TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
<<<My pet peeve with most books about tech writing (as well as those
about other writing genres) is the discussion of grammar, punctuation,
capitalization, etc. -- basic concepts that should be understood and
mastered before beginning a career in technical writing. I may be wrong,
but I recall these topics were even covered in graduate-level TW courses;
it's hard to believe that someone pursuing a master's degree needs to
learn about subject-verb agreement or using the active voice...>>>
The worst tech writer I've ever worked with - the quintessential "I don't
need to know the subject matter" type - had a master's degree in tech
writing.
There have been occasions where I (literally) have slammed down printouts
of her work in disgust after having to redo her syntactical errors (on
top of her Framemaker atrocities, her lack of any sense of information
design, her complete lack of understanding of the product, and complete
inability to index...)
I hope this experience is not indicative of the value of a Master's in
Tech Writing. I'll stick with brushing up on my programming skills...
Chuck
Charles E. Vermette
85 Washington Park Drive, Norwell MA 02061
781-659-1836
e-mail: cvermette -at- juno -dot- com
web: http://www.charlesvermette.com
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