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Subject:Re: Writing, Designing, Etc. From:Becca Price <rp51 -at- CHRYSLER -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 12 Jun 1997 10:51:48 -0400
George wrote:
It could be that writing in the layout package limits the writer
in undesirable ways. I strongly suspect that composing in what
looks like final form might significantly discourage revision.
I used to think so, too - I've found, however, that I get fewer
unnecessary comments (on formatting,
font usage, stray stuff like that), and more comments that directly
relate to the *content* of
what I've written... I think it's because, since they see something
that looks final, and most
of my reviewers know that I'm using the department layout and hence
don't have any control
over it, that they are more focused on what the words say than how they
look.
this is a change from my experience when word processors first came
out... then, if I gave someone
something that looked final, they'd wordsmith and nitpick, and assume
the content had
already been ok'd. I don't know where through the years it changed - I
suspect as folks got
used to having even their own rough drafts come out looking pretty from
the laser printer.
-becca
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