Re: Reading and Editing
Hi Frank,
What an great discussion. I'm sorry that more people
haven't responded via the listserv. I guess no one
wants to admit they hear voices! But I'll admit...I
do!
So do I. But I also hear music.
<plaintive voice>Whaddya mean, life doesn't come with a soundtrack?</plaintive voice>
<SNIP>
Maybe it's because we're writers and writing comes
naturally to us, but I've always had a hard time
understanding how someone can claim that he can't
write well. I've worked with people who were
incredibly knowledgable about their area of expertise
and could talk for hours; but when asked to document
how to do such-and-such or to explain the nature of
such-and-such, the results look like the efforts of a
15 year-old. It's odd how someone can't simply speak
and put the words to paper.
I actually proved to an SME that he COULD write. I taped him. (My kids called it the week I interrogated a Russian scientist!)
We spent the better part of a week in the manufacturing facility (they make DNA sequencers; I was responsible for the hardware portion of an FDA submission for a new medical device). The hardest part was documenting the history of its development. So I interviewed Alex, and typed up the transcript. That document became the basis for the history section of the hardware submission.
Other than cleaning up some native Russian speaker grammar issues, and getting clarification on the accented bits I transcribed incorrectly, there wasn't a whole lot of editing to do.
I finished that contract with a much better understanding of DNA sequencers, and he had much more confidence in his writing.
Win
-----------------
Win Day
Multimedia Developer
http://www.creativeimplementations.com
mailto:winday -at- creativeimplementations -dot- com
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References:
Reading and Editing: From: Frank Krasovic
Re: Reading and Editing: From: Steven Brown
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