TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
>Wouldn't "Scientific Author" and "Technical Author" be better terms for
>our profession? I'm going to start telling people that I am a Technical
>Author-in-Training to see if they understand better. What do you think?
Personally, I think it's the "scientific" and "technical" parts
that drive 'em crazy in the first place. It makes it sound like,
well, rocket science or something. That may also explain why people
ask us to solve all kinds of problems we may know nothing about --
if we're called "technical somethingorother," we must be genius
egghead types, right?
If we just said "author", "writer", or "communicator", I think
we'd still get questions, but maybe fewer blank stares. A number
of people I know just say "I'm a writer," and I'm starting to do
the same among certain kinds of crowds. The person almost inevitably
asks, "Oh, what do you write?" and you can then tailor your answer
to your estimation of the person's experience.
Faith Weber
EA Systems Inc.
weber -at- easi -dot- enet -dot- dec -dot- com
