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.
In my time lurking on the list I've seen music mentioned numerous times,
and several people have admitted to being musicians, such as Mike Keene
and the woman -- name forgotten; apologies, but my computer has more
memory than I do -- who supports life 2, madrigals, with life 1, tech
writing.
In a similar vein, Kayla Westra (Equipment needs) mentioned writing
fiction on her 286, and Virginia Krenn talked about writing when she
retires. Probably there are a lot of other creative pursuits followed by
tech writers on the list.
All of which matches a personal observation of mine: that there is a
tremendous amount of creativity in the technical writing community.
So, what is the role of all this creativity in the tech writing process?
Does it help, hinder, and if so, under what circumstances? Is creativity
a way of thinking that helps when faced with a process or page layout
problem? Do you consider yourself creative, or a technician?
