RE: Another Subjective View

Subject: RE: Another Subjective View
From: Mike West <Mike -dot- West -at- oz -dot- quest -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2002 17:23:43 +1000




Bruce Byfield quotes an amusing anecdote involving
Thos Jefferson and Ben Franklin, and then remarks:


>When I was teaching first year composition at a university, I used this
>story to point out that, while editing is valuable, there's also a
>possibility of editing past the point of any meaningful advantage.


Is that what it says to you? My impression is that
the hatter's message was considerably improved by
those "mutilations." The purpose of a shop sign is to
get warm bodies into the shop -- not to explain the
business policies and practices of the shopkeeper.


>Haiku error messages aside, technical documentation is rarely poetry,
>where every word counts.


It rarely is, yes -- but writers who wish to have
readers should nevertheless strive to make every
word count. Thomas Jefferson knew that.

Michael West
Melbourne, Australia

--Guaranteed 98% chimpanzee--


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