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Re: How to deal with a "Closed" group of writers? Take 2
Subject:Re: How to deal with a "Closed" group of writers? Take 2 From:Amanda_Abelove -at- toyota -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Wed, 2 Feb 2005 12:46:03 -0800
Hmmm... I don't think that this is so much about writing with others, as
much as it is about the slings and arrows of working with other people.
Too bad technical writing gets lumped under "craft of writing" and less
like the business deliverable to the client/company that it is. Substitute
the department for a team of analysts and he'd be handed his last paycheck
or transferred. Technical writing is a collaborative team effort even if
you're the only official technical writer. I don't wake up in the morning
and decide to write docs for a product without talking to _someone_... And
it has to satisfy a business need, or you don't get paid... And since
none of us do it for the love...
Writers are a lot nicer and touchy-feely, so he's still working even
though his and his team's discomfort has elevated to the point that he is
posting anonymous complaints to a listserve they probably read (and
recognize his writing sample like a fingerprint). I'm sure they will all
work it out... That's why I like technical writing... You can have your
"Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, might as well go into the garden and
eat worms" phase and have the space to fix it.
Right "Team of Semi-Anonymous Poster"? You'll let him make amends!
After all, who hasn't messed up and only realized how wrong they were
years later? Let's start the 12 step program for annoying team members,
where you call all the people you annoyed when you first started working
(criteria: realized it was you and not them), and buy them lunch! I'll
start with the kind, unsuspecting people who let me intern for them... In
fact if you are reading this now and I have annoyed you in the past, call
me. (310)430-0049 Ha Ha...
Amanda
----------------------
However, another part of me (I am vast, I contain multitudes) can't
resist pointing out that, in any group of writers, tensions between the
individual and the group are likely. In the end, writing is a solo act,
and many writers don't have experience working in a group. Finding the
right balance between being part of a team and being a writer takes some
experience and usually a lot of effort.
It seems to me that the anonymous poster is describing a very common
conflict. But maybe that just proves that I'm more used to being a solo
act.
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