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Subject:Re: What's important From:Alexia Prendergast <alexiap -at- SEAGATESOFTWARE -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 24 Jun 1997 11:30:02 -0400
Feeling contentious today... ;)
<Disclaimer: I agree tech writers must have a firm
grasp of the language, which I understand is
your main point, Matt. This is more a rambling
story and a reminder that tech writers come
from a varied background than any kind of argument
with anything anyone said. Phew!>
Passing Grade 12 English with at least
a B is not always a good indicator -- my
average grade in high school English was a D.
Wasn't till I was an engineering major in a
rudimentary writing course with a great grad
student that I learned how to write -- she was
the first person I met who questioned
why being good at science/math meant I couldn't
write--a common assumption.
Something clicked and, much to my mother's horror, I
changed my major to writing. ;)
Been cranking away ever since, and loving every
minute of it. OK, well not *every* minute, but
close enough to be very happy. Several developers
here have asked me why I'm not a developer and
I tell them that tech writing is great for me because I
get to write *and* be a geek.
--
Alexia Prendergast
Senior Technical Writer
Seagate Software
alexiap -at- sems -dot- com
>----------
>From: Matt Ion[SMTP:soundy -at- NEXTLEVEL -dot- COM]
>Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 1997 12:07 PM
>To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>Subject: Re: What's important
>
>Yes: they should have passed Grade 12 English, preferably with at least
>a B. IMHO, there's little point in worrying about technical stuff if
>you don't even have a firm grasp of the base language.
>
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