Write Stripes

This is the first prompt for the week of Jan 20th (Remember that starting with this week, you'll be doing two blog entries per week as outlined in the syllabus.) Based upon your interview and your investigations, what surprises you about the writing in your field. Tell something that you think will surprise other people about communication in your chosen profession. What was the most interesting thing you learned in your interview.

I am going to be attending medical school next year in preparation for being an emergency room physician. I am more prepared for medical school and medicine than most premed students because I have a very extensive background in the field. I have worked over 600 hours in various hospital settings, mainly pre-op for surgery and the emergency room. While there, I had a chance to perform a number of tasks and minor procedures as well as observe all aspects of a physician's job and more significant and major procedures, such as surgery. I have also spent a great deal of time hanging around a medical school during high school while my best friend's father was in medical school, and therefore, I know what the schooling entails. As a state and nationally licensed emergency medical technician, I know the medical terms and technicalities that are used in official patient care reports and "H & P's" (a patient's history and physical, which is done at the initial doctor's appointment or a hospital visit). These are certainly technical writing, but there is a unique format and language that must be used. In a patient report or H&P, the organization of the writing is specific, in that the information is divided into certain categories. In addition to including obvious facts or symptoms, certain "pertinent negatives" are required to be documented. The diction used is unique to these writings, as how a symptom is worded can have great legal bearing. There are standard abbreviations that are used by the medical field. For example, prescriptions are written in a combination of English and Latin. Patient reports, orders, H&P's, and prescriptions are the forms of writing that I will use on a weekly basis. I do not plan to go into research, administration, or academic medicine, so I will not be giving seminars, writing journal articles, or writing administrative reports/ memo's. I will use email for personal correspondence, but very rarely for professional use. In emergency medicine, any communication with others that is not included in the previously discussed forms of charting is verbal, such as "sign-out rounds" to the physician taking over the next shift. Emergency room physicians do not have to do special consults as some specialists might have to do, so they do not write results of these consults for the primary physician.

After further discussion within class, and after reading other blogs, I think that we are all going to utilize technical writing a lot throughout the duration of our professional careers, regardless of what we plan to do. For myself personally, being in the field of nutrition, many aspects of my future career employ the use of technical writing. Like Leslie stated in her last blog, a good percentage of this class is going into some kind of medical field. Nutritionists work closely with doctors and other medical professionals, so I consider myself to be, in a way, part of that percentage. Although I plan to head more towards the area of dietetic and food science research, I am sure that my work will remain closely related to the medical field. After further consideration as to what types of writing I am going to encounter, I would have to say that there are probably a lot of formal lab reports, record keeping, journal and magazine publications, and educational materials in my future. As for the range of technical writing in general, I think that all careers and professions utilize technical writing in some form or another. We have come up with all of these definitions for what technical means, and what technical writing is, and I think that all of them make good points and are valid definitions. Technical writing is something that is in all of our futures. Even if it is just emailing a professional peer, it is something that we are all going to have to be able to do if we want to be successful in the work world.

Technical means detailed and related to factual information, rather than opinions and fiction. Writing means any communication that is non-vocal and involves words and letters. It can be on either paper or electronic. To me, technical writing at the moment means the notes I take in class and data results that I publish for my labs. I also work as an EMT, and the technical writing that is done there is the patient run reports that are a record of the patient care and transport. It is all written in a very specific manner, using medical abbreviations and jargon. This is similar to technical writing in my future profession, being a emergency room physician. Technical writing encompasses everything that is not fiction or opinion, although a memo or other document could include some personal opinion. However, that is not the main point of technical writing. The topic does not include novels, magazines (other than professional journals), editorials or opinion pieces, or personal websites that are not researched fully. Obviously, technical writing is directed toward educating the audience or reader about something as opposed to entertaining them.

After further discussion in class and reading others blogs, I get the feeling that many of the students in this class are planning working in some medical profession. I think that while day to day writing may vary from one medical profession to the next, many of us will have to do a lot of important technical writing. I think that we will all benefit a lot from this class so that we will be able to convey more complicated medical terms to an average person. When I entered the class, I was not exactly sure of what we would be doing. Already I have a learned a lot about the meaning of technical writing. I think that within the medical field technical writing ranges from patient reports to care instructions. These are things that I included in my original blog, but until I conduct my interview these are the only things that I can think of. Jonathan did note that some doctors write for journals as well. I didn't think of this. In writing for a journal, one would have to realize that the audience might have some medical knowledge and make the writing appropriate for the reader.

