Re: You're not the only person who can write

["M Page" <mpage -at- csl -dot- co -dot- uk>]

Interesting.

Some non-techwriters can write, but some most certainly can't.

How do you deal with those who can't but think they can, when they want
their meanderings poured out to the customers or internal users, unchanged?




"Andrew Plato" <gilliankitty -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote in message
news:226153 -at- techwr-l -dot-  -dot-  -dot- 
>
> As you may or may not know (or care), I've become a rather passive member
of
> this list lately. This is mostly because I'm a busy enslaving more drones
at my
> death camp in Oregon.
>
> But I do keep tabs on the list and notice funny little trends.
>
> One that has caught my eye recently is this emerging notion that only
technical
> writers are "authorized" to write. I've caught this attitude in a few
posts
> recently. I am not pointing to any specific person here so those of you
who
> have your offense-detectors turned up to 11 can stand-down from red alert
and
> go back to pointing out flaws in Howard Dean's ties.
>
> I find this "only tech writers can write" attitude kind of funny since it
> applies to me. Even though I have moved up into the executive penthouse
where I
> can urinate on the ignorant masses, I strangely did not lose my ability to
> write. I can still bark orders at my peons using correct grammar.
>
> But, if I were to believe what some people *seem* to feel, when I left
tech
> writing, I instantly became unqualified to write documentation.
>
> Ummmm, no.
>
> So what we have here is a sort of "professional arrogance." I understand
it.
> Really. I'm a security nerd and therefore I think its impossible for
anybody to
> secure their computers.
>
> In fact, many people are quite good at securing their computer. The
PC-tech guy
> who works at one of my clients, was suggesting today that they disable
> installation of ActiveX and Java components on their end-user machines.
That's
> a good idea. He didn't need a CISSP or a PhD in Tremendous Brain Melting
> Computer Security Sciences to figure that out. He's a sharp guy who can
READ.
>
> What's my point...professional arrogance is lame. Just because you're a
skilled
> writer doesn't mean other people can write. Don't throw a control rod just
> because your boss wants the engineers to write something. Light a candle
rather
> than curse the darkness (stole that from Raising Arizona).
>
> Now, I know you know this. I know you're nodding your head going, YEAH,
YEAH,
> YEAH, BUT YOU SUCK ANDREW AND HOW DARE YOU CURSE! Nevertheless, its easy
to get
> among peers and become a little - profession-centric?
>
> So this is a little public service announcement to remind you that writing
> isn't that amazing of a skill. Lots of people who aren't professional
writers
> also happen to be decent writers. Don't assume you're all that just
because you
> know where periods go. Lots of people know where periods go.
>
> The best communicators aren't obsessed with periods. They care a lot more
about
> WHAT they are saying or writing not the dots at the end.
>
> Yes, yes, yes, I know...
>
> BUT ANDREW, IT DEPENDS.
>
> Of course. However, Depends also encase old people's butts. And you know
what
> they catch.
>
> Are you the pants or the depends?
>
> Now, get the hell back to work.
>
> Andrew Plato
>
>
>
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