Re: Writer vs Author (was Techwriting after the boom)

[Andrew Plato <gilliankitty -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

"Bonnie Granat" wrote...
 
> All of the technical occupational descriptions provided by government, by
> private industry, and by the educational establishment state *primarily* that
> technical writers *explain* technology or scientific concepts to a lay
> audience. There is no occupational designation for technical author. I
believe
> that that term is now used to distinguish between technical writers and SMEs
> who write books and articles. That leaves technical editors (like me, when I
> wear that hat) in the clear. ;)

Traditionally, any human who called themselves a "writer" was the author of
some material. Presumably, for a profession obsessed with words and their
meaning  If you want to redefine the word "writer" that's fine with me. But I
don't think many people would agree with you. And I am almost certain that
non-writers feel 

> As I've said before, in other posts, there are no doubt certain technical
> writing jobs that require a depth of understanding that is quite high.

Yeah, the ones where excellence and quality are required. 

> yes, the more you know, the better. But technical expertise is simply not a
> requirement. 

So...

Technical knowledge is preferred, but some places will settle with a writer who
has less. So it goes to follow then that those "writers" who are second rate,
get lower respect, lower pay, and less opportunity. 

I think that's pretty much accepted as fact. If you have tech skills, you'll be
employed longer, make more money, and have more opportunities. The more you
know, the better. If you overtly choose NOT to become more technically
oriented, your options and pay will be reduced accordingly. 

> The ability to write coherently *is* -- and as I've said, I find
> bad thinking and bad writing to be the primary cause of bad documentation.

Readers (real ones, not STC judges) assess the quality of docs based on
primarily its content and partially on design. Readers are usually willing to
overlook bad design and grammar if the information is valuable. 

Thus, when documentation is bad, it is most likely due to incomplete or
inaccurate content. Grammar, layout, use of pronouns while part of that
picture, are arguable a more minor issue. One that shouldn't even be an issue. 

To person who edits (like yourself Bonnie), its natural to see bad
documentation as a function of bad grammar/layout since. Editors don't have to
deal with content issues very much. As such, content won't seem like a
priority.   

Its like the old saying "to a hammer, everything looks like a nail." 

To readers, grammar & design are nice, but ultimately incidental. Content is
what really matters. To a reader, the problem with bad docs is bad writers.
They don't think about management issues or the fact that the writer couldn't
get a seat at the table in development meetings. As far as the reader cares, if
the docs suck, its because the author sucked. 

These realities might be unpleasant. But, when you see tech writing from
outside the profession, as I have, you gain a much different perspective. Some
attitudes among writers (like relying on SMEs for all content) are seen in a
far different light outside of STC meetings and tech writer listservs. I know
this because I've worn a lot more hats that just tech writer.  

Now, you can poo poo my perspective and (like some other people here) just
berate me for misunderstanding you. Or, you could acknowledge that  have a
different perspective. And I know that most people outside of technical
communication profession don't have a very high opinion of tech writers. And it
isn't because those writers couldn't write. It is almost always because the
writers didn't understand their own material. From the conversations I have
with CIOs and other executives, the consensus is - we want tech writers that
are technical. 

Andrew Plato 

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