To Clarify Tech Writer's Background

[Connie Winch <CEW -at- MACOLA -dot- USA -dot- COM>]

On Tue, 29 Aug 1995, I wrote:
> The opinion:  Salespeople sell, Programmers program, Engineers
> engineer.  And Writers write.  The technical information that
> a Technical Writer needs to know can be learned.

Stuart Selber replies:

Although I agree with Connie that we bring special expertise to the
documentation mix, perhaps these kinds of hard disciplinary lines are
ultimately limiting (for ourselves in terms of job responsibilities and
for the field in terms of creating new approaches and products). On rare
occasions, we learn from technical folks--structured programming has
influenced our thinking about document design and modularity, for
instance. And in rarer cases they listen to and learn from
us--perhaps about user-centered design practices or the rhetorical
dimensions of planning (users, goals, time/space conditions, and so on).

(snip)
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I respond:

By no means do I believe that we should not learn from those who
specialize in other disciplines nor that they should not learn from
us.  Quite the contrary.  Indeed, a writer who does not yet know
the technical information must become well-versed in it in order
to write intelligently. And, indeed, Techies should be willing
to learn from us as User advocates.  I guess my philosophy applies
more to the qualifications necessary to become a Technical
Writer in the first place.

Connie E. Winch
Technical Writer
Macola, Incorporated
cew -at- macola -dot- usa -dot- com