As I am pre-med, my future career as a doctor will entail a wide variety of writing. I will have to be able to convey complicated information in a simple, concise manner to patients when explaining their health problems, conditions, and potential solutions. This may invovle illustrations or verbal summaries or explanations. I will also have to write on a more sophisticated, although still widely understandable level, when conveying medical information or research findings to other colleagues. In medicine, the communication of technical and scientific information is critical to the growth and improvement of the profession, and so this skill will be especially important and relevant to me as a doctor.

Technical writing is a specific type of writing that has a more immediate, concrete objective. Instead of a a piece of writing that can have broader implications and wider, more universal applications and meanings such as a Whitman poem, technical writing usually has a very specific goal and audience in mind, such as an instruction manual that explains how to program your VCR. This kind of writing has a specific purpose and a very definite, specific audience. I think of technical writing as a less creative or generative process, and more of a method that involves stricter guidelines and rules. Something like Romantic poetry is definently not technical writing, whereas most brochures and pamphlets would fall under that category or kind of writing.

In the career which I am preparing for, there is an incredible amount of writing. I hope to become a college math professor. In my discipline, writing is so important because we have our own language. We not only write in standard english letters, but also in mathematical symbols. Since I will be teaching others, it will be very important for me to be clear about the information I am expecting them to learn. Math is a hard subject for many students and I think that sometimes teachers don't realize the differences in background experiences in math. In an average week, I would write memos to other professors, maybe to find out if they are doing the same material as my classes so that we could have review sessions with all the students. I also would have daily writing on the board, in both english and symbols. I'm sure students who are confused will e-mail me about office hours and when they can come get help. I will also have to do some sort of research in order to be a professor. So, I imagine that I would have different types of reports to write up, including some data collection. I will also have to write exams, which are best written on the computer. This takes forever, though, because of all the numbers and symbols. I'm not sure whether to count grading the exams as a sort of technical writing because I would have to base the grades not only on the correct answer, but also how much work the student put into it. So this would be objective. I'm sure there are more types of technical writing in my field that I'm not aware of yet also.

FIRST PROMPT: What does the term "Technical Writing" mean? How much does it encompass? What makes something definitely *not* technical writing? (Think about what was said in class Thursday about audience, purpose and context as a place to start defining what tech writing is and is not.)
Technical writing is an exchange of technical knowledge from one professional to another professional whom does not have that same knowledge. It can encompass many different types of writing, such as e-mails, data collections, resumes and memos. The most important and defining aspect of technical writing is that the information is written for real audiences and situations. This information must be conveyed clearly and efficienty, and the author must take into account the content and type of message.
Technical writing is not writing for an imaginary scenario, where the words can be extremely vague and the meaning of the message left up to each individual reader. This information is not always true and the reader cannot assume that the author is the high authority on that subject.

Both writing and technical have more narrow defiinitions with in my future profession (law) than they do in my present every day life. In law technical will include a certain set of rules, not just any set. For example, the rules and format of writing a legal brief. Writing is not quite as narrow as technical, but is also more narrow than the every day definition. Writing is one of the main forms of communication with in law, not simply just one form.

Writing is a form of language in which the words are permanently put on some form of medium. For example, using a pen to mark on paper. Because it is a means of communication, it can be used for persuasion, information or entertainment. Technical means following rules, usually with many details and structure.

By definition writing means to form letters, words, or symbols on a surface such as paper with an instrument such as a pen, whereas, communication is defined as the art and technique of using words effectively to impart information or ideas. Writing is basically moving a writing utensil on a surface. Communication is much deeper than writing. Although writing is a necessary tool for communication, they are not the same thing. Writing can just be free form markings that have no meaning. Communication has an intended audience and a purpose. The communicator is trying to convey his thoughts through writing or simply though speaking.
-Erin Pardue and Ashley Carson

Writing is an emotional and creative process in which the writer attempts to convey feelings, ideas, or emotions to an audience while communication is an emotionless process of transferring information from a knowledgeable author to an audience. Writing need not be factual, while communication, whether written or spoken, is assumed to be based on a foundation of truth and fact. Communication, in a technical sense, is free from emotion or imagination and has a specific purpose. Writing may not have a specific purpose and could simply be a creative outlet for the author. Writing can be done without the intention of presenting it to an audience, but it is assumed communication will be transferred to an audience in some manner to serve its purpose.

