This is a situation that is often encountered when you write/are writing about books

[kadioguy]

The ambiguity is deliberate as the person writing the sentence doesn't know if it will be read just before or just after publication of the biography.

This is a situation that is often encountered when writing professionally about books or recordings.

https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/...ut-this-week?p=1615366&viewfull=1#post1615366

(a) This is a situation that is often encountered when you are writing professionally about books or recordings.

(b) This is a situation that is often encountered when you write professionally about books or recordings.
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1. Which one has the same meaning as the blue part?

2. I can't tell the difference in meaning between (a) and (b). Could you tell me?

 

[tedmc]

(a) gives a sense of immediacy, of something current.
(b) is a general statement.

I thought "writing for (purpose)" is more appropriate than "wrting about (concerning)" in the context.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/...ut-this-week?p=1615366&viewfull=1#post1615366

(a) This is a situation that is often encountered when you are writing professionally about books or recordings.

(b) This is a situation that is often encountered when you write professionally about books or recordings.
--------
1. Which one has the same meaning as the blue part?

2. I can't tell the difference in meaning between (a) and (b). Could you tell me?

For practical purposes, all three mean the same thing.

 

[tedmc]

For practical purposes, all three mean the same thing.

There are only two.

Can I have some feedback to my statement above, please?

I thought "writing for (purpose)" is more appropriate than "writing about (concerning)" in the context.

 

[kadioguy]

There are only two.

I think that Charlie Bernstein refers to my (a) and (b), and the original from PeterCW.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

There are only two.

Can I have some feedback to my statement above, please?

I counted three:

- This is a situation that is often encountered when writing professionally about books or recordings.

(a) This is a situation that is often encountered when you are writing professionally about books or recordings.

(b) This is a situation that is often encountered when you write professionally about books or recordings.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

(a) gives a sense of immediacy, of something current.
(b) is a general statement.

In some contexts, yes, but I don't see that in these examples.

I thought "writing for (purpose)" is more appropriate than "wrting about (concerning)" in the context.

If you write an article that will be published in The Guardian, you're writing for The Guardian.

If you write an article concerning The Guardian that will not appear in it, you're writing about The Guardian.

(And notice the tense shift in those two sentences. You'll be pleased to see that they fit your distinction.)

That's why I said "For practical purposes." A good grammarian can tease out differences, but in this case, listeners would get the same meaning from all three.