“Writing is human, writing well is divine” (Anonymous, 2010). So why is it important to write professionally and what constitutes professional writing? Contrary to popular belief, professional writing isn't just getting paid to write; although professional writers are sometimes well paid. In short, professional writing is writing at a higher level and with purpose. It is important to write professionally (know the audience, know the purpose, be persuasive, and get to the point) so that you can communicate effectively and efficiently. This allows the reader to see the writer as organized, thoughtful, intelligent, and worth listening to. Professional writing is more than just writing with the basic skills of correct spelling, grammar, and sentence/paragraph structure. Aspects of professional writing include all elements of basic writing, as well as knowing your audience, writing for a purpose, persuading, and conveying the message clearly and concisely. You also need to have advanced sentence/paragraph structure (for greater effectiveness). In addition, you must know how to format the media as a whole to make it easier to read. A little forethought in research and organization will go a long way in making the writing look professional. As part of the organizing process, you need to know why you are writing the message and what you hope to achieve. Additionally, one must know the purpose of the message and who the audience will be as well as their potential response. Writing the message with the audience in mind will not only help shape the style of the message itself, but also the tone in which it is presented as well as the formality of the language used. Tone is the main thing...... middle of paper ......cy, clarity and tone? If the answer is no, it is very likely that the message was not conveyed successfully, or even effectively. In fact, the wrong message was probably delivered. If the answer is yes, then one has not only written well as everyone should, but also written professionally. Not only does professional writing include all aspects of good writing (spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and paragraph structure), but it also involves advanced writing thinking (research, organization, style, tone, and purpose) with the audience in mind. The goal of professional writing is to write with a purpose and be able to sell that purpose to the reader effectively and efficiently. Due to the nature of today's business world, if one wants to successfully sell the purpose of the message, one must write professionally, even if one writes recreationally..