Lindsay and Stephanie

By definition writing means to form letters, words, or symbols on a surface such as paper with an instrument such as a pen, whereas, communication is defined as the art and technique of using words effectively to impart information or ideas. Writing is basically moving a writing utensil on a surface. Communication is much deeper than writing. Although writing is a necessary tool for communication, they are not the same thing. Writing can just be free form markings that have no meaning. Communication has an intended audience and a purpose. The communicator is trying to convey his thoughts through writing or simply through speaking.
-Erin Pardue and Ashley Carson

Writing is a form of communication which requires the inscription of common symbols on a surface. Communication is a broader term encompassing writing, but not only writing. It is transmitting information between subjects in the form of symbols, signs, behavior or pheremones (in insect communication). Communication expresses ideas while writing is only one form of this.

Kim and Cortney

Communication includes four different categories: nonverbal- nonvocal, verbal- nonvocal, nonverbal- vocal, and verbal- vocal. Writing encompasses the verbal- nonvocal category. Communication uses words, sounds, gestures, movements, and even facial expressions. Writing includes only words. In communication, parts, such as the facial expressions, can transcend cultures because they do not require a given language. Writing is much more limited by the language of the author and the audience. Writing is a much more concrete form of communication than other types, and writing can often be more formal. In both areas, it is important to take the audience into consideration. This is especially important in writing because of the wide variety of educational background and literacy in the population. Writing and communication both can have several different purposes and how one writes is dependent on the purpose of the document. -Leslie and Brannon

Communication is the means of conveying some kind of information to another and can be done in a variety of forms. Communication can be accomplished through using images, written words, spoken word, or even gestures. Writing is a form of communication through text. Writing puts thoughts and feelings into phrases of words in an understandable way. Writing doesn't necessarily have to be a form of communication, although it can be used as a way to communicate. Writing can be a personal thing, such as a diary, that is meant to be seen by no one else besides yourself. Communication has an audience.

--Adam and Suzanne

Communication is the process of relaying one's ideas/thoughts to another person. Communication involves the transfer of information. One form of communication is writing. Writing is the use of symbols, words, ands sentences to convey these ideas and thoughts through different media. There are many different forms of writing. Writing is often more of a planned, visual activity, that uses symbols to represent ideas, while communication usually involves personal interaction between people. Overall communication is a broad category that includes writing.
Mary Paugh and Andrew Coleman

Communication conveys ideas and opinions through written, oral, visual, or non-verbal channels. Writing is a method of communication yet differs from communication in its range of audiences. While communication serves to transfer ideas between two or more parties, writing can be targeted to your own person. Writing is limited to the use of text to accomplish communication.

Sarah & Brian

Communication, as envisioned by Amy and Lauren, involves writing for a specific audience and purpose, often for a more definitive and precise result. Writing, on the other hand, is a broader, more creative process that can encompass more diverse and open ended motives and responses. Communication is often used for more immediate and pratical goals, such as presentations or instruction booklets, whereas writing can encompass more universal feedback.
Amy Hsu
Lauren Yarrow

Writing is the physical act of recording information on paper. Writing has many dimensions that cover areas like journalism, technical writing, literary authorship, and poetry. Writing is limited to a set number of fields however. Writing cannot include any act that does not involve recording information to written form. Communication is not limited in this manner. Communication encompasses all forms of media used in the modern world. This definition of communication includes speeches, theatrics, art, television, and innumerable others. Therefore, writing is considered a small component of the broad field of communication. The two words are closely related, but communication is clearly a broader term that has a more diverse meaning.
Jonathan Duncan & Adam Griffis

"Technical" can be defined as a skill that can be learned. The word "Technical" comes from the Greek word "tekne", which means "a learnable art." It is usually highly structured, but once learned it can be repeated or done easily. It usually follows a formula or common procedure. Technical is most often an activity that is less creative and more fact or knowledge based.

