intersections between psychology, design and
professional writing. The origins of instructional design are
uncovered through the tale of a man who was asked to stop
instructing people on his favorite subject. These are the types
of things youll find inside the pages of FrameWork magazine.
So take a chance; turn the page. Dive into the fascinating
stories of professional writing wackos and tech trends, history and culture, information design and innovation. You never
know what youll find out along the way.
Happy reading!
The FrameWork editors
Jenna Beall, Karen Douglas, Stacy Ennis,
Joan Luebering and Hillary Oberpeul

EDITORS
3

How Glass
(and Writing)
Got Us Here

The Renaissance Lens

by Joan Luebering

A piece of Renaissance glass very like this one

inspired our magazine, FrameWork. Or more

Photo Friedrich
Herlin [public
domain] , via Wikimedia Commons

accurately, a piece of writing about glass did. In

his book How We Got to Now science writer
Steven Johnson explains how the world as we
know it today was shaped in unforeseeable
ways by six technological innovations. The first
of the six is glass.

A New Way of Seeing

Pieces of curved glass had long been used as magnifiers by medieval
monks copying manuscripts. Early spectacles had a tiny market
among these specialized users.

How did glassa mysterious substance created by lightning

striking desert sandsbecome the stuff of luxury goods and
high-tech commodities? Along the way, how did glass help move
medieval art and science into the Renaissance and revolutionize
science, culture and communication again in our day?

The Furnace of Innovation

The turning point in the history of glass was after the sack
of Constantinople in 1204. A group of Turkish glassmakers
immigrated to Venice. Their furnaces posed a fire hazard to the
wooden city, so the city leaders exiled the glassmakers to the
nearby island of Murano.

Gutenbergs invention of moveable type around 1450 changed that.

With the availability of cheap books, large numbers of people learned
to read, and many farsighted people suddenly discovered the need
for close vision. Thousands of spectacle-making enterprises rose to
meet the demand.
Everyday use of this new piece of personal technology naturally led
to thinking and tinkering. Which led to even newer technological
innovations. Microscopes. Telescopes. Suddenly people could see
the world on a completely different scale.
And those cheaply available books? They werent just something
to read with a pair of lenses. They became a way to exchange ideas
about the exciting new sciences those lenses helped create.

The move effectively created an R&D lab. Collaboration and

competition within a village-sized technological community
sparked creative innovation. By the middle of the 15th
century, glassmaker Angelo Barovier had developed cristallo,
a remarkably clear glass. Murano glassware quickly became
prized throughout Renaissance Europe.

With that sense of a world being remade, the Renaissance was born.

But glass isnt just for making beautiful objects. From glass, you
can make a lens.

Venices Renaissance glassmakers perfected a way to back their

clear glass with a tin and mercury amalgam. Fine mirrors became
another item on the luxury market. And again, people found
innovative ways to use an exciting new piece of personal technology.

Changing Perspectives
In How We Got to Now, Johnson traces a second way by which
glass altered how people look at things. From glass, you can also
make a mirror.

Photo Riverhead Books, 2014

Now a PBS series

Cristallo goblet
Photo Marie-Lan Nguyen, via Wikimedia Commons

In the early 1400s, Filippo Brunelleschi drew the Baptistry

in Florence with linear perspective and experimented with
mirrors to compare the real building faade with its exact
depiction. Reflecting the world in such accurate detail was a
complete departure from medieval art, which depicted the
world symbolically.
Mirrors also allowed artists to use themselves as models. Selfportraiture was born as a genre in painting. More broadly,
according to Johnson, this fad of mirror gazing helped to inspire
a culture of the self, of introspection and of self-reflection.
Individualism came to pervade literature, law, politics,
philosophy and religion.
New technology, new thought, new science, new writing and
new artthe world must have felt as excitingly unstable and
modern in the Renaissance as it does today.

Seeing the World Through Another Lens

Innovations in glass technology have continued to change the
world. Photography. Cinema. Television. And now fiberglass
and fiberoptics, microchips and computer screens.
The camera and the computer are the new tools that have
transformed our own popular culture. Like the lens and
the mirror of the Renaissance, they have also inspired
fundamentally new ways for us to look at the world.
Six hundred years ago, the printing press helped to create
a demand for fine lenses and in turn helped to spread the
scientific and cultural revolutions of the Renaissance. Now the
Internet drives that tightening feedback spiral of technological
innovation and cultural change. And just as the Renaissance
gave people a new image of self, the Web is giving us the self
2.0, the collaborative community of social networking.

Looking at Professional Writing

What does this sweep of history have to do with our magazine,
FrameWork?
In the professional writing program at the University of
Cincinnati, we talk a lot about the connections among technology,
communication and culture. So the story of glass was surprising
but surprisingly familiar to us.
Living in another period of rapid high-tech innovation and
cultural shift, we were fascinated by the parallels with the
Renaissance. What struck us in the history of glass was how
integral communication has been in the cycles of innovation
and cultural change, then and now. Thats what were part of.
As professional writers, were business writers, science writers,
content creators, editors, technical writers, medical writers
and more. We create work for specific, practical purposes and

for specific audiences. We create content in context. And we

study the ways in which people use what we produce.
Within our generation, all of these roles and tasks have been
completely revolutionized by technology.

