Re: Giving a Document **One Voice**

[Dick Margulis <margulisd -at- comcast -dot- net>]

Several people have offered good ways to approach the "one voice" 
problem. Here's one more:

I take the position that the one voice is going to be mine. Not my 
sometimes wry, sometimes deeply thoughtful, sometimes sarcastic or 
sardonic, sometimes long-convoluted-sentence mailing list voice but my 
clear-expository-writing voice, the one that channels Strunk & White and 
my high school English teacher.

In other words, I just take ownership of every part of the document and 
make it all as clear and readable as I know how, without regard for the 
idiosyncrasies of the original author but with full regard for the needs 
of the planned audience. If a section has to be completely reorganized 
and rewritten, I do that. If it just needs sentences recast for person, 
number, mood, and voice, I do that.

What I do not do is lose cycles trying to channel someone else's voice.

My two cents.

Dick

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Now Shipping -- WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word! Easily create online
Help. And online anything else. Redesigned interface with a new
project-based workflow. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l

Doc-To-Help includes a one-click RoboHelp project converter. It's that easy.  Watch the demo at http://www.componentone.com/TECHWRL/DocToHelp2005

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- infoinfocus -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40infoinfocus.com

To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.