atw: Re: Why are _you_ a technical writer?
- From: "Michael Granat" <mgranat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2004 11:18:55 +1000
Now, why did I choose this profession?
(Long response. Please excuse any typos and grammatical nasties
as I am in the midst of doing other tasks.)
Yes indeed Mike (O'H) a very good question Craig (H). One that I
didn't get the time to answer yesterday but which I am going to take
a stab at now.
Well, I have always been fascinated by technology (my dad is a
production engineer, designer and inventor). So I've always wanted
to find better ways to increase my understanding of technology, and
then convey this understanding to others.
As such, in my main advertising copywriting days (1976 through 1990)
I ended up translating more and more of the technical for public
consumption. Basically, I made my advertising copywriting into a
form of technical communication, albeit with an obvious promotional
agenda.
For example: in writing my national launch campaign for the VK
Commodore range (which is credited with increasing the sales of that
model by 40% and ensuring Holdens' survival as a manufacturer when,
at that time, it might have just become an importer) I found ways to
make the engineering and development in the car meaningful to the
general public. I struck a balance between presenting specifications
and design information by relating them to features and benefits.
I also found a way to present the development story of that car as
an Australian achievement of which we could quite rightly be proud.
Creating this campaign also saw me going out to the Holdens' Lang Lang
proving ground (drove around it lots, yippee!) interviewing the engineers=
and writing a booklet about Lang Lang that they gave to visiting
engineers and GM managers / dignitaries.
The subsequent feedback from those engineers was that it was the
first public document that had actually shown an understanding of
what they do.
Years before that, in 1980, I ghost wrote a book on cosmetic plastic
surgery (entitled "P.S" for the then renowned surgeon Dr Leo Rosner)
which explained the process, impacts (discomfort / healing process) and
the likely results from a patient perspective. This was done so that
patients didn't go under the knife without considering the consequences.
Believe me, rhinoplasty is cutting your nose to spite your face!
(Yes folks, not all tech writing involves I.T.
Hello to the many medical tech writers out there.)
Then, much later on, I got my first personal computer (an Amiga 1000)
after trying and then (wisely) rejecting a CPM system that a family
member was trying to flog me. The machine was a revelation, being an
immense step forward from working with a Canon memory typewriter
with an LCD single line preview screen, but the documentation for
the associated software was woeful in the extreme. Mostly written
from a developer's perspective for their own use and expecting the
poor new user to know things as if by osmosis.
But the software was a marvel, so I started documenting it for my
own use, to supplement the gaps in the manuals.
Then it occurred to me that: "Hey, there's a career in this, where I
can really help a lot of people." and so began my quest to become
a Technical Communicator.
Some of things I now love about Technical Communication are:
1. I could still be creative in my presentation.
2. I gained some control over the whole process.
(Design, layout, typography and illustration, not just writing and I've
always loved type ever since starting in advertising as a print
production assistant come trainee copywriter. I used to study type
books at night!)
3. It is one of the few creative writing professions that offers
ongoing and consistent paid work.
(Having done quite a bit of comedy writing, I absolutely agree with
Marcus Amman on this.)
4. I could write material that would help people in their daily lives,
rather than bugging them for 30 seconds as they ate dinner.
5. I could have even more pride and a sense of achievement in what I do.=
6. I could be at the coalface of the new technologies,
growing with them.
7. Life is a learning experience and I wanted to keep on learning.
I must say that I absolutely love this profession and would recommend
it to anyone with a sense of duty to the public who wants to understand
technology, then communicate that understanding to various audiences
to suit their needs.
It is a creative writing discipline, built on painstaking research and
consensus with your Subject Matter Experts and customers.
...and making technology accessible to a wider audience is the best way
to encourage its progress and acceptance.
Sincerely,
Michael
Michael E. Granat
T/as Write Ideas
Technical Communicator
Without Prejudice. E&OE.
"I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had
the time to make it shorter." - Blaise Pascal
-----Original Message-----
From: Craig Hadden [mailto:CraigH@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: 19 August 2004 12:13
To: 'austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx'
Subject: atw: Why are _you_ a technical writer?
Recently someone asked me why I'm a technical writer. (In the past I've b=
een
a software developer and a trainer.) The question took me a bit by surpri=
se,
and I'm not used to articulating the reasons.=20
Naturally, people's reasons for being writers differ, but I'd be interest=
ed
to hear if there were some common themes amongst us.=20
_My_ reasons for being a technical writer are:
* I've loved language since learning about it at secondary school.
* When I was a developer, I sometimes spent about as much time on the
documentation as on the code!
* I'm interested in psychology (sometimes wish I'd done a degree in
it), so I like finding ways to help people to understand.
* Although "anyone can write", being a _good_ technical writer is a
real challenge.
So, why are _you_ a technical writer? (in just a few sentences)
(P.S. Your job title might not be "Technical Writer", but if you primaril=
y
write about technical subjects, then that title wouldn't be too far wrong=
.
Also, you _are_ reading a technical writers' list!)
Regards,
Craig =20
<snip>
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