A Change of Focus
Technological innovations offer new tools for professional
writers to create and deliver our work. We have to know
something about many areas of expertise to collaborate with
the diverse teams that now make and disseminate content.
Text or image or voice, print medium or online platformit
doesnt matter. We have to focus on responsiveness and
readiness for the next new thing.
Professional writers have to understand how technological
and cultural shifts change our audience, too. The audience is
global now. New social media platforms offer tools for people
to interact with our work or to be creators themselves: were
not just pushing content out anymore. People are still thinking
and tinkering with every cool new piece of technology.
That same exciting cycle of art, technology, communication,
and cultural response that helped create the Renaissance
operates in every aspect of our field.

Grammar Faux Pas

and Why They Matter

Grammar matters. I promise it does.

I began my editing career proofreading research articles for non-native English-speaking students in a pharmacy program. While sometimes
frustrating, it was a fascinating and rewarding experience, as I spent hours conversing with these clients to make sure that I fully understood
the thoughts and ideas they were attempting to convey with a language that still felt awkward and strange to them. It was a big
responsibility, and I treated it as such.
I traded in this freelancing gig for a full-time position editing pharmaceutical study documents at a Contract Research Organization, working
with brilliant medical writers and physicians. This job is where I learned my formal proofreading marks. Its where I was trained to carefully
read through hundreds of pages of scientific jargon, finding the tiniest of errors hidden in the dense text. This job is where I realized the deep
satisfaction I felt in fixing or perfecting a document. Its where I discovered my love of editing.
And then, armed with the lessons Id learned and skills Id acquired, I landed my dream job as an advertising editor. Instead of poring over
complex medical information, I now spend my days reviewing recipes, lifestyle articles and coupons. Its the perfect career for me. Ive found
my place in the editing world. As different as each of these editing jobs has been, each has proven one seemingly simple point: grammar
matters.
Grammar, generally defined as a system or set of rules for a language (including things such as spelling and punctuation), is important. A
missing comma in a research paper could lead to a faulty conclusion, while the misspelling of a drug name in a pharmaceutical study could
actually cause physical harm to someone. Using the wrong word, perhaps and rather than or, in a coupons wording dramatically alters the
meaning and value of an offer, potentially costing a company thousands of dollars.
Disregarding grammar has consequences. Below is a list featuring five of the most common grammar faux pas, why they matter, and how
you can avoid them.

Thats our framework.

Joan Luebering is a professional writing masters candidate at the

University of Cincinnati. Find her portfolio at
jluebering.weebly.com.

1. The misuse of apostrophes

Background: The small but mighty apostrophe has two primary
purposes, to create contractions and demonstrate possession.
Problem: Your mom was righttoo much of a good thing isnt always a
good thing. Apostrophes are commonly misused. Contrary to common
belief, the Baker family should not be known as the Bakers.

in the weekly meeting notes, and your professor most likely will not
understand the reference you made to Hamlets bae.
Solution: Be aware of the writing situation you are in and know what is
expected. Make sure your writing is appropriate in order to avoid
offending anyone in your discourse community and to ensure your
writing is being taken seriously.

Solution: The Baker clan? They should actually be referred to as the

Bakers.

4. Homophones. They may sound the same, but theyre

oh, so different.

2. Incorrect capitalization

Background: The misuse of these causes serious pain. Homophones are

words that sound the same but have different meanings. Often, theyre
also spelled differently.

Background: This may seem like an easy one, but capitalization

mistakes happen all of the time!
Problem: While some capitalization is obvious (capitalizing a persons
name or the name of a state), other capitalization isnt so clear and
depends on the style guide youre using (a professional title, perhaps,
or a period of time).
Solution: If youre ever unsure whether or not a word should be
capitalized, always consult the style guide in use.

3. Including Internet acronyms and slang where

neither belongs
Background: There are styles and expectations for every sort of writing out there. As Ms. Franklin would say, these require R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Problem: Your colleague may not LOL at your overuse of smiley faces

by Jenna Beall

Problem: Writing, The client is going too go with option 1, or, they are
choosing to faze out the process, in your next report at work is not going
to help you get that next promotion.
Solution: After writing, make sure to thoughtfully edit your document
and fix any pesky misused homophones that have snuck in!

5. This next grammar faux pas bothers people. A lot.

Background: Inexplicably, many have adopted the idea that a lot is one
word.
Problem: A lot is never one word. Not ever. Depending on your audience, misspelling this word could lose you some credibility as a writer.
Solution: Think of these words as mortal enemies, never together and
always apart. Youll look a lot smarter because of this.

