Re: What does a tech writer do?

Subject: Re: What does a tech writer do?
From: Larry Weber <larry_weber -at- HOTMAIL -dot- COM>
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 07:41:04 PDT

Students,

Most technical writers produce documentation for computer hardware and
software. This is what I do, so I can't comment on writing for other
kinds of products.

Mostly, we decipher and spruce up information generated by programmers
and marketing people. Material written by programmers requires us to
insert the missing vowels into each word and then transform the material
from a "what the weeblefitzer option does" perspective into a "how the
weeblefitzer option makes life easier for you" perspective. Material
written by marketing is much easier to work with; we simply turn fiction
into non-fiction.

Other responsibilities include furtune telling (scheduling documentation
projects for products that don't yet exist and, when completed, aren't
anything like the products we wrote the schedules for in the first
place), functioning as a user advocate (a former employer insisted on
using an <Enter> button instead of <OK> on the first GUI version of
their AS/400 product), and other tasks as assigned (whatever else the
management didn't think of). Each day is a challenge and you quickly
develop a love of Dilbert merchandise.

Hope this helps!!!

Larry (fully aware of the gross generalizations and inaccuracies but I
couldn't resist)

>From techwr-l -at- listserv -dot- okstate -dot- edu Mon Sep 8 09:19:06 1997
>Received: from listserv (139.78.114.100) by listserv.okstate.edu (LSMTP
for Windows NT v1.1a) with SMTP id <0 -dot- 16EF7E80 -at- listserv -dot- okstate -dot- edu>;
Mon, 8 Sep 1997 11:19:36 -0500
>Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 12:07:39 -0400
>Reply-To: Debbie Molinaro <debbiem -at- UCS -dot- NET>
>Sender: "Technical Writers List; for all Technical Communication
issues"
> <TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU>
>From: Debbie Molinaro <debbiem -at- UCS -dot- NET>
>Subject: What does a tech writer do?
>To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>
>Hi folks!
>
>Over the Labor Day weekend, I had an interesting conversation with a
>youngster entering her freshman year of college as an English major.
>Apparently, her parents are concerned with what she can "do" with an
>English major. I suggested technical writing and she asked me what a
tech
>writer does.
>
>I told her what I do/what I've done, with the disclaimer that this was
only
>a small part of a big world, and that she should talk to other tech
>writers. Since she doesn't currently have e-mail (but is "pretty sure"
her
>school "does that"), I told her I would poke around on techwr-l for her
and
>forward the results when she got her address. <Details on long listserv
>conversation omitted.>
>
>So, what do you, as a tech writer, do?
>
>Reply to me or the list, as you deem appropriate. If there's enough of
a
>demand and responses look "summarizable" I'll summarize to the list.
>
>Thanks,
>Debbie
>
>
>Debbie Molinaro
>debbiem -at- ucs -dot- net
>
>The Paper Trail
>Technical Documentation Services
>http://members.aol.com/papertr/
>
> TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
>to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send
commands
> to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
> Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/ or search and
>browse the archives at
http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html
>


______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send commands
to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/ or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html


Previous by Author: Re: Question on Word Macros
Next by Author: Value of documenting menus
Previous by Thread: Re: What does a tech writer do?
Next by Thread: What does a tech writer do?


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads