Re: Recommended software for breaking into technical writing

[Mary Paliotta <Mary -at- AMAREX -dot- COM>]

I would agree with what Nancy said below in a pure sense.  But, in my
experience, the differences of opinion you are hearing from the list are
because TW is such a broad field.  LITERALLY ANYTHING GOES IN THIS
PROFESSSION.  Your reaction to being a TW will very closely be tied up with
the particular job you land and the conditions of that job.  The key,
however, is this:  Clearly from comments on this list and elsewhere, there
are plenty of TWs who really like their jobs.  But unless you believe
strongly in divine luck, it's going to take effort on your part to decide
what are the ideal tasks/responsibilities/conditions of your 'ideal' job and
then go find it!  (Then, working with what you've got, try to keep improving
your job positions until you feel that you've reached a place you're happy
to stay awhile.)  And given the economy and job opportunities out there for
TW, I have no doubt you will find what you are looking for.

>From someone currently working through this process herself.  Mary.

-----Original Message-----
From:   Nancy McDonald [mailto:mcdonan1 -at- NATIONWIDE -dot- COM]
Sent:   Friday, August 13, 1999 11:32 AM
To:     TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
Subject:        Re: Recommended software for breaking into technical writing

Seems to me part of this issue is based on the conceptual differences
between
journalistic writing and technical writing, and how you relate
emotionally/spiritually, etc., to those conceptual differences.  If you are
excited by unfolding events of a sociological nature, then journalism
excites
you.  This satisfies lots of creative urges, people-people contact,
descriptive
language, etc.   Journalistic writing allows for description, narration, and
sometimes argumentation.

If you have an urge for intellectual challenges such as trying to figure out
how
things work, then tech writing can be fun and interesting.  If you have a
process mind, then you are excited writing procedures, training manuals,
user
guides, etc.  You're still dealing with facts, but the facts are
technological
things and logical events rather than social, political, economic events.
Technical writing allows for 'how to', for description, for explanation, and
sometimes, if it's proposals, argumentation.

 As William James said, years ago, when trying to solve yet again some
ambiguities, "it all depends."  on what you mean by....   and the beat goes
on...

Regards,
Nancy McDonald

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