[Author Prev][Author Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
[Author Index (this month)][Thread Index (this month)][Top of Archive]

Re: He said...She said...He said...etc. (Was Re: What's A TW Got To DO To Get A Job Around Here?!)

Subject: Re: He said...She said...He said...etc. (Was Re: What's A TW Got To DO To Get A Job Around Here?!)
From: Martha J Davidson <editrix -at- nemasys -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2002 10:17:35 -0800

A few days ago, Melody Akins replied to Andrew Plato:

TWs do NOT 'pull from their own knowledge'--at
least, they'd better not, unless they're working with someone very closely
or have had years of experience.

I guess my experience has been a bit different from yours. I don't feel that
I can write credibly about something I don't understand pretty thoroughly.
Maybe that's why I have chosen a niche--software development tools and
methodologies--and look for jobs that fit somewhere in that realm. Without
a clear enough understanding of the material, I feel I'm flailing when I try to
describe what something is for well enough to introduce a procedure that
tells how to use it. On this point, I find it difficult to agree with Andrew.

Where I diverge from him a bit is that I don't think my writing is any less
valid if I start with something written by an engineer in a requirements or
design document rather than a blank virtual page. Regardless of where my
source material originates--in an engineering document or a conversation
with a developer or notes I take in a design meeting--the result comes
from me, my comprehension of the topic at hand, my own working with
the software, and my experience in designing and constructing technical
manuals and help systems.

Melody continued:
while I completely agree that a TW must
have some knowledge of the topic about which he/she is writing, the arbiting
difference here is that the TW MUST submit finished CONTENT to the
ORIGINATOR for critique and final approval.

This is, of course, the ideal situation. As soon as I finish each draft chapter,
I send it out for review by developers, QA engineers, and architects. I don't
always get the level of feedback you describe. Often all I hear is, "it looks fine,"
which is good, but not necessarily thorough enough for me to know whether
I've covered all the necessary topics or kept up with those last-minute
changes to file formats or dialog boxes. In my current job, at least, it's as
much up to me to know these things as it is for already-overworked engineers
to have to do it for me. If I have confidence that my descriptions capture
the essence of the methodology and the conceptual underpinnings of the
tools, I'm not tied to waiting for engineers to approve my documents before
they can be released when the deadlines are this tight.

martha





--
Martha Jane {Kolman | Davidson}
Dances With Words
mailto:editrix -at- nemasys -dot- com

"We must become the change we want to see in the world."
--Gandhi


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Now's a great time to buy RoboHelp! You'll get SnagIt screen capture
software and a $200 onsite training voucher FREE when you buy RoboHelp
Office or RoboHelp Enterprise. Hurry, this offer expires February 28, 2002. www.ehelp.com/techwr

Have you looked at the new content on TECHWR-L lately?
See http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ and check it out.

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.

Follow-Ups:

References:
Re: What's A TW Got To DO To Get A Job Around Here?!: From: Andrew Plato
He said...She said...He said...etc. (Was Re: What's A TW Got To DO To Get A Job Around Here?!): From: Melody Akins

Previous by Author: Estimating review time
Next by Author: Re: He said...She said...He said...etc. (Was Re: What's A TW Got To DO To Get A Job Around Here?!)
Previous by Thread: Re: He said...She said...He said...etc. (Was Re: What's A TW Got To DO To Get A Job Around Here?!)
Next by Thread: Re: He said...She said...He said...etc. (Was Re: What's A TW Got To DO To Get A Job Around Here?!)

[Top of Archive] | [Author Index (this month)] | [Thread Index (this month)]

What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:

Sponsored Ads