Re: Technical Writer Backgrounds

[Grant Hogarth <GRANT -at- ONYXGFX -dot- COM>]

I'm another oddball (yes, even my family would agree... :-)  )
My background prior to Technical Writing was 13y in Professional
theatre as everything from a Rock & Roll roadie to Lighting Designer,
ENG cameradude, Technical Director, and Stage Manager.

I got burned out, went back to school, did an MA
(Rhetoric and Composition), and then, on the advice of my
professors, did a MS in Tech Comm.

Since then I've done manuals for a number of software companies,
typeset books for a University Press, been a system integration
expert for a marketing firm,  then became the supervisor of the
production group for the same company. I've been here at Onyx for 2y,
and I've been the Technical Writer, pet geek for trade shows, Manager
of Technical Support, and now have the title of Information Developer.

My resume makes hiring firms go crazy trying to categorize me. :-)

For me, what makes a good technical writer is the ability to distill the
essence of what the engineers/developers/SME's tell me into something
that the product users can comprehend and use.

We are teachers and guides, translators and "professional idiots",
the people who get paid to ask "why" and "how", and report "just the facts".

I've said enough.

Grant

=====================================
Grant Hogarth, Information Developer
Onyx Graphics Corp. Midvale, UT
www.onyxgfx.com    ftp.onyxgfx.com
#include <std_disclaim>

"In a world of change, learners adapt, while the learned
find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world
that no longer exists."
     --Eric Hoffer