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> Absolutely. I think those writers who insist that technical writers be
> technical whizzes are possibly frustrated techies who have had to "settle"
> for writing about what they cannot excel in professionally.
Nope. Not me. I started with absolutely zero technical competence,
and my deepest ambitions lie in journalism, poetry and fiction. I've
never written a program that wasn't an exercise, and I never want or
expect to.
> I can find no
> other explanation for the seemingly intense need to require of technical
> writers a level of technical expertise that is not recognized as being
> necessary for technical writing among technical communication professionals
> (and even academics in the field).
Try this: a belief in excellence. Having decided to make a living as
a technical writer, I'm going to be as good a one as I can manage.
To that end, I learned enough typography that I can now talk
intelligently to designers and typesetters about the issues in their
professions.
Now, I'm trying to do the same on the technical side. And the fact
is very simple: I write better and with less effort if I know what
I'm writing about. The act of writing can often be a aid to
understanding, but it's a very laborious process compared to
communicating what I already know.
As for technical expertise not being recognized, the highest-paid
tech-writers whom I've encountered have all acquired it somewhere
along the line. That sounds like recognition to me.
Admittedly, existing technical expertise is not required for entry
level positions. You can even advance to intermediate positions
without it, or to a managerial position that doesn't require much
writing. But "Dare to be mediocre" isn't a slogan I care for.
--
Bruce Byfield, Outlaw Communications
Contributing Editor, Maximum Linux
604.421.7189 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com
"The Queen was in her chamber, a-combing of her hair,
There came Queen Mary's spirit and It stood behind her chair,
Singing, 'Backward and forward and sideways may you pass,
But I will stand behind you till you face the looking-glass.'"
- Rudyard Kipling, "The Looking-Glass"
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