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Re: Of Skeletons and Meat (was: Process kills the dot.com)
Subject:Re: Of Skeletons and Meat (was: Process kills the dot.com) From:Joy Brady <joy_m_brady -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 27 Oct 2000 05:34:43 -0700 (PDT)
--- Andrew Plato <intrepid_es -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote:
I don't fear processes, I fear rigidity. I fear
> people who can't comprehend the
> content calling themselves "writers."
Andrew, when it comes to a stance on process or
structure, you are most rigid of all. As for
comprehending content, I believe that if a writer
truly comprehends the content, they are able to
perceive its internal structure - how all the pieces
fit together, what they mean to each other - and
compose a document that brings the reader through the
material in a sequence consistent with that internal
structure. The content of my daily work has an
internal structure, too. On good days, anyway. <g>
Your analogy of structure using the a skeleton that we
hang the meat of content from assumes that "structure"
is a lifeless skeleton and "content" the living
"chunks of meat" draped on the skeleton. Such a
creation would soon decompose. To take your analogy
in the direction of how things really work: any
creature, when first forming, lacks a skeleton. As it
forms, it already has tissue, but bones (be they an
internal skeleton or a shell) begin to take on
increasing firmness. Ultimately, if the creature is to
grow to it's full majesty and competence, it's flesh
will come to rely on its skeleton (underlying
structure), and vice versa (bone is always changing
out and resorbing its elements thanks to the tissue).
That's a fact. And I believe it mirrors the lifecycle
of a document, too.
Joy
=====
Joy Brady
Technical Writer
Columbus, Ohio, USA
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