Andrew Coleman
Mary Paugh

Defining writing as a form of art allows one to separate the fine line between artisan and artist. An artisan, or skilled craftsman, has been taught the skill of writing in the form of a learnable art, or "tekne." Deriving from technique, an artisan is able to process formal and practical knowledge within their profession. Whether conveying an abstract or theoretical message their is a methodical procedure that an artisan endures. An artist, on the other hand, is gifted with the talent of writing. By virtue of imagination, an artists is able to create aesthetic works to please audiences, such as fictional stories and plays. Artists have free reign on topics, form, and presentation. Kim & Cortney

Technical

Measureable, definitive, concise, concrete. People tend to think technical things are very difficult to understand, or have too many details to understand. However, something technical is a collection of facts or ideas that can be learned or acquired. To know a technical ability is not an innate thing. Technical refers to something particular, often mechanical or scientific.

Sarah & Brian

Technology is the act of people using invention to control the world in which we live to make life easier and more efficient. Technology is used to make work of all kinds easier, both physically and mentally. By creating universal technology used by everyone in a field, co-workers are able to communicate more clearly. Things such as calculators, computers, cell phones, and other innovations have created an environment in which technological skills have become a unifying factor allowing people of different backgrounds to speak a similar language. Technology allows us to improve our quality of life by increasing production while decreasing costs. In this way, more products are able to be produced at a lower price, opening markets to people that may otherwise have been unable to consume.

The use of technology is learnable. With proper training any regular artisan can become a master of technological innovation; herein lies the beauty of technology. Technology is not something that needs to be an innate knowledge of the person in question, but rather is something that can be studied, learned, and then applied by anyone who so desires to make the effort.

~Lindsay and Stephanie

"Technical" is an adjective that implies skill in a learnable field. If something is said to be techncical, it can be said to either have, or require, depending on the word it modifies, special knowledge of a particular subject. This knowledge is not innate; it has to be learned. The word "technical" also carries with it a measure of structure. Activities that can be said to be technical are generally done the same way over and over.

-- Adam & Suzanne

The word technical is a word which can be used to describe a learnable craft. It is not something which is an innate natural ability. A technician is someone who has been taught the details and finer points of his art. Technical implies a high level of skill and certain amount of knowledge about a specific topic. It is a profession or a hobby that is not apart of everyone's everyday life. It is something that must be practiced and mastered. Technicians are often controlled by some governing or licensing body that sets regulations and ensures the high level of knowledge and skill. For example, emergency medical technicians are licensed by each state and the federal government. However, not all technicians are under an umbrella of control by an outside group. Computer technicians, for example, usually operate under their own jurisdiction. Technical hobbies and professions include a wide variety of categories. Included in these categories are the creative arts, science, information systems, communication, and construction and repair. Leslie, Brannon

Technical, as defined by Amy and Lauren, is an adjective used to describe a process that can be improved through practice and refinement. Mastering a technical skill does not necessarily mean that the person has to own a natural aptitude for the skill but that they can acquire their ability through means of practice. "Technical" derives from the Greek word "teckne" which defines a learnable art. The word technical typically implies that the art has been refined to a higher or professional level through practice. "Technical" often connotates that the skill it defines is less creative and more precise and exact.
Lauren Yarrow
Amy Hsu

Technical means having special skill or practical knowledge especially in a mechanical or scientific field. This means that one would have to have prior knowledge of a field in order to display his technical abilities. This can be seen in technical writing, because one has to have prior knowledge of grammar, structure, and the general rules of writing before he can actually apply them. Technical comes from the root word tekne, meaning learnable art. This implies that anyone can learn to be technical. This reinforces the idea that technicality can be acquired by anyone who puts forth the effort to learn a skill, such as the skill of a craftsman. Skill of a craftsman can be looked at in two ways. Take for example a potter and a sculptor. Both have acquired a skill that allows them to shape and form clay, but they use this skill in a different way. The sculptor,or the artist, takes his skill and uses it to make beautiful artwork. Though this his work may be beautiful, its serves no practical purpose. The potter, or the artisan, has the same skill as the sculptor, but he uses his skill to make something practical. Though his work may be beautiful as well, it always has a purpose. The potter is technical. As with technical writing, the potter is constantly employing his skill for a function. The sculptor can be viewed as a work of fiction, possibly beautiful but without a purpose other than to entertain.

Ashley Carson and Erin Pardue

(Jonathan and Adam G) -- The definition of technical is evident from its base- the expertise and knowledge implied by the Greek root tekne (learnable art) implies some sort of extra expertise or knowledge in a field, e.g. a blacksmith would be a considered a technical profession with skills that a normal person would not posses, but could learn through apprenticeship or a formal education. Thus:

Technical: (adj) of or pertaining to special expertise gained through experience or education.

