RE: on technical writers

[Ed Gregory <edgregory -at- comcast -dot- net>]

I have to challenge the basic assumption that people move From creative
writing TO technical writing.

Good technical writing requires all the creativity one can muster. I'm not
advocating the introduction of flowery language to describe process,
procedure, principle, or other technical content. However, too many
technical writers lack the wordsmithing skills to write clearly, succinctly,
and, yes, in a way that propels the reader forward.

You can do technical writing that is, technically, correct. That, however,
does not make it good. During my 18-year-career as a journalist, the worst
writer I ever worked with had a recent PhD in English. She was
unchallengeable on matters of grammar. She could correctly (and boringly)
string together more phrases than anyone I had ever seen.

All writing, when done well, is creative writing.


-Ed Gregory


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