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Re: Technical writer survey: What should we really call ourselves?
Subject:Re: Technical writer survey: What should we really call ourselves? From:Kathleen MacDowell <kathleen -at- writefortheuser -dot- com> To:"Leonard C. Porrello" <Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- soleratec -dot- com> Date:Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:56:59 -0500
Leonard, I think a good technical writer is an artisan/craftsperson.
That's what distinguishes skilled practitioners. The trick is deciding where
one might want to draw the line at artisan, a la the discussion of
certification. People can be artisans with the tools-of-the-trade,
organization, development, explanation, etc.
Kathleen
On Mon, Aug 10, 2009 at 12:30 PM, Leonard C. Porrello <
Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- soleratec -dot- com> wrote:
> For starters, I would never refer to us as "wordsmiths." Software
> engineers aren't called codesmiths; surgeons aren't called bodysmiths;
> lawyers aren't called lawsmiths; actuaries aren't called statsmiths; and
> even a dentist, whose work is very close to that of the artisan, isn't
> called a toothsmith. Technical writing is similar to other processions,
> and it is not an artisan skill or craft.
>
> Leonard
>
>
>
>
>
--
Kathleen MacDowell
www.writefortheuser.com
kathleen -at- writefortheuser -dot- com
kathleen -dot- eamd -at- gmail -dot- com
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