Out in the professional world it is important to be able to properly use technical writing. It is a way of judging someone’s education level and to measure an individual’s credibility. If a person were to have an excellent idea about improving efficiency in the workplace but were not able to adequately convey that in a memo, the idea might not be taken as seriously as someone else with an average idea and a beautifully composed memo. Hopefully in the field of bioengineering, I will not be responsible for a great deal of technical writing. There will be the usual office memos and reports about research findings but hopefully I will be more equipped and able to handle these tasks by then. There will also be numerous drawings to make as a bioengineer because I will be designing prosthetic organs which will require accurate representations.

Legal documents, persuasive writing, and informative writing come to mind with the term technical writing. Technical writing is in a sense a foreign language in that encompasses rules and standards that are followed by the field of professionals that employ technical writing. The formality of this type of writing reminds me of old-fashioned elocution classes, (even now we’re taking a class on how to properly write), which gives it the sense of a foreign language. Informal writing such as friendly letters and emails would not be considered technical writing because most are not intended to persuade or focus on one general topic of interest.

To disagree with Lindsey, I believe that when written to persuade, technical writing should be written above the audience’s knowledge level in order to turn them on to the proposed change or suggestion. When people go to see the doctor they appreciate the fact that he or she has a higher knowledge level than they do and that is what makes them feel confident trusting his or her medical opinion. The same holds true in persuasive writing. The writer should be well-researched and informed about the argument that he or she makes, and should be able to convey that in an educated fashion to gain the reader’s trust in order to change their opinion.

As a computer scientist, I will have to do my fair share of technical writing in the workplace. Progress reports on a project have to be given by the project's team periodically, with the time depending on the whims of management. I also envision writing reports on why a problem was solved using one method, or memos outlining new product goals, but ultimately these things will not be a daily event. I expect (and hope) that most of my time will be spent hunched over in front of a computer, typing away for 8-10 hours of the day. Tech writing, while it may be an invaluable skill, will not be one used daily (again, I hope).

In my mind, technical writing has always been the type of writing that's limited to a (non-artistic) work environment. Technical writing encompasses virtually all written workplace correspondance. This realm includes memos, written reports, resource requests, statistical analysis, and much more. Tech writing is always written for a particular audience, and has to be adapted for that audience.

Technical writing has to be structured. Anything that is free form, poetry for example, is not technical writing. Technical writing is based on reality, so creative fiction is not technical writing. In general, technical writing is not meant to entertain, thus, any form of writing meant to do so is not technical writing.

As a Biosystems Engineering major, I think I will do a variety of writing. I am sure I will have to write formal reports about any type of research I do or any project with which I am involved. I will be working in close contact with other people, because engineers always work in teams and collaborate. If I am constantly working with other people, I will have to keep in touch with them, so I foresee myself writing many memos and letters. I will definitely have to draw. Engineers constantly have to sketch things. Though the main purpose of my job will be problem solving, I see myself frequently using technical writing.

To me technical writing is writing for the work place. All technical writing has a purpose. It is used to persuade and inform. It is also geared towards whoever the author is trying to persuade or inform. The author has to understand who his audience is and take them into consideration when he is writing. Technical writing encompasses all types of writing, such as memos, letters, reports, and resumes. Any works of fiction are definitely not technical writing. Though, like technical writing, fiction can also be used to persuade, its main purpose is to entertain an audience.

As an industrial engineering major, I can already foresee the importance of technical writing in my future career. In order to communicate my ideas either through project presentations or simple memos, I will need to be able to deliver them concisely and effectively. I will most likely be composing daily or weekly writings consisting of diagram or process descriptions that will need to explain my work in detail without confusing the audience.

The primary intent of technical writing is to convey significant ideas in a coherent manner. Unlike non-technical authors, technical writers should concentrate more on delivering their purpose in an unequivocal approach rather than obsessing over flowery language or unnecessary analogies. Technical “writing” can actually encompass any written or spoken word that keeps the audience informed of its objectives articulately. Audiences for technical writing include comprises of any people interested in learning a lesson or receiving important information.

On the other hand, non-technical writing typically includes fictional or ornate pieces more focused on its entertainment value. Readers seeking to enhance their literary repertoire or to appreciate the eloquent use of the language would take pleasure in non-technical writing rather than in technical writing.

