RE: advice for newbie?

[sgodfrey -at- ion -dot- com]

>>While I haven't read it, several others on this list have recommended
"Technical Writing for Dummies". Apparently it's an excellent resource for
those entering the field. Thanks. DB.<<

I enjoy getting books to build my technical writing resource library (or maybe I
have "Christmas-Present-Package-In-the-Mail Fever" since I really love getting
boxes from Amazon.com on my doorstep) and recently bought "Technical Writing for
Dummies" as well as "Complete Idiot's Guide to Technical Writing".

I found the Complete Idiot's Guide to be a good resource, filled with actual
industry terms, references, and processes. As many of you know, it even listed
valuable resources like this list, which is a real help to many tech writers.

And I found "Technical Writing for Dummies" to be a complete peice of crap,
geared more towards people who are not technical writers, nor who are going to
be tech writers,  who need to do some quick "technical" writing. An example of
its quaility (which stuck out in my mind above all the information in the book)
was that the author "handled" the issue of genders by saying she would use male
references in odd chapters and female references in even chapters (or vice
versa). What?!?

So I have to say that I'm sad to have missed the recommendations for the Dummies
book on this list, because I can't imagine at all what could possibly be useful
about this book unless you're not a tech writer and have no intention of being
one, and even then it's questionable, unless you like cutesy things like using
gender according to odd and even chapters.



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

*** Deva(tm) Tools for Dreamweaver and Deva(tm) Search ***
Build Contents, Indexes, and Search for Web Sites and Help Systems
Available now at http://www.devahelp.com or info -at- devahelp -dot- com

Sponsored by Cub Lea, specialist in low-cost outsourced development
and documentation. Overload and time-sensitive jobs at exceptional
rates. Unique free gifts for all visitors to http://www.cublea.com

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot-  Visit 
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.