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Copywriters-- the dreaded advertising and marcom folks. They tend to make
around the same as TWs. Speechwriters do pretty well too.
My two cents
Connie P. Giordano
Senior Technical Writer
Advisor Technology Services
A Fidelity Investments Company
704-330-2069 (w)
704-330-2350 (f)
704-957-8450 (c)
"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do." - Henry Ford
-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Strasser [mailto:paul -dot- strasser -at- windsor-tech -dot- com]
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2003 10:48 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Somewhat OT: Tech Writers vs. other writers
Over the weekend I was talking with some people and a standard question came
up: "So, what do you do?"
I answered, "Writer. Technical writer." (Say it like Sean Connery said,
"Bond. James Bond." Sounds good that way.)
After some comments about what TWs do - and I can make it sound like we do
really, really cool stuff - I said something off-hand that I thought was
accurate, but wasn't quite sure. The more I think about it, the more
certain I am that it is indeed accurate.
Basically, what I said was: If you want to write and make a decent wage
doing it, your best chance is as a tech writer, as opposed to any other type
of writing. A greater percentage of tech writers make a nice salary than of
any other kind of writer (poets, fiction, non-fiction, screenplays, etc.)
Yeah, the occasional screenplay writer makes some seriously big bucks, but
the vast majority don't do it for a living or they'd starve.
Putting aside whether simply wanting to write or thinking you're a good
writer is enough to be a TW, is my statement correct? Of all categories of
writers, do you think there is a larger percentage of TWs who are earning
decent money (okay - define "decent.") The only other category that might
come close is journalist, IMO.
Musings on a Thursday.
Paul Strasser
Windsor Technologies, Inc.
2569 Park Lane, Suite 200
Lafayette, Colorado 80026
Phone: 303-926-1982
FAX: 303-926-1510
E-mail: paul -dot- strasser -at- windsor-tech -dot- com
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