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The only problem with telling people you are a professional writer, from what I can see, is that they immediately assume you write novels, not procedures or instructions or user guides.
Me: "Hi, I'm a professional writer."
Them: "Wow! That's great! What books have you written?"
Or
Me: "Hi, I'm a technical writer."
Them: "Oh. What's that?"
From: Keith Hood [mailto:klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com]
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2012 8:17 PM
To: Cardimon, Craig; 'Gene Kim-Eng'; 'Andrew Warren'
Cc: 'techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com'
Subject: Re: Post on Technical Writing vs. Technical Communication
It doesn't. To me the phrase 'developing information' is too nebulous. What the heck is 'developing'? It could be sorting and filtering a spreadsheet. A so-called i-reporter can say he's developing information when he asks questions and transmits blurry pictures at the riot. You can develop camera film - that doesn't make you a photographer.
On the other hand, the word 'writing' is unmistakable. It implies producing a tangible, usable product.
I write about highly technical subjects, using a style of writing tailored for the purpose of creating items that impart technical information in a clear manner. That's what I do whether I'm producing a PDF, a PowerPoint slide show, or a set of software functional requirements. I like being called a writer. Among other things, it implies creativity. And I think there is an element of creativity in this work.
To some extent, it's a form of bragging. I can truthfully tell people I am a professional writer, that I have made my living from writing for more than 20 years. If I tell someone I've been a developer for more than 20 years he'll give me the stunned mullet look because he won't have any idea what I mean.
So how does the previously mentioned title of "information developer" grab you?
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