TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
RE: Handling developers, "the zone" and other myths
Subject:RE: Handling developers, "the zone" and other myths From:"Maggie Secara" <maggiros -at- adelphia -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Sun, 2 Jun 2002 19:41:46 -0700
Bruce Byfield saith:
> Much of the work of programming is not in the initial
> inspiration, but in the logical analysis and revision of content.
>
> That's another reason why I regard all the talk about the "zone"
> as exaggeration: I've done enough professional creative work to
> know that the initial impulse and first draft is just the
> beginning of any creative process. In many ways, talk of the
> "zone" is comparable to the romantic myth of inspiration being
> the most important - charming in its way, but something that any
> seasoned professional soon learns to move beyond.
>
------------
I tend to agree. I think we all know that if you waited around for
inspiration to strike, most of us would never get anything written!
Deadlines and editors just don't care if your Muse is with you or on
vacation in the Bahamas.
I both believe in "the zone" and decline to accept that it is sacrosanct. If
Jane Austen could write whole novels in a parlour crowded with aunts and
cousins, and if I could do my homework throughout high school and most of
college in the same room with noisy younger siblings and the TV on, it seems
to me that the "zone" is self-generated, and not dependent on peace and
quiet. Maybe it's just me, but I think concentration/focus is where you
find it.
Just my tuppence ha'penny, of course,
Maggie Secara
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Free copy of ARTS PDF Tools when you register for the PDF
Conference by May 15. Leading-Edge Practices for Enterprise
& Government, June 3-5, Bethesda,MD. www.PDFConference.com
Check out RoboDemo for tutorials! It makes creating full-motion software
demonstrations and other onscreen support materials easy and intuitive.
Need RoboHelp? Save $100 on RoboHelp Office in May with our mail-in rebate.
Go to http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l
---
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.
