Re: Is this a typical technical writing environment?

Subject: Re: Is this a typical technical writing environment?
From: Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>
To: Lucy Connor <lconnor -at- asmr -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 09:21:02 -0800

Quoting Lucy Connor <lconnor -at- asmr -dot- com>:

> Will I always be the last to know about new developments?

Not if you cultivate relations with the developers and work to gain their
respect. You have to make them feel that you're part of the team, not just
someone who occasionally distracts them from time to time with what (from their
viewpoint) seem irrelevant questions. You have to show that you understand the
technology and can make useful contributions to the develop process by filing
bugs or contributing to interface design or writing useful in-house material.

Sometimes, of course, you just can't make a connection with one or two
individuals. Nor can you expect overnight success in cultivating relations.
However, if you don't make the effort, the odds are against you developing into
a first-rate technical writer.

But to answer the question in your subject line: Yes, it's all too typical an
environment. Far too many technical writers expect information to just come to
them without any effort on their part. When it doesn't, they complain about not
getting any respect and run off and join the STC, and sit about and listen to
other tech-writer's complaints about not getting any respect.

This is obviously a fate considerably worse than death, so don't let it happen
to you. You haven't in your position so long that you can't make a change. And,
if you do make it, you'll not only do your job better, but you'll probably
enjoy it much more as well.

--
Bruce Byfield bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com 604-421.7177




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Is this a typical technical writing environment?: From: Lucy Connor

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