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Re: Breaking into the tech writing job market

Subject: Re: Breaking into the tech writing job market
From: Al Geist <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2006 09:55:06 -0400

I took one TW course and nowhere did the instructor say "write at about a 6th grade level." In fact, it was stressed that you should find out who your audience is and write to "that" level. I took the TW course as an easy elective on my way to a Journalism degree after working as a TW for nearly 10 years and nobody that I worked with said to write at any grade level. In fact, most of my mentors (including several with post graduate degrees) said that the quickest way to talk down to your readers is to assume they are not that smart.

My two cents....

Al

Dan Goldstein wrote:

Well, I never took a "basic intro to tech writing class," so maybe I'm
missing something. But shouldn't they teach you to *find out* the level
that's appropriate for what you're writing, instead of teaching you what
that level is?

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Schmidt
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 9:28 AM
To: John Posada; Peter Neilson
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: Breaking into the tech writing job market

I never said writing LIKE a novice.... I said writing TO a novice... Something we have a lot of in our audiences. If you remember your basic intro to tech writing classes, they tell you to write at about a 6th grade level.


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References:
RE: Breaking into the tech writing job market: From: Dan Goldstein

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