WEB DESIGN
A Photo Album

Just like the rest of us who cant escape our pastour every memory chronicled in Facebook posts and Instagram selfiesthe
World Wide Web has been immortalized in snapshots.
And yes, it too has had its what-were-we-thinking moments and fashion disasters. Take a look at these screen captures from the
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Wayback Machine, the Internet Archive of 456 billion Web pages going back to
1996. You might be surprised at how much Web design has grown in its short lifespan.

by Jenna Beall & Joan Luebering

November 11, 1998: So big

The training wheels are off! Websites roll out
interfaces with search boxes, buttons and menus.
Designers no longer just experiment with style. Now
theyre exploring navigation and functionality with
all the hyperlink capabilities of the network. Despite
the classic blue links here, the Web clearly isnt a
virtual book anymore. (Notice the monthly Google!
updates.)

March 12, 1989: The Web is born!

Tim Berners-Lee proposes an information mesh for the scientists of the CERN lab in Switzerland. Using hyperlinks, he creates
a network of virtual documents and messages.

November 1992: Learning to talk

The infant Web wont win any cute baby contests,
but its smart as a whip. The Web takes after Dadits
pages are pages from the old book. Designers still
think of information as text and text as document, and
thats very evident onscreen.

August 15, 2000: Looking quite grown up

The Web grows into its bones, with stronger information architecture and
visual design. Knowing more about how people read online, designers use
the F pattern of scanning from top left in an F pattern to place important
information. Text is losing its baby fat. Visual design optimizes readability
with visual cues like headings and white space. Menus and footers become
standard as user expectations mature, too.

December 19, 1996:

The web gets into Moms makeup!
Look at me! Web designers play with
neon-vibrant color, in-your-face
animations and wacky fonts. Nothing
is too outrageous. This blinking and
flashing Pepsi site shows some of
the fun new tech toys used to lure
customers in.

March 16, 2007: All dressed up

Now 18, the Web plays with a sense of
style, discovering new looks and gaining a
confident self-image. The latest fashion is
friendly and vintage, with inviting images
and warm, desaturated colors. Designers
use the psychology of color and create
visual styles to match their sites distinct
brand personalities.

September 14, 2014 Put down your phone at the dinner table, Web!
Thats not going to happen. Designers meet the challenge of new devices and different
platforms with touch icons, simpler interfaces, pared-down text and responsive
design. Vertical pages work well with small screens, and plentiful images help organize
sites by user tasks. Savvy designers know they have only a few seconds to catch
someones eye.

November 24, 2009And ready to party

Theres a new group at the party: users.
And theyre generating and posting
content from blogs to fanfiction to mashups. With sites like Facebook, Flickr and
Tumblr, the Web reaches an entirely new
level of interactivity, and culture is
irrevocably changed by this new
phenomenon of sharing personal thoughts
and photos online.

December 31, 2011

Eager to take on the world
Can you believe it? Our beloved
Web is over two decades old and
more self-assured than ever. Clear
brand personality and unique
content give sites a fresh face,
and an understanding of user
vocabulary and point of view
lend an engaging voice. Carefully
tailored visual elements like grids,
placement, color cues and large
images complete the confident look.

February 14, 2015Taking care of business

The Web steps boldly into a fully digital world. Flat design no longer pretends to mimic physical buttons or files or other realworld objects. Designers rely on users familiarity with navigation elements and icons to orient themselves and interact with the
site. Color and font choices and the careful use of grids help make the sites architecture clear in this cleaned-up interface.

Looking back and looking ahead

Browsing through old snapshots of the Webs design trends makes us smile at what-not-to-wear days and blast-from-the-past
moments. But its not just technology improvements that have made the Web an essential tool and an online community. Web
design has played a part.
Faced with increasing competition, Web designers today focus on user experience. With new knowledge about how people look
for and use information online, designers work to optimize navigation and readability. With an understanding of visual information
processing, designers help their users quickly reach the unique content they need. With a strong sense of brand personality and
story, they engage users and create community.
July 21, 2012Socially responsible
Like so many young adults, the Web has
adopted more inclusive attitudes toward
life. Accessibility is no longer optional.
The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI),
born in 1997, now has updated
standards and tools to help ensure that
Web technologies support accessibility.
Its part of a growing designer focus on
user experience.

Not long from now, todays flat design trend is going to look just as dated as any of these images do. But with a generation of the
online experience behind it, Web design will continue to grow in style.
Want more? You can visit the Wayback Machine, www.archive.org/web/, and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C),
www.w3.org/History/, for more historic snapshots.

Jenna Beall and Joan Luebering are professional writing masters candidates at the
University of Cincinnati.
They have changed considerably since their early pictures, too.

10

11

Exploring Professional
Writing: Ghostwriting
by Jenna Beall

GHOST
but theyre not professional writers. You dont want to hurt someones ego. Its a very careful process. Thats what I find is the
most difficult thing.

FrameWork: What is your favorite part about ghostwriting?

