TW perceptions

[Thom Remington <remingtf -at- ENGG-MAIL -dot- LVS -dot- DUPONT -dot- COM>]

Donna Ferron wrote an interesting piece on other folks' perception of TW;
the telling comment was from someone to whom she was describing her
new-found profession:

" He sounded like I had told him I had gone to med school, law school
and was working as a janitor."

I've been in the field for something over 4 years now, and the reactions
I've gotten have ranged from stifled yawns to outright awe.

I think a lot of it comes down to one of my core beliefs: If we do our jobs
right, our efforts are largely invisible to most folks. Good writing is
transparent; bad writing is all too apparent.

Ever watch Doc Severinsen (sp?), who played trumpet on the "Tonight Show"
for years? When he did a solo, he made it apparent that he was really
putting effort into it. Never mind the fact that he was faking the effort;
that was for show. If he played it with as much ease as he felt, it wouldn't
have been impressive.

When I write, I work hard. When my readers read what I've done, they can't
see the hours that my editor and I have put into it. If they're unfamiliar
with the writing process, they can't understand the amount of hard work that
a good, clear, plainly written document requires.

I doubt that there's a solution to this dilemma, other than continuing to
educate our clients as to what goes into making a good document.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thom Remington                      remingtf -at- engg -dot- dnet -dot- dupont -dot- com
DuPont External Affairs
Information Design & Development
http://www.dupont.com
http://www.concentric.net/~remingtf
Speaking for myself, not for DuPont.