Re: Boring Discussions

[David Dubin <David_Dubin -at- NOTES -dot- PW -dot- COM>]

RE: (mein angstliches Gefuehl ist, dass die Langweiligkeit dieses Listes die
Verklichkeit von technischen Schreiben spiegelt) Passen Sie acht, alle
Mitglieder koennen Deutsch nicht lesen.

Willard, you need not be fearful, despite your perceptions about this list. I
have been in this field for over a decade and have yet to feel any great ennui
associated with technical writing. Oh, certainly, some projects "seem" to run
forever, but another, fascinating, project is always just around the corner.

However, based on your statements, feelings, and choice of words, I get the
feeling that you really do not want to be a technical writer, but rather a
writer of prose. Technical writing is a field that has little use for
obfucatory verbiage and flowery phraseology. Our primary purpose is to convey
technical information as quickly and completely as possible. The user must
understand what is required on one reading. Apparently, you have yet to work on
a professional project in which deadlines and usability often have competing
priorities and it is only the skill and professionalism of the writer (or team)
and editor that enables the project to go out on time and provides the user
(your ultimate customer) with the information they need, in a format they can
use.

Think about it Willard. Would you like to be laying on a stretcher somewhere,
trying to breath through a crushed windpipe, while the new paramedic is trying
to read the manual on the intubation equipment and it starts by saying,
"Energize the installed luminous radiation emitting equipment in order to
initiate your performance oriented taskings."

david dubin -at- notes -dot- pw -dot- com@Internet
This has been on man's opinion, yours may vary with mileage.