Tim: Freedom. Any freelancer will tell you that. I make my own hours. I work with who I want to work with. As for ghostwriting in
particular, I never get bored because Im always working on something different. I get to work with great and interesting people.
I get to travel sometimes. I get published by major publishers sometimes. Its just a fantastic way to be a professional writer.

With over 50 books published in his 10-year career, Tim Vandehey has seen great success as a
professional writer. And having penned works in genres such as memoir, business and self help,
Vandehey has also proven his versatility.
Vandehey, like many authors, is an expert storyteller. He knows how to craft a tale. But Vandehey
needs several other key skills to do his writing. He has to be a good listener. He has to make people
feel comfortable. He has to be good on the phone.
You see, Vandehey is a special kind of professional writer. He is a ghostwriter.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Vandehey and learn more about this field of
professional writing, a field that is almost as invisible as, well, a ghost.

FrameWork: How did you get started

ghostwriting? Was it an area that always
interested you?

Then, I start the writing process. I usually ask clients to let me

send them the whole book at one time. Which also buys me
more time if Im getting behind.

Tim: It was completely by accident. I went freelance in 95

when I was working as a copywriter. One of my clients had
a person who wanted me to help write his book, and I said,
Sure, no problem! But I was thinking, Oh crap. I need to figure out how to write a book. But thats what you do. You say
yes and then figure out how to do it.

Another big part of this job is time management. Im usually

working on two to three books at one time, all in various stages. One will be in first draft stage, one in final draft. One will
be in client stage, one in interview stage. As for publishing, a
lot of it is up to them. Most of my clients are self-publishing,
but typically, Ill get in touch with my publishing contacts and
vouch for them.

FrameWork: What is the ghostwriting

process like?
Tim: It begins with interviews, figuring out what the goal is for
the book, whats the basic outline of the storyreally getting
an idea of what story were telling here. From there, the
interviews move on to something deeper. People are telling
me their success stories, their life stories. I usually end up getting 20 hours worth of interviews.

12

FrameWork: When you dont receive formal credit (having your name on a book), what does
it feel like to be invisible?
Tim: It doesnt bother me at all. Its never bothered me. I get credit in about half the books I work on and almost always when
working with a real publisher like Simon and Schuster. I even get credit on the cover. Sometimes though, I get diddly. Thats just
part of the profession, part of the job, to make the author look good. You are there to serve your author and take care of them.

FrameWork: What advice would you give to people interested in pursuing a career in
ghostwriting?
Tim: The single most important skill to have? Interviewing people. Youre working in a completely interview-based medium. If
youre not a good interviewer, youre going to be a bad ghostwriter. But if youre a good interviewer, then really, your clients
write the book for you. Its about getting people to tell you their story, to open up to you.
The other thing is kind of related but I only realized it during the past few months. Thats how to be good on the phone. Its tough,
and its hard. Normally, writers are solitary people. Theyre not good speakers. Theyre not very verbal communicators for the
most part. Ive found theyre uncomfortable speaking to people. Im a chatterbox, though. Ill tell you right now, I receive almost
all of my work through referral and have gotten so much work and so many fantastic clients by being good on the phone.
Its not about the writing. Writing is important, but there are a lot of people out there who write well. But if you can make
someone comfortable telling you the most intimate details of their lives, you can write a fantastic book. Being a good
interviewer is about making people feel comfortable. Theyre entrusting you with their story. Its really a huge responsibility.
To learn more about Tim, visit his website at www.timvandehey.com.

Jenna Beall is a full-time advertising editor and is the author of Annabelle St. James.

FrameWork: What is the most challenging

part of ghostwriting?
Tim: Honestly, its convincing people who have already
written somethinglike people who have already written
part of their manuscriptsthat a ghostwriter can offer them
something. A lot of these people are experts in their fields

13

also about soil and crops, fishing, fowling, hunting, running

an orchard, making money, bookkeeping, letter-writing and
more.

GERVASE
MARKHAM
Instructional Writer
by Karen Douglas

Youth

Photo Wellcome Images, via Wikimedia Commons

He outsold Shakespeare for a century,

though he may have been the inspiration for one of Shakespeares most
foolish characters. His manual for
housewives is the first cookbook ever
imported to the Americas. But Gervase
Markham might be the most popular
writer ever forced by his publisher to
stop submitting manuscripts about his
area of expertise.

The historical records are incomplete, but Markham was

probably born in 1568. As a younger son of a nobleman of
declining fortunes, Markham grew up in the English countryside. He lived first at his familys estate, then later joined the
retinue of the Earl of Rockham for a time, where his duties included training the earls impressive collection of horses. Full
of the passions of youth, Markham was also drawn to poetry,
plays and acting, and was sometimes mocked by his contemporaries for his dramatic tendencies. This young Markham
may have been the inspiration for the foppish and verbose
courtier Don Adriano de Armando in Shakespeares Loves
Labours Lost. If only those contemporaries had known that
in the century after his death, Markham would be reprinted
far more than Shakespeare or any of the rest of them.