I am planning on becoming some kind of medical doctor in the future. I have no idea what field of medicine I will go into right now, but unfortunately I have a long time before I have to worry about that. I have shadowed many doctors in the past and I have seen many ways that writing is used on a regular basis. Doctors are always carrying a tape recorder in their pockets when they see patients. They dictate notes about patient history and diagnoses onto these tapes. Later, these doctors have to transfer these tapes onto paper using a computer. I know that many doctors have someone else handle this task, but I am afraid that privacy laws will prohibit that by the time I am a doctor. When doctors come across an unusual patient that warrants attention, an article is sometimes written to medical journals. I hope that I will see interesting patients and have the occasion to write journal articles. This is a major way that new diseases are found and recognized by the scientific community. Prescriptions will have to be filled many times throughout a regular day at the office and I am sure that many difficulties with insurance companies also have to be handled in writing. A large percentage of time will be used writing things down to be used later. I was hoping that I would never have to write again after college, but I guess that is wrong.

The first adjective that comes to my mind when I think of technical writing is confusing. I read one of the articles that manuals are considered technical writing. I have not had pleasant experiences with any manuals that I have ever read to this point. I do not think, however, that all of technical writing fits this boring and complicated definition. Technical writing is any piece of work that attempts to explain or present information that is new or confusing to the reader. When technical writing is looked at in this view, it appears much less intimidating and much more useful. Technical writing extends to scientific articles, manuals, do-it-yourself books, cookbooks, legislative documents covering new law, and many more. The one characteristic that definitely makes a work not technical is overtly expressing emotion. The word technical gives an aura of procedure and guidelines. Emotion obviously has no part in technical writing.

I anticipate having to do a lot of writing in my career. As a Computer Information Systems major, I hope to participate in project management for various types of information technology. A typical week for me will probably involve a lot of informal writing, typically in the form of email or memos to colleagues and team members in order to best support the current project. I also expect to frequently write more formal reports detailing the progress of current projects for my own managers. Although it seems there is a limited range of the types of writing I expect to be doing, I would imagine that writing for one of those purposes will take a lot of time in the career that I choose to pursue and will play a big role in my ability to effectively motivate colleagues or gain support for any type of project.

As a computer science major, it's a safe assumption (unless i'm lucky) that i'll be spending the majority of my professional life in a cubicle, typing away. I could be writing programs, or parts of them, or updating already written files, but none of that is really technical writing. Especially in the larger corporations, with enormous hierarchy structures and bosses galore, I foresee having to write a large amount of reports. The kind of reports that let the higher-ups know I'm progressing along in the job I promised I'd complete. Or if I am collaborating with another on a project, or continuing with their previous work, we might have to email back and forth, or send memos to each other to exchange information, or bounce ideas off one another. None of these examples of writing are exactly earth-shattering, but it is nice to have the practice of writing in a professional way.

To explain technical writing, you really have to explain what techinical writing is not. It's not the paper you have to write for english about the underlying themes of whatever. It's not the fantasy novel you read in your free time. It's not the angst-filled poetry you write when no one is looking. Tech writing has to do with its contents. It is writing to convey information. Most of the time, the information is of a technical or scientific nature, but not always. To make a piece of writing technical, I would say there has to be a specific format that needs to be followed, such as in a business memo, or tps report.

I haven't had an internship in computer science yet, but I know from class discusions and from my programmer relatives that a typical computer science major spends a large majority of their time with technical writing. Object oriented programming means that programming teams can segment tasks between themselves which increases overall effeciency but means that a team spends alot of time communicating needs and specs, so a tremendous amount of time is spent communicating between a team through meetings, memos, and even IM. Furthermore object oriented programming means that a programmer also has to analyze and evalute a piece of software that his company has bought to evaluate its effectiveness- he needs to be able to communicate its costs in terms of disk-space and processor time to fellow programmers, and sometimes he might have to analyze it in terms of monetory costs to his supervisor. Finally there is the obvious user manuals that have to be written for the user, which have to communicate basic technical requirements and use of the product. Thus writing will play a huge role in my job as a programmer, before, during, and after development.

