What Would You Do with a Writer Who Can't Write?

["Doug Duplessis" <unclebonsai -at- hotmail -dot- com>]

I'm working with a writer who doesn't seem to know how to write. Copy and 
technical edits are taking more time than I can spare. Despite agreeing to 
the project style sheet, he consistently ignores it. For some of his work, 
it is less time for me to rewrite the entire topic than to edit and return 
to him to put in changes (most of which he ignores). I mean, here is a 
sample of a procedure he wrote:

To rightclick in a window:
1. Choose Setup>Setup Preferences>Main. The Preferences dialog box will 
appear at this point. Input your preference per the Setup Instructions.

2.  Product clears the window and will display a Setup Preferences screen 
when you are done inputting your preferences.
3.  Place your mouse or rather the pointer in any gray area of your window 
except the area about an inch from the left margin and click with your right 
mouse button to have a menu appear.

It goes on like that.

He can't write a procedure, he can't use consistent language. He doesn't 
know the product we're working on and he doesn't know much beyond basic MS 
Word.  I'm contracting and he was recently hired full-time.

I'm not sure how or if I should go to management--is it a contractor's 
"place" to bring things like this up? It is frustrating to do my work and 
some of his.  During the last joing project, I wrote 184 topics to his 24.  
The job market is tight--and I don't want to "cause a situation" as they say 
around here.

I don't want to go behind his back, and I don't want to show up in a 
manager's office with a stack of evidence.  I should mention that there is 
no documentation manager; we're managed by an overtasked development manager 
who thinks technical writers just "pretty up" things. (His words.)

Help and advice appreciated--chocolate isn't working anymore.

_________________________________________________________________
MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE*  
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Last chance to order RoboHelp X3 and receive a $100 mail-in rebate, 
PLUS free RoboScreenCapture and WebHelp Merge Module. Offer expires 
4/30/03! Order here: http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l

  Help celebrate TECHWR-L's 10th Anniversary starting this month!
Check out the contests at http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/special/contests/
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday 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.