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I don't know if this quite fits in this subject, but I just had to
share. We have/had a big software release that was to go out
yesterday... but didn't. On Friday, I was told I had to do whatever it
takes to have the manual ready... so I took it all home on my geek
stick, and a printout on paper. Sunday was beautiful, so I sat out on
the deck with my 12-year-old son. He did his homework while I did mine.
At one point, I had to check his math, so, while I did that, I gave him
the red pen and the manual and told him what I was looking for.
Oh, I was updating an existing manual with stuff submitted to me by
someone else (who did not follow the writing conventions I hand out to
everyone who submits stuff to me). So he had to look for those
specifics.
He went nuts. I couldn't believe how well he did. By the time I finished
checking he math, he'd practically emptied my red pen.
This is a resource I shall use again.
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+mschmidt=weathercentral -dot- tv -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+mschmidt=weathercentral -dot- tv -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com]
On Behalf Of Diane Brennan
Sent: Friday, September 15, 2006 6:09 PM
To: Robotti, Anne (Carlin); techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: R-E-S-P-E-C-T me! (Please!)?
If you want to learn humility, you need is a teenager! My son, now 25,
used to explain my job to his friends by saying "you know how when you
read the directions to set up your VCR and you can't do it because the
directions don't make any sense? Those are written by technical
writers!" But I'll get my revenge soon--he's studying to become an
accountant. At least you don't see stories in the newspaper about tech
writers going to prison for cooking the books!
"Robotti, Anne (Carlin)" <ARobotti -at- CarlinGroup -dot- com> wrote:
> Mike: My own mom who passed away at age 90 only two years ago
> this month only knew that I was a "writer" of some kind
> (essentially, "I write instruction books, Mom"), but was
> never clear on just what I did. It always made me so sad.
My Mom tells everybody, "She writes books about computers, they're way
too complicated for me! You could never understand them." Seriously, she
thinks I'm some kind of a genius. When I mentioned that my release notes
go up on the website at my new company, she told her Bible group that my
company publishes my documents on the Internet. I think now they all
think I'm like Stephen King for computers.
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