I started my freelancing career shortly after I finished my Master’s degree in communications. Let me tell you, no matter how much I studied internet writing and blogging, I really didn’t learn how to write online content until I started doing it myself. Finally I got into a routine and stopped sounding like a nerd and more like a blogger. Okay, maybe a nerdy blogger, but still, the point remains. I was writing blogs, not textbook entries!
The funny thing was, I decided to go back to school for a second Master’s degree. This was after blogging for a year. Needless to say, trying to write my first paper was a task. It was really, really hard to change from blogging to academic writing. The writing style, length requirements, and a myriad of other things made the transition a bit rocky at first.
Here are some of the most prominent struggles that I’ve had in switching back to academic writing after a year of being a blogger.
Ah, reading for class... how I missed thee... Image courtesy of shutterhacks via Flickr CreativeCommons
- Academic papers have more quotes than summaries. One of the comments I got on my first paper was that I should have used more quotes. As a blogger, I do use quotes, but most of the time I’m summarizing ideas that I’ve read and/or researched.
- I can’t use contractions! My sister was proofreading my first paper and she felt so bad; she could tell that I was struggling with the change in writing style. One of the first things she said was “Don’t use contractions!” I use contractions all of the time as a blogger; the language is much more informal on a blog than in a paper.
- Changing from first person to third person. Not being able to use “I” is really hard for me. I’m a personal writer; I like to share my stories and experiences. You do not do that in an academic piece.
- Brevity to substance. Oh wow. In a blog, I usually write between 500 and 600 words to keep your attention and give readers as much information as possible without boring them. That’s how our society works, that’s how internet writing works. My first paper was a minimum of three pages. My first draft was one-and-a-half. Before becoming a blogger, I used to be able to drag out information and hit minimum page requirements without an issue. Now? I struggled with it. I realized how thankful I was for the fact that I only need to write 500-600 words to get a point out.
So, friend, these are some things that you should be thinking about, especially if you’re freshly out of school like I was when I first started my blogging career. Switching back to academic writing has helped me to more clearly see the differences between the two. If you’re a blogger going back to school, like I am, make sure that you keep these things in mind as well.
Do you have any thoughts on this? Are the differences between blogging and academic writing really that different? Are there other differences or similarities that I’ve overlooked? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
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