RE: What Are Writing Skills?

["Sharon Burton" <sharon -at- anthrobytes -dot- com>]

I sent you to Minimalism as a way to think about structuring your writing. I
think I sent you a small reading list. I described things to you. I offered
to let you take my class this spring where I can teach you how to write in a
structured way. I sent you a list of things that your DFDs can't cover and
why you also need other tools. Others have done similar things.

We keep telling you how to do structured writing. You keep telling us it's
all really the golden key you already have - DFDs!

Tony, darling, this is for your own good here: You are obviously a young
writer. You have A tool that works for you in many cases. And that's great.
Everyone has to start with something in their toolbox.

But you do not have the golden fleece of technical writing. What you seem to
have is the excitement and enthusiasm of a young writer who really likes his
tool and wants everyone to know about it so we can all use it. BUT, you are
facing the experience of several thousand YEARS of technical writing on this
list. We are trying to tell you things and you are refusing to listen. You
keep telling us you already have the answer and we need to listen to YOU. We
aren't having a conversation - it looks like one, because there's this back
and forth stuff, but it's not a conversation because you're not HEARING what
people are telling you.

You seem steadfast in your refusal to hear what others are saying to you.
You want only to bash some, what, 5000 of us about the head with your DFDs
until we are all bloody and unconscious. Perhaps this is not what you really
want to do - I think it is your youth and excitement for your tool that has
you doing this. I think you mean well, I really do.

But you'll go further in this world if you listen to other people and hear
what they are saying to you instead of repeating your thoughts over and
over.

Please try to listen and think about what other people are telling you. You
may actually learn some things from the 5000 other people on this list who,
it seems, thus far, have offered you NOTHING you don't already know.

(Personally, even after about 15 years in this business, I suspect there are
many many people on this list who can teach me a lot.)

sharon

Sharon Burton
CEO, Anthrobytes Consulting
951-369-8590
www.anthrobytes.com
President of IESTC

-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-189020 -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-189020 -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com]On Behalf Of Tony
Markos
Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2005 5:36 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: What Are Writing Skills?



I started this thread.  Funny thing: I have yet to get
an answer!

I was told that the "meat" of writing skills is
structured writing skills.  But try researching to
find the specific, concrete techniques and steps
involved in structured writing - they don't exist!
Structured writing is "blue smoke and mirrors".

Therefore, I conclude that writing skills don't exist.
 We just analyze like and engineer, design like an
engineer, and then top it off with a little grammar.

Tony Markos



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