You may haulter them, which I would wish to be

done with all the gentlenes and quiet meanes
that may be not forgetting but to make much
and cherrish him, when you shall finde him obedient and plyant to your will giuing him kinde
words, as ho boy, ho boy, or holla loue, so my
nagge, and such like tearmes neuer to doo any
thing about a Colte, eyther suddainly, hastily, or
rudely.
Whatever the topic, Markhams friendly, almost poetic style
can have only made his books more popular:

The dung-hill Cocke is a Fowle of all other

birds the most manliest; stately and maiesti-

It sounds charmingly quaint to modern ears, but even readers

of his day must have found Markhams friendly, picturesque
prose appealing.
The English Housewife, published in 1615, continued
Markhams habit of breaking new ground in publishing. It
is the first cookbook to feature ordinary fare instead of the
elaborate feasts of the courtly elite. It is also the first cookbook known to have been imported to the English colonies in
America. All about a wifes duties in running the household,
Housewife exemplifies Markhams earnest, observant, creative style, valuing simplicity and placing women in high esteem, at least when they are effectively fulfilling their wifely
roles. He writes:

Our English Hus-wife must bee of chast thought,

stout courage, patient, vntyred, watchfull, diligent, witty, pleasant, constant in friendship,
full of good neighbour-hood, wise in discourse,
but not frequent therein, sharpe and quick of
speech, but not bitter or talkative, secret in her
affaires, comfortable in her counsels, and generaly skilfull in the worthy knowledges which doe
belong to her vocation.

Reputation
Critics then and now have called Markham a hack and accused him of plagiarizing and republishing existing works
with new titles. These claims were debunked in 1962 when
F. N. L. Poynter examined every known publication attributed
to Markham. Poynter found that Markham often reused his
material in the form of excerpts, new editions and expanded
versions, but never sold anything that did not contain significant new content. Far from plagiarizing, Markham always
acknowledged when advice came from those esteemed famous and then only included it after trying it for himself and
finding it valuable.

By the time he married in 1601, Markham had years of experience breeding and training horses for his father and the
earl, and had even performed on horseback before the queen.
He had also written his first published work, A Discource of
Horsemanshippe. This book was different from others that
had been written on the same topic because it explained how
to use horses for practical purposes, rather than just for fun
and leisure. Until this point, books on horsemanship were
written for the nobility who had servants to handle those details. Discource is also the first instructional book based on
firsthand experience to be written in the English language.
Having married and settled down on his own estate in the
country, Markham continued to write instructional books-lots of instructional books. He wrote thin books, thick books
and sets of books. He wrote many books about livestock, but

14

These volumes of instruction are not dryly proscriptive, however. Markhams writing is well organized, easy to read and
genuinely insightful. His writings on horses, for example,
reflect insight into not just horses but also people, and the
things people do that are most problematic. When discussing
the training of horses, he writes:

call, very tame and familiar with the Man, and

naturally inclined to liue and prosper in habitable houses: he delighteth in open and liberall
planes, where he may lead forth his Hennes into
greener pastures.

Furthermore, Poynter found that actual plagiarists and unscrupulous publishers frequently sold materials that bore
Markhams name but contained stolen or poorly written content. That his work and his name were so widely stolen speaks
to the popularity of Markhams work.
Photo Burnet Reading [public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

15

The custom at the time was that publishers would pay authors once for a manuscript and then retain all profits for
themselves. Markham worked around this system by writing
different books about the same topics, particularly livestock,
much to the dismay of publishers of earlier versions. One
publisher was so determined to keep its market share that in
1617 they forced Markham to sign an agreement never to
write any more book or bookes to be printed, of the Deseases
or cures of any Cattle, as Horse, Oxe, Cowe, Sheepe, Swine,
Goates, etc.

Legacy
That Markham is now largely forgotten outside the more obscure corners of history is due to changes in lifestyles, changes in society and scientific advancements that rendered his
information obsolete. But even at that, he was reprinted as
recently as 1883 in the form of a handbook for farriers.
The fact remains that Markhams writings at the height of
their popularity vastly outsold Shakespeares works and performances. Amid the great social changes of the Renaissance,
as members of the lower class began to accumulate wealth
for the first time and form the middle class, Markham taught
them how to fit in and succeed.

There is evidence of misfortune later in Markhams life,

though details are few. He had many children and had trouble
paying debts, which perhaps led to his writing of a book originally titled A Cure against Misfortunes, offering encouragement and consolation to those experiencing hardship. It is a
poignant contribution from a man who sought to aid and inform his fellows in all things until the end.

Karen Douglas is a graduate of the M.A. in

Professional Writing program at the University of Cincinnati.

