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Subject:Re: Technical Writing: a Calling?!? From:Robert Plamondon <robert -at- PLAMONDON -dot- COM> Date:Sun, 11 Aug 1996 22:03:26 PDT
Shmuel Ben-Artzi writes:
>Robert,
>Actually, Moshe is very much on target here. Let me give you a parallel
>example from the world of the theater. If a piece of scenery calls attention
>to itself instead of contributing to your enjoyment of the action unfolding
>on the stage, then it is poorly crafted. (There are, of course, times when
>you want to specifically call attention to a piece of scenery in and of
>itself, but these are rare exceptions.)
Let's be precise here. Moshe suggested that technical writing be
DEFINED as having an "invisible writer." You defend him by saying
that technical writing should USUALLY have an invisible writer, and
make the analogy that, in the stage, one USUALLY does not want the
scenery to upstage the actors.
If something is both sometimes false, and also true by definition,
there's something seriously cockeyed going on.
-- Robert
--
Robert Plamondon, President/Managing Editor, High-Tech Technical Writing, Inc.
36475 Norton Creek Road * Blodgett * Oregon * 97326
robert -at- plamondon -dot- com * (541) 453-5841 * Fax: (541) 453-4139
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