Some write letters to their miscarried children or discuss how they buried them. Some write about the depression and anxiety that followed. Others note the careless words their physicians or loved ones uttered. The tears that splash on their keyboards are reflected in their writing. Even years after losing their children, they grieve. But the language we use to describe miscarriage is so clinical that their pain seems strange. We read of “pregnancy loss” and “spontaneous abortions” and “fetal demise.” By these phrases, we know that a mother was pregnant and now she’s not. But do we feel the magnitude of that loss? As Christians, we believe that God knitted these children together in the womb, that they were made in His image and possessed immense value, even if their life was short. Our language must reflect that. A child has died. It should prick our souls and if we do our job well, those of our readers also. The goal is not to be graphic but to allow our audience to experience the fullness of what truly is, whether it be beautiful and just or painful and wretched. Our culture is so desensitized to language that reshapes or dulls reality that we don’t think anything of it. As PWID faculty, we teach our students to do what John Piper calls “seeing and savoring.” We encourage them to marinate in a subject, allowing the wisdom of Scripture to infuse the way they think and feel. Regardless of whether a topic is of eternal significance or not, we want our students to know and treasure reality before they write about it, so that their readers can think clearly and feel rightly about the topic as well. THE HEART OF A PROGRAM When that young man and his mother left that day, I hoped they could see the heart of the PWID program: We want our students to write with excellence and virtue. In our current climate, that means rejecting a subjective view of reality but also working hard to see and savor the truth as it actually exists. If our students succeed, they will write content that opens eyes and stirs hearts, bringing hope and clarity to a world that desperately needs it. For a writer, that’s a great way to serve the Lord. Nick Carrington ’10 is an Associate Professor of Professional Writing at Cedarville University. He earned his PhD in technical communication and rhetoric from Texas Tech University. PROFESSIONAL WRITING AND INFORMATION DESIGN § Credit Hours – 128 (including general education and major courses) § Terms – 16-week semesters § Program Delivery – on campus § Completion Time – typically 8 semesters “ Since graduating from the PWID program, I’ve enjoyed a wide variety of rewarding roles in the communication field. From technical writing to speechwriting, social media marketing to brand strategy and design, Cedarville’s PWID program gave me the strong foundation I needed to succeed and lead in all of these roles. My lifelong gratitude for the PWID program continues today through my active participation on its Industry Advisory Board, which I proudly joined at its inception in 2003.” Scott Bennett ’96 Global Quality Assurance Communications Director, Procter & Gamble “ PWID prepared me to be a confident and capable editor. Beyond teaching me writing and editing, it prepared me to learn quickly and problem-solve. While others feel out of their depth when dealing with UX, design, and digital teams, I was fully prepared to understand all perspectives and balance all of a project’s needs.” Naomi Leak ’18 Editor, Compassion International “ I’m so grateful for Cedarville’s professional writing program and Sandi (Welch) Harner ’64, who led the program when I was there. After I graduated in 2002, I job-hopped successfully in marketing communications, technical writing, and public relations, until God led me to dream-come-true positions as an editor and author in Christian publishing. The professional writing program equipped me for a variety of career options and especially honed my skills in copyediting and proofreading.” JoAnne (Willett) Simmons ’02 Freelance Writer and Editor GET TO KNOW THE MAJOR Cedarville Magazine | 21
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