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For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
"Ted Engel" <ted_engel -at- hotmail -dot- com> wrote in message news:213065 -at- techwr-l -dot- -dot- -dot-
> enjoy hearing your thoughts about what technical skills define a "cutting
> edge" technical writer.
A cutting edge technical writer considers tools a very small aspect of his/her
job.
The best writers spend the overwhelming majority (75% or more) of their time
acquiring intimate,
expert-level knowledge of the technologies they document. These writers
document from experience and insight. They don't just "pretty up" somebody
else's work using way-cool tools and formats.
Tool skills (like XML) might impress other writers at an STC gathering, but it
rarely impresses employers or anybody else outside STC. The real world wants
writers who can generate useful content. The tool used is never as important as
the quality of the content.
Sure, you can acquire tool skills and spend a lot of time on that. But, it
won't make you a better writer. It might make you a better desktop publisher or
layout/designer. But that's not the same as being a writer.
Andrew Plato
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