Re: Anyone Can Write - Just Look At The Job Descriptions
I used to think what it would be like to, in a writing class, get a bunch of those anyone-can-writers together and have them write down the story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears"...like:
"OK, we're gonna start out with something simple. I want everyone to write the story of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. Everybody remembers that, right? Oh, not so much? OK...here's the book. Everybody take 30 minutes to review."
Afterwards:
"Books closed. OK...easy, right? Let's start writing. I'll give you an hour and a half!"
When they finished, I bet that would be some funny reading.
Especially, if they were snarky. "So there was this stripper chick named, Goldilocks..."
I had a technical writing class, like 20 years ago or whenever, and we had a writing assignment to write a set of instructions. We could choose from any subject we wanted and some subject ideas were given. One of the ideas was to write instructions about how to make a balloon animal. I did not know how to do that, but I thought it would be fun to learn, so I learned and I made a booklet about how to make a balloon animal. It was a lot of fun.
Perhaps recruiters should have classes on how to write job descriptions to effectively attract the right candidates for the right jobs.
What is really sad when inheriting a writing project, is that previous writers think they did a good job. I took on a project and inherited a decent-sized FSR that had be rejected a few times. The FSR was simply empty narratives about the requirements that the project was to satisfy and some random notes from various meetings. It was a useless document. I got a hold of it and interviewed some people who were going to make the project happen. Two months later, I had produced a $6M FSR that was approved.
A couple of years later, I talked to a recruiter about some job and she asked me if I knew a particular person. I recognized the name, but I did not know what she did. Later, I realized that the person was the one who produced those useless chicken-scratch notes for that FSR. I think that state worker took credit for my work. I guess it was an odd consolation that two upper managers who sponsored that project were indicted for embezzling $2M. I wonder if I can write novels because those sorts of facts could be good fodder.
Lauren
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help.
Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try
Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.
http://www.doctohelp.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
To unsubscribe send a blank email to
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com
To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.
Please move off-topic discussions to the Chat list, at:
http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/listinfo/techwr-l-chat
Follow-Ups:
- Re: Anyone Can Write - Just Look At The Job Descriptions, Bill Swallow
- RE: Anyone Can Write - Just Look At The Job Descriptions, Janoff, Steve
References:
RE: Anyone Can Write - Just Look At The Job Descriptions: From: debora ames
Previous by Author:
Re: Creating a template with locked
Next by Author:
Re: Anyone Can Write - Just Look At The Job Descriptions
Previous by Thread:
RE: Anyone Can Write - Just Look At The Job Descriptions
Next by Thread:
Re: Anyone Can Write - Just Look At The Job Descriptions
Search our Technical Writing Archives & Magazine
Visit TechWhirl's Other Sites
Sponsored Ads