TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
And yes, anyone can write, but not everyone has the skills and the experience to write documentation that's good enough to make customers happy.
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+ccardimon=m-s-g -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+ccardimon=m-s-g -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Monique Semp
Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2016 9:54 AM
To: TechWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Subject: Re: "Age-old" question
> "You're expensive" translates into "Anyone can write." One way around
> this is to get something an engineer/developer has written, and then
> rewrite it to be client-facing. Then have a higher-up look at both and
> ask which document they'd rather place in front of a client. If you
> still get the same answer, then they are simply not willing to pay for your services.
Yes, absolutely. The unsubtle implication is that they do feel that anyone can write.
And if it was sufficiently important for me to invest my timeâI couldn't justify doing this on the company's dime, that's for sureâthis would be a good approach. Instead, I'll invest my time looking/preparing for the next client, and not be surprised to be shown the door in the near future. That's the way it is in this world.
To bring this back to the OP's topic: yes, my reaction is certainly different now (at 50+) than 10+ years ago, when I'd have put all sorts of effort into retaining an assignment. But this bullying ("dynamic") business environment now elicits more of a "beans on them" attitude, as a long-deceased relative used to say :-). And I'll just move on when need be.
Until then, I'm happy to do the work that they do deem necessary.
-Monique
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Visit TechWhirl for the latest on content technology, content strategy and content development | http://techwhirl.com
Looking for articles on Technical Communications? Head over to our online magazine at http://techwhirl.com
Looking for the archived Techwr-l email discussions? Search our public email archives @ http://techwr-l.com/archives
Information contained in this e-mail transmission is privileged and confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, do not read, distribute or reproduce this transmission (including any attachments). If you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately notify the sender by telephone or email reply.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Visit TechWhirl for the latest on content technology, content strategy and content development | http://techwhirl.com
