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Subject:Re: Technical writing and Other kinds of writing From:benadam -at- cyberdude -dot- com To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com Date:Tue, 26 Oct 1999 15:19:39 -0400 (EDT)
I was a published writer years before I wrote my first technical manual. I published several articles, short stories, and an entire book long before I dreamed I'd be writing technical documentation of any kind.
I find technical writing every bit as demanding as the writing I did as a journalist or author. The one common thread that all kinds of professional writing have is the basic question: who is the reader? A professional writer will always know for whom he/she is writing before writing so as to target the reading audience.
Technical writing differs from other forms of professional writing in that the information, not the writer's style of writing, is what is on display. The writer has the job of making the information that is needed by the reader very clear and easily located. Usability is a major concern in technical documentation, more so than in any other form of writing.
Just my $0.02.
- Maury
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