Willum, my brother is a tech-writer. I only have one brother and no sisters. I don’t want to hurt my brothers feelings so that is one of the reasons I read them. Jim, my brother, tends to be a little sensitive at times and has been known to get a little testy when people only read his work when all else fails. Jim seems to feel his life’s work is for naught when people think reading it is a last resort. One thing that really sets him off is when people say these tech writers should learn how to write because nobody in his right mind can understand their writings. His defense is that these people should learn how to read and after they learn how to read learn how to understand what they read. Looking at the school systems here in Chicago Land, he might just have a point. I then counter with the fact that if everybody was as smart as him his job would disappear. He would have to trade in his pencil for a shovel and start going to the gym to get Jim back in shape. After that we don’t talk to each other for a couple of months. And that’s the way it goes.

Grandpa Doug

Hi Gramps, I know the feeling well. I used to spend much of my life writing the User and Technical manuals for my company's products. Despite the fact that every instrument was accompanied by these manuals, I still regularly got telephone calls and emails, from all over the world, asking how to do this or that. My first question, "Have you read the Manual ?" Answer - Errrrrr.....
well Hmmmmmmm.... My response... The procedure is fully explained on page 22, or whatever......


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Willum