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Re: Am I qualified to be a Technical Writer based on my knowledge ---?
Subject:Re: Am I qualified to be a Technical Writer based on my knowledge ---? From:Paul DuBois <paul -at- kitebird -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 28 Feb 2003 14:49:40 -0600
> >A good writer can write about ANYTHING
> > providing they get their hands dirty, know their audience, throw out what
> > they know and start at the bottom and ask questions....you get the idea.
>
> Yes...I get the idea. You want people to believe that ignorance is an asset to
> technical writers. And you're wrong. A tech writer who is ignorant of the
> subject matter will consistently produce lower quality documentation than a
> writer who isn't. No amount of communications training, process methodologies,
> and dedication to the reader can overcome that.
"You want people to believe that ignorance is an asset to technical
writers. And you're wrong."
Sure. Had anyone actually argued that ignorance is an *asset*,
they'd be wrong. I'm not sure that anyone actually stated that, though.
The point has been more that when you don't know much about a subject,
a good writer will work to become more knowledgeable about it, and work
to remove ignorance. That's what the "start and the bottom and ask
questions" is about in the quote above.
If you object that you've gotta be an expert on a subject to write
anything about it, well, as several people have pointed out: That's a
nice goal, but in practice you don't always have a choice.
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