Re: Pencil Test for Technical Writers

Subject: Re: Pencil Test for Technical Writers
From: Robert Plamondon <robert -at- PLAMONDON -dot- COM>
Date: Sun, 11 Aug 1996 22:35:20 PDT

Who on earth would the audience for such a manual be? Technical writing
exists to inform readers of techniques. I have difficulty imagining
someone who can read English but is unfamiliar with pencils. To write
a proper manual for them, the nature of what they are and are not
already familiar with would be necessary.

Creating a manual with no target audience is bad technical writing.
Creating a manual that contains nothing of interest is bad technical
writing. Thus, I don't think much of the Pencil Test.

-- Robert
--
Robert Plamondon, President/Managing Editor, High-Tech Technical Writing, Inc.
36475 Norton Creek Road * Blodgett * Oregon * 97326
robert -at- plamondon -dot- com * (541) 453-5841 * Fax: (541) 453-4139

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