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Just read an interesting(?) post on bit.listserv.techwr-l.
In that post Sandra Kinion (wn878 -at- freenet -dot- victoria -dot- bc -dot- ca) really
comes down HARD on Peter Kent's "Contractor's Guide to Technical Writing".
Coming to Mr. Kent's defence, I must say that most of what Ms. Kinion
wrote is unfounded, but would agree with one part of her assesment:
some of the content of Peter's book is not in tune with the realities of the
current job market -- contract or captive! In fact quite a bit of
it is written idealistically, and reflects what MIGHT have been
available to prospective contractors 10 or 15 years back.
Unlike Ms. Kinion, I did not return my copy for a full refund. In fact it
is around here somewhere, probably buried under all of the numerous
facimilies I have received requesting my services. 8-)
I highly recommend Mr. Kent's manual to anyone, but I do reserve this one
CAVEAT: Unless you have several (many?) years of contracting experience or
you possess very specific technical skills that are in great demand,
you will probably find little of value in the publication. For the
inexperienced or those with fresh degrees, much of the content
reflects what should be, NOT what is!
Stephan Andraksen
Andraksen-Miles Communications, Inc
2726 Kellogg Avenue
Alpena, MI 54656
