RE: flashpoint of the week: editors and writers egos

["Lisa Wright" <liwright -at- earthlink -dot- net>]

I'm going to hop in here as I have a nagging feeling my name is being taken
in vain. =;-)

Lynne, Geoff and the others are right. If you don't have the authority to
set standards and make edits, you're in for a very frustrating stint as
editor. There's a reason I have "professionalism" so high on my list of
desirable qualities in a TW. I'm blunt, and it makes me tired to have to
pussyfoot around an explanation of subject-verb agreement with people who in
theory should know better. One possible way to get that authority instituted
is to work with the departments that you say have given up on getting
quality documentation out of the tech writers. What sort of impact is that
having on sales, training, and tech support? Can they use the docs in the
sales cycle or are they too embarrassing? Are there complaints after sales
are complete? That's evidence you can use to establish your case.

The best moments on the project I was just working on were when the project
managers would come in and lay down the law amidst all the heavy sighing
about change. It was a joy to behold.I wish more managers would do that.
They don't have to be jerks about it, but setting standards is a good and
necessary thing.

You know, if this were accounting and you had somebody going off their
"feelings" of what "sounds right," it'd be a very simple matter. It SHOULD
be a simple matter in this case. "Here's my truckload of grammar and tech
writing books. Take a look while I finish bleeding all over your document."

As for ink (since you AREN'T dealing with professionals) I like pink and
purple. Talk about your fluffy colors. And you can laugh when someone says
it's too violent--puke-inducing maybe, but not violent! :-)

Lisa 


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