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Re: Are we just secretaries?

Subject: Re: Are we just secretaries?
From: Jean Weber <jean -at- wrevenge -dot- com -dot- au>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2000 09:40:03 +1000

As others have said, a lot of what you're doing is editorial work (a subset of the overall editorial skill set).

I list as one of my *special* editorial services the cleaning up of other people's English and the clean formatting of files (whether Word or HTML) produced by other people. I consider this an important set of valuable skills, and I can assure you that my clients see it that way too.

Unfortunately, a lot of clients and managers *don't* see the skills as more than clerical or secretarial. Please don't fall into the trap of thinking the same. You're probably doing a much better job (because of your professional writing background) and adding real value to that installation guide, even if you don't find it all that exciting. And I'm sure you are using "discretion and judgement" if you're rewriting someone's English.

Regards, Jean
Jean Hollis Weber
mailto:jean -at- wrevenge -dot- com -dot- au
The Technical Editors' Eyrie http://www.wrevenge.com.au/


At 11:01 26/10/00 -0700, Mariposa BY wrote:

then I write it in correct English - and also format
tons of lines of code so that the columns are even and
all code is in the correct style - and all that jazz.

Geez. I feel like a secretary. I am not writing - I am
making it pretty - formatting it - and also
re-writing his writing. But executive secretaries -
don't they do that too?


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