Instructional Writing: Then and Now

Instructional writing has become even more popular than in Gervase Markhams time. Self-help manuals much like Markhams
are still in demand, but now we also have instructions as diverse
as the printed manuals that come with anything that uses power,
YouTube tutorials about how to apply for financial aid or drive a
boat, and the tiny print on a box of toothpicks that explains how
to use them safely.
As instructional writing has evolved, experts have developed
whole theories and techniques for creating, displaying and presenting instructions. One such approach is toward a clear, conversational tone, even in formal documents. Technical terms,
acronyms and convoluted sentences might produce writing that
is very accurate, but that does not help anyone if readers cannot understand it. This makes such a difference that even the US
government was stirred to act, with President Obamas signing
of the Plain Writing Act of 2010. This act requires federal agencies to provide clear Government communication that the public can understand and use.
In hindsight that seems like an obvious goal, but it takes
effort and skill to convey complicated and detailed information
so that it can be understood by a wide audience. Yet Markham
demonstrated this principle perfectly in his use of ordinary
language and colorful descriptions to engage and charm his
readers. Perhaps some day the IRS will find a way in the 1040
tax form instructions to lead us forth into greener pastures like
Markhams hens.

Photo National Portrait Gallery, London

[public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

16

PW: The
Wacky &
Wonderful

Markham also practiced another crucial writing skill when he

tested his information himself. Instructional writers today
often have a much more formal arrangement, with multiple testers and rounds of testing and revision and more testing, until
they are sure that their readers will be able to follow their instructions safely and effectively. Markham was not able to be
quite that thorough, but by testing his advice himself, he may
have spared many readers considerable trouble and expense.

Most professional writers have written on a topic you

could call wacky at some point in their careers. We asked
a few to share their most unusual stories, funniest
assignments and strangest experiences.

I once interviewed an expert on exorcism. And as a public

relations writer, I wrote a news release on an ancient papyrus that
contained recipes for aphrodisiacs. The latter received quite a bit
of coverage.

I compiled the manual for the weed dragon, which shot out flames
to kill weeds and unwanted vegetation. People would say, Hows
Puff the Magic Weed Dragon? while I was working on the
document.

Marianne K. J., writer and editor

Jeremy M., technical writer

Recently, I wrote a story about slaughterhouses in our region and

the interdependence between small farmers and small processors
in the local food market. This storys research involved visiting
several different slaughterhouses. I had never imagined
professional writing involving so much blood and guts. It was
really something.

As a new freelance writer, I got called in to write most of the copy

for a refresh of [a cat food] website. The most fun was writing the
page on how to teach your cat tricksoh, and writing the
background bios on five cats then starring in a traveling stunt.

Maria C., assistant editor

After years of insecurity and self-consciousness, I decided that

a trip to a local nudist resort might help me resolve my hang-ups.
Standing at the door, mentally preparing to walk outside naked, I
felt a little like a skydiver getting ready to jump. I still remember
exactly how I felt the moment I stepped onto the resorts grounds,
in full view of dozens of strangers. And there were plenty of
awkward encounters that followedlike conducting naked
interviews and slow dancing with a naked stranger. Not only did
the experience make me realize that I was the only one who cared
about my flaws, the short story I wrote helped inspire my transition
from graphic design to a career in professional writing.

I was assigned to research and write a data portrait report as a

first step to figuring out what to do about babies dying before their
first birthday, and I had to become familiar with my countys
unusually high infant mortality rates. Depressing, I know!
Andy D., senior planner
For the sake of SEO on a clients website, I once spent a couple of
days expanding meta descriptions of industrial pupacide and
adulticide chemicals used to control mosquito populations.
Jan L., professional writing graduate student

Chuck R., writer

Sue C.W., copywriter

17

1. Schedule is key for freelancers.

A Look at the
FREELANCE
WRITING LIFE
by Stacy Ennis

Yes, it might seem that freelance workers squeeze in articles or consulting work between Netflix, but for the large portion of the
self-employed population, that just isnt true. One freelancer starts every day by planning it out; as she explains, I pull out my
master Getting Things Done list and my enormous spreadsheet that tracks deadlines, word counts and the pay for each job.
Another says, I use color-coded Google calendars to organize my day by individual client, then by task. For the professional
writer without a set schedule, making a schedule is a must.

2. Freelance work is unpredictable, and yet that doesnt dissuade this growing workforce.
The two biggest challenges freelancers identify are a lack of stable income and difficulty finding work, according to Freelancers
Union and Elance-oDesk. Yet the Internet is making things easier: More than 31 percent of freelancers say they can find a gig
online within 24 hours. Being a freelancer is a delicate juggling act that leaves the self-employed extremely grateful for
returning, well-paying clients.

3. Freelancers are never off the hook.

Sick? Too bad. As a freelancer, you would likely be working anyway or making up that work on Saturday. Paid vacation? Personal
days? Ha! Freelancers know that time off comes with a price, but its a price most are willing to pay. As one individual explains, I
choose to be in freelance because Im able to work my own hours, determine my own salary, and be creative in my work.

