Re: student writing proficiency

["Stephen Arrants" <stephen -dot- arrants -at- comcast -dot- net>]

 "Jeff Hanvey" <jewahe -at- lycos -dot- co -dot- uk> wrote:

> Writing is a skill, and it can be taught. I taught freshman composition
for
> 2 year, and I saw very weak writers improve dramatically - some even
became
> very solid writers.
>
> It takes a lot of practice, just like with anything.

Oh yes, I agree!  I came into technical writing from working for computer
magazines and for a government think-tank.  Nothing really prepared me for
the mechanics of technical writing but coursework and practice, practice,
practice. If I look back at some earlier stuff and compare it to later
writing, I can see an improvement. John Brogan's book "Clear Technical
Writing" was a big help for me -- someone who knew how to write, but didn't
know how to write as a technical writer.



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