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Subject:Golden Rules of Writing From:Liz Babcock <liz_babcock -at- C28B5 -dot- CHINALAKE -dot- NAVY -dot- MIL> Date:Thu, 22 Dec 1994 17:10:53 -0800
Mail*Link(r) SMTP Golden Rules of Writing
On 21 December, Richard Mateosian <srm -at- C2 -dot- ORG>, commented as follows:
>The Golden Rules of Writing
>>1. Make it understandable.
>>4. Make it technically correct, unless that interferes 1, 2, or 3.
>What's the point of making it understandable if it's wrong?
K. C. Cole, Science Editor of the L.A. Times, made a powerful point in that
respect during her recent keynote speech at Region 8's highly successful
conference in San Diego. (Thank you, Bonni!)
Ms. Cole quoted Nils Bohr, and I'm sorry that I don't have the direct quote
(which I intend to look up someday when I have the time). Anyway, Bohr
observed something to the effect that communication of complex technical
subjects was a tradeoff between precision and clarity. That made a lot of
sense to me, since I'm struggling in the history I'm writing with such
matters as how to explain the concept of precession in two sentences or less.
Liz Babcock
STC President
liz_babcock -at- c28b5 -dot- chinalake -dot- navy -dot- mil
