RE: What to look for in a technical editor

Subject: RE: What to look for in a technical editor
From: Kim Roper <kim -dot- roper -at- pixelink -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 22 May 2003 13:43:15 -0400


Mark Baker said:
>
> But that is precisely where imagination comes in. What a good
> writer has to
> be able to do is to be an expert while still being able to
> place themselves
> in the shoes of the novice -- an act of imagination.

Missing the point. Engineers as a class should not be assumed to have a
"failure of imagination" simply because their imaginations are more focussed
on product design and problem solving rather than role-playing as an end
user.

We all have different locii of focus and imagination. Being in a different
space does not imply "failure". Look at it this way: Does a tech writer
have a "failure of imagination" when it comes to design implementation?
No, because the imagination of the tech writer is a moot point when taken so
far out of his element. I'm sure he could come up with a very imaginative
and very wrong solution. Chances are, he's thinking in terms of usability
rather than implementation, and the logic is likely to be different.

(Of course, this doesn't apply to all tech writers. Apply the "it depends"
caveat.)

Comparing the imaginations of engineers and tech writers is like comparing
apples to oranges. One cannot be assumed to be less nutritious than the
other--they're just different.

Further, this "failure of imagination" would seem to preclude engineers from
becoming tech writers. I haven't disappeared in a puff of logic yet :>

Other than that, I think we're pretty much in agreement.

Cheers ... Kim
kim.roper at pixelink.com
http://www.pixelink.com/

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