4. A freelance writer can make a good salary.

Its true that writing is often undervalued in todays content-rich world. Yet, with diligence and smart business practices, freelance writers can make above-average salaries. According to the Editorial Freelancers Association, average rates for freelance
writers range from $40 to $100 per hour, depending on the type of writing project, such as ghostwriting, grant writing, public
relations writing or medical writing.

5. The freelancers workplace is where creativity meets DIY business ownership.

Fifty-three million. Thats the number of freelancers in the USmore than one in three workersaccording to a study by Freelancers Union
and Elance-oDesk. Of that number, over 21 million are considered independent contractors, working on a project-to-project basis with no
employer. Professional writersoften called content marketersfit into all categories of freelancing, from full time freelance ghostwriters to
those moonlighting as web content writers to supplement their income.
While the type of freelance work varies, one things certain: Freelancers around the world are leading lives very different from their suit-clad
9-to-5 counterparts. Whether they work from home or in a shared coworking space, head into their current clients office daily or take conference calls from the coffee shop, freelancers often have changing workplaces, varied schedules and salaries that fluctuate by the month.

Most freelancers dont have the luxury of an administrative assistant. Office supplies? They buy them. Office cleaning? Its that
or working alongside dust bunnies and full trash bins. Accounting? They do that, tooor at least try to. A freelancer is a true
jack-of-all-trades, balancing creativity with the practicality of running a small business.
The freelance life isnt for everyone, but it is for the 21 million Americans who have moved away from the traditional workspace
and into a life and schedule that is truly their own. As the number of freelancers grows, one things for sure: work as we know it
will change for millions of Americans. Will your professional writing work life change with it?

The number of freelance workers is growing, with an estimated 6 percent increase by 2020. If you have considered taking your professional
writing skills to the freelance market, here are five things you should know about the unpredictable freelance life.
Stacy Ennis (stacyennis.com) is a book and magazine editor, writer and book coach, as well as the author of The Editors Eye: A Practical
Guide to Transforming Your Book from Good to Great.

18

19

Infographics:

Its All in Your Head

by Hillary Oberpeul

The best visualization evokes that moment of bliss when seeing something
for the first time, knowing that what you see has been right in front of you,
just slightly hidden.
Nathan Yau, Data Points: Visualization that Means Something
During an average day, you consume 34 gigabytes (or 100,500
words) of informationand thats outside of work. Can you say
information overload? The emails never stop rolling into your
inbox, text messages make your phone buzz constantly, and
those Buzzfeed articles are just too hard to resist. So how do
you separate the important information from the life spam?
Information designers have the difficult task of getting people to sit up and pay attention. Its a good thing they have the
power of data visualization in their wheelhouses.
Data visualization breaks down to mean
making the complex simple. Through
the use of graphs, charts and other
visuals, information designers grab
your attention and skillfully explain complex data and concepts.
Sometimes they even combine
this use of visuals into something
called an infographic.
Youve probably seen an infographic or two in your
time, whether online or in
print. If not, take a peek at
the one to the right of this article. Infographics are usually
made of a collection of facts,
visuals and short explanations.
They present everything from scientific data about the human brain
to the cycles of the moon using Oreos.
Infographics arent always serious; but they are
cooland highly effective.
Its easy to recognize when an infographic draws you in, but
have you ever wondered why?

20

Infographics Make Your Brain Happy

The appeal of infographics is all in your headin your brain,
that is. Over half of your brains capacity is dedicated to
processing visual information. Your eyes contain almost 70
percent of the sensory receptors in your body, which means
that in about 1/10 of a second, you can process whats going
on in any given moment. You are literally hardwired to
process information through sight. Infographics play into
that hardwiring by combining visuals and text to engage your
brains capacity for visual perception.
Because there are so many cells in your
eyes and brain that process information, you have the ability to process
a massive amount of stimuli at
oncewhether youre conscious
of it or not. The way your eyes
work, your foveal (or central)
vision focuses on a word or a
picture, while your peripheral
vision scans for the next point
you need to focus on. In a world
where information is thrown at
us at a faster rate than ever before,
your eyes and brain have to do the
hard work of categorizing information
based on importance. Visuals and infographics make that job easier.
Color visuals make you want to read more
and boost your ability to understand complex
information. Theyve been shown to increase a
persons willingness to read by as much as 80 percent. Your
eyes can process a visual and attribute meaning to a color
infographic in just of a second, as opposed to processing 40
words in just under 10 seconds.

The visuals included in an infographic also

help you retain what youve seen. People
remember 80 percent of what they see, as
compared to 20 percent of what they read.
However, this doesnt mean that
visuals alone are the best way to present
complex information. Often, its the
interaction between carefully crafted text
and well-designed visuals that are the
most effectivethe kind of interaction you
find in infographics.
As information has become increasingly
digitaland access to that information
becomes easier and easierthe amount
we truly read is much less than youd think.
On the average Web page, a person reads
only 28 percent of whats presented there.
If you only read 28 percent of what is there,
and will only remember 20 percent of what
youve read, presenting information
becomes a tactical process to get your
point across. Every phrase, visual and
piece of information has to pack a punch.
The combination of text and visual
elements in an infographic provides a way
to draw you in. The colors make you want
to read more. The visuals prevent you from
feeling like you had to struggle through a
long, dense description of a complex concept. As writer and designer David
McCandless put it in his TED talk, If youre
navigating a dense information jungle,
coming across a beautiful graphic or a
lovely data visualization, its a relief. Its
like coming across a clearing in the jungle.

