Re: EPHALANTS...

["Terry L. Johnson" <tlj -at- MM -dot- COM>]

At 04:27 PM 5/15/96 -0400, you wrote:

>The decisions to use or not to use illustrations (regardless of the skills
>of the writer) depends on the writers DESIRE to use them.

I don't know about you, but as a writer I have very little say as to how
many illustrations go into a text I'm writing. It depends on my client's
desires and budget, not mine. If they want technical illustrations, the
people with the purse strings have to arrange for them. I feel angry when
I'm expected to come up with sketchy diagrams and illustrations using
programs I am not all that skilled in for clients (a) that don't care enough
to do things right and (b) who'll accept even the most pitiful graphics.
Where's their pride in the project? Is that really how they want to
represent themselves to the public?

Besides, I want people to *want* to read what I've written. Poor or
nonexistent illustrations/graphics detracts from the readability and
usefulness of the documentation and tarnishes my own professional image by
association. I'm not an illustrator or graphic artist. I'll do what I can in
a pinch, but it pains me because the documentation could be so much better
than the client permits it to be, and I'm caught in the middle. Anyone else
share these feelings?

--Terry

=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
     Terry L. Johnson
     tlj -at- mm -dot- com
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=

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