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Subject:Re: How to deal with incorrect editing From:"John Posada" <writer -at- tdandw -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 30 Dec 2003 09:50:00 -0500
> > The NASA guy says "We're both writers.", at which Sam
says
> > "Yes, I suppose if we broaden the definition to those
who can spell."
> >
> > I'm not sure how it applies to this discussion, I just
> > thought it did somehow.
I received an off-list response to this post. telling me
that since I wasn't sure how it applied, why did I waste the
bandwidth of this list.
Of course it applies, I just didn't think I needed to be so
obvious...
Knowing grammar, by default, doesn't make you a techwriter,
just as knowing spelling doesn't make you a writer. There
is SO much more to it:
Imagination, creativity, drive, ego (*see below), subject
knowledge, experience, ability to understand complex topics
and explain them using simple language, ability to deliver
on time, ability to figure out the best method of delivering
the information, ability to work with a diverse range of
information sources, the ability to say/write only enough
and not more, the ability to not say/write anything at all,
the ability to not loose sight of a goal regardless of what
is thrown in the way, the ability to explain the same
concept at varying levels based on the audience, and about a
million other things.
Grammar is NOT the cornerstone of our field. Wanting to give
our readers the ability do their job well after reading our
deliverable is...the rest are just details.
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
writer[at]tdandw.com
* ego - Without which I wouldn't strive to produce a product
that is the best the reader has ever seen, thereby making
the reader feel that whoever produced it must be the best
writer they've ever seen.
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