Infographics Can Be Too

Effective
You read that correctly: sometimes
infographics can be too effective. With
great data visualization comes great
responsibilityto be ethical. Visuals are
more fun to look at and theyre more
convincing than words alone.

What
WhatDodoProfessional
professional
writers do?
Writers
do?
Professional writers dont just write.

They design. They create. They promote. They edit, analyze

and construct ideas. They learn and implement technology.

The Top 5 Skills Used by Professional Writers on the Job

based on a survey of graduates from the Professional Writing Masters program at the University of Cincinnati

1. Writing

2. Editing

3. Problem
Solving

4. Teamwork 5. Project
Management

Professional writers use their skills

in a variety of elds.

Technology

Government

Health

Non-Profit

Education

The possibilities for

a professional
writers career are
limitless.

Corporate

They are called a lot of things.

Technical writers
Medical writers

Communications directors
Web content writers

Project managers
Editors

Distance learning directors

Social media coordinators

Grant writers
E-learning specialists

Web developers
Promotional writers

And thats
just the
beginning.

We like to call them successful.

PW University of Cincinnati
at the

21

In a study done by the Wharton School of Business, more

people were persuaded by a presentation that included visuals rather than one that did not. Add that to the fact that
people are 80 percent more likely to remember information
presented visually, and the accurate presentation of visuals
becomes more important. Are you starting to see how this
could go very, very wrong?
In the wrong hands, the powers of data visualization can
prove misleading. If an information designer stretches out
the scale on a graph, you might think that results of a study
are more drastic than they really are. If a line on a pie chart is
at the wrong angle, you might think a percentage is weightier
than it actually is. If similar information is presented in different units, you might be swayed by inconclusive data.
For example, in a Fox News segment, the following graph was
used as evidence for exponential growth in unemployment
rates.

Notice that the Y axis has no label. Does it represent the number of jobs lost in that quarter? Or does it describe the number of jobs lost over all? We dont know. You should also notice
that the X axis seems to be a collection of random dates. To be
ethical, this X axis should have equidistant points represented
across the board. As is, this X axis represents a group of random points. Look what happens when the X axis is appropriately laid out.

This graph looks a little different than the one above, doesnt
it? This is the power of data visualization when its used
unethically.

The majority of people looking at a visualization arent armed

with the knowledge that small manipulations can change its
meaning, which makes ethical data visualization incredibly
important.
While some visuals and infographics are purposefully deceptive, more often information designers create unethical visuals without meaning to. It happens when theres an oversight
in the data visualization process. Not fully understanding the
context surrounding a set of data can lead an information designer to make incorrect assumptions about which chunks of
data are significant. The story told with that data could then
be wrong or skewed. But because infographics are persuasive,
youas part of the audiencewould be left with an incorrect
impression.
Creating effective and ethical infographics involves more
than just making pretty visuals. Data is more than numbers,
and to visualize it, you must know what it represents. Data
represents real life, says Nathan Yau, statistician and author.
Its a snapshot of the world in the same way that a photograph captures a small moment in time.
In his book, Data Points: Visualization that Means Something, Yau talks about data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau. Every 10 years, the Census Bureau collects information
on people living in the United States. That data represents
where people live, shows how the population has changed in
certain areas and helps create an image of who lives in America. But how much can the simple statistics in the census really
represent the dynamic and diverse people living in America?
It really cant. Data points represent the what of the citizens
of the United States. Context represents the why of these
people. Understanding that in a certain area of the country,
people are highly tied to place (and wont move away for any
reason) may help an information designer better communicate about ways to deal with low air quality.
Understanding the context surrounding the data presented
in basic visualizations or infographics is what makes them so
powerful. It allows the information designer to take complex
information and deliver it to the reader in a format that makes
that information engaging, memorable and comprehensible.
It allows infographics to become more than an illustration;
they become a tool for presenting data in new, interesting
ways.

PROFESSIONAL
The University of Cincinnati Department of English
M.A. in Professional Writing is one of the preeminent
academic programs in the field. It offers students the
unique opportunity to work with real-world clients,
master industry-standard technologies and become
professional writing jacks-of-all-trades. Through the
program, students learn to put content in context.

WRITING

Infographics bridge the gap between data and design, and

that bridge makes your brain want to celebrate.
Hillary Oberpeul is a 2015 graduate of the M.A. in
Professional Writing program at the University of Cincinnati.
*Photos courtesy of www.simplystatistics.org

22

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PW University of Cincinnati
at the