FERMANAGH born author and academic Paul Breen has had a new book published, entitled “Professional Writing – How to Write Professionally and Successfully.” This is a book that gives you a sense of where it is coming from straight from the outset. Although Paul himself is a senior lecturer with the University of Westminster in London, he uses a famous Bob Dylan quote as the foreword – “Teachers teach that knowledge waits… Meantime life outside goes on all around you.” This book is very much set in the real world. It presents case studies of real writers, their stories and their experiences. This includes a profile of another Fermanagh writer, The Impartial Reporter’s own Rodney Edwards.

In a chapter on Positioning Yourself as a Writer, the story of Rodney’s path towards a career in journalism gets told. The story of developing skills needed to become a journalist is told too, outlined in meticulous detail. The book though is not just for or about journalists. It is a book for any teachers, students or writers who want to develop their craft to be more successful, more professional and more polished. It might be particularly useful at this time of year for any students starting out in university and trying to come to grips with academic expectations. The author himself admits that in his own first semester at Queen’s University back in the 1990s, it took a bit of time to get used to the writing style expected from his lecturers. “One of my big mistakes early on,” he says, “was to try and sound too smart. Straightforward writing is actually the smartest kind.”

Various parts of Paul’s writing journey are also outlined in the book. Growing up in Fermanagh, he has fond memories of reading and writing in childhood, whether at home or in school in Brookeborough and then Enniskillen. Now, he says he is especially glad of all that background reading that he did as a child. “There was a lot of emphasis on creativity in our schooling and that is something that stayed with me all through life.” He still reads on a regular basis, he adds, and points out that amongst his readings of choice is his weekly copy of The Impartial Reporter. “That gets sent over to me in London every week,” Paul says. “This gives me a chance to see what’s happening back home – which in recent times have been as dramatic as any fiction.”

“Professional Writing – How to Write Professionally and Successfully” is available through Amazon and various bookstores.