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<insert gross generalization> Everyone thinks they can write.</end
generalization>
Therefore, for me to think that someone will pay for what I write requires a
certain degree of arrogance. That's a level of arrogance about my own skill
level/my profession that I have decided I can live with.
However, that doesn't mean that what I've written is better than what
someone else who has worked harder, learned more, or simply has a better way
with words might write. That's a level of reality that I can also live with.
As far as Bruce's comments (below), I am reminded of a friend who used to
spend far more time than seemed reasonable doing things that were totally
unrelated to the project, and who would then burst into a flurry of writing,
churning out volumes of material that ultimately required very little
revision. We hated him for his ability to absorb the raw information,
process it while doing those "unrelated" activities, and then produce a
high-quality deliverable so "easily."
I suppose I do something similar, although while I'm processing the
information I've learned about the project (hardware, software, a process,
etc.), I'm building the document structure, playing with fonts & layout
(using a lot of filler text), so that once the information coalesces in my
head, I'm ready to simply drop it into the structure I've built. So while
there are times during the course of the project when it may appear that I
could care less for the content as long as it looks right, that's not the
case; I'm simply building the "box" to put the content into. And, as a
matter of fact, there have been many, many times when I've churned out tons
of content with little or no formatting at all, just because I had to get
the ideas that had come together in my head out onto the page.
I do think the final appearance/usability/etc. of the document matters; but
all that takes a back seat to the quality of the content.
L
-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Byfield
Sent: Monday, May 03, 2004 11:23 AM
...<snip>...
In my experience, too many tech-writers do focus on the minor things and
miss
the point of what they're doing. I don't consider this simply an
"occupational
hazard," but a disregard of their responsibilities. I suspect that it's due
to
insecurity, and, to an extent, I can sympathize. After all, who doesn't feel
momentarily overwhelmed when faced with having to learn new jargon and
technologies? However, instead of doing the sensible thing and gearing up to
tackle the challenge, some writers prefer to retreat into the areas where
they
feel competent.
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