RE: Tech writers and engineers

Subject: RE: Tech writers and engineers
From: "Elizabeth O'Shea" <elizabeth -dot- oshea -at- virtualaccess -dot- com>
To: <dan -dot- gallagher -at- pulsartech -dot- com>, "'TECHWR-L'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2004 14:06:40 -0000

>John, are you supposing we technical writers know how to code?

I don't know how to code anything beyond html and very basic javascript.
But I _do_ know how to code information. I also know the difference
between a well-constructed sentence, paragraph, or document that I don't
understand because it's full of necessary technical terms and a
sentence, paragraph, or document that is poorly written, missing
information, misplaced, or all of these. The first reads well and makes
structural sense. I don't understand the content because I haven't
studied the subject. The second does not read well, does not make
structural sense, and leaves me feeling that something is missing.

I have often written documents on topics about which I knew nothing.
Reviewers were impressed with my knowledge of the subject. But I didn't
have knowledge of the subject; I knew how to structure the information
others gave me.

elizabeth

Elizabeth OShea
Documentation
Virtual Access (Irl) Ltd.
Unit 18
Trinity Enterprise Centre
Pearse Street
Dublin 2
Ireland
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
e: elizabeth -dot- oshea -at- virtualaccess -dot- com
t: +353 1 6041816
f: +353 1 6705380





References:
Tech writers and engineers: From: dan . gallagher

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