Hopefully, I will be attending medical school after getting an undergraduate degree here at Clemson. In medicine, doctors have to do a lot of technical writing in order to document information about their patients. Throughout each stage of a patient's care, a doctor must be able to fully explain through writing what has been done. For example, at first a doctor writes of the patient's symptoms, etc. Then, they write of treatments. Finally, a doctor writes about the progress of the patient over time. Without these records, it would be nearly impossible to know the history of a patient visiting a new doctor for the first time. Also, with so many patients, the only way to ensure accurate and practical care for each person is to properly record their care and plan for treatment through writing. As a doctor, I plan to be required to write both with great detail and with concise statements. Time is usually limited in the lives of doctors due to the large amounts of patients, so it is extremely neccesary to be able to write things that will be easily understood by others in relatively short periods of time.

Technical writing varies widely depending on audience and purpose. In a normal workday a writer might have to write several different types of technical documents (a user manual, technical specs for colleagues, or a cost analysis for management); the common factor between all is that the writer is trying to comminicate the information that an audience needs in a concise and effective manner. Technical writing can encompass alot depending on audience and purpose but basically it could be broken down into trying to communicate with your colleages, your boss, and your customers. Non-technical writing would be any type of writing which does not seek to communicate data.

To me, technical is a word that basically means scientific and mechanical. When something is technical, it seems to have some sort of procedure involved that could be repeated. For example, people that are involved in technical professions tend to use more learned and practiced skills, rather than judgment calls. Things that are technical are usually highly structured.

Writing is the accumulation and organization of certain words and sentences in order to convey some sort of message to someone else. There are many forms of writing and many purposes to writing. Some write to entertain, to relieve stress, to instruct, to enlighten, etc. Technical writing is basically a type of writing used to convey a distinct message. Technical writing doesn't involve symbolism or hidden meanings, but instead is usually more concise and fact-based.

Within a profession I think the word technical means basically the same thing that it means personally. But, the word writing has a far different meaning personally and professionally. For example, writing for your job/school is a completely different process that writing for your personal pleasure. Writing professionally has to have a simply understood purpose so that those who receive the message will know what is going on without spending too much time analyzing the information. Personal writing however does not have to have this simplicity because after all, its point does not necessarily involve others understanding the message at all.

"Technical Writing" means employing the written word to convey ideas, facts, instructions to direct another party to some sort of action. It serves to persuade or to instruct a targeted audience, one which has a specific investment in the topic. Technical writing takes complicated ideas and makes them understandable. It encompasses a great deal of commonly written items, as most people are more likely to write a document about a work project that they are to write a novel. Something is definitely not technical writing when it is fictional or is based on opinion. Any document whose purpose is to please the audience instead of inform is not technical writing.

After completing medical school, I hope to go on to become a doctor. I am not exactly sure what kind of doctor I want to be, but I still have 6 1/2 years. I am, however, thinking about going into orthopedic surgery. A surgeon has many important writing responsibilities. Pre- and postoperative information and keeping good records can be helpful, especially in the case of any complications. In addition, I may need to write out instructions to a patient or family member with information for care of wounds or sore areas. Also, surgeons must compose postoperative reports on the success or failure of a surgery.

Writing will play an important role in my professional life. Keeping thorough documentation can help a doctor in the incidence of a death or complication. Also, being able to explain postoperative care techniques to patients and family members will be very important. I will have to take into consideration the educational background of a person when making my word choice.

I am preparing for a job involving International Politics and humanitarian issues. This will require much daily correspondence with people worldwide as the workplace environment will extend well beyond the realms of my individual office and to those working across the globe. I believe I will have to write daily memos and updates dealing with the progress my individual group is making with regards to timely issues. These will have to be understood by people proficient in English, but not necessarily fluent and will therefore need to be straightforward. I also presume I will have to write grant proposals often as the work I plan to do is largely non-profit and will need to be funded by outside sources. This will be difficult as I will need to appeal to specific groups and illustrate the ways in which the work I will be doing with my organization will benefit the donor. I will need to use my power of persuasion to convince these people that their funds will be best used by my organization.

In addition to my daily work in the office, I hope to publish books that will inspire everyday people with careers completely unrelated to global humanitarian issues to take action. These non-fiction works will require a level of language that can be understood easily by the general American public and agian, the persuasive techniques will need to be used heavily to inspire people to act.

The term technical writing refers to writing that is strictly meant to inform an audience. Therefore, in technical writing the audience plays a very large role in the writer's mental process. The audience helps to set the word choice and tone used by the author. Technical writing requires a more formal approach than other types of writing. In most cases, it is not necessary to use big, descriptive words to get the point across to the audience. The only thing necessary is to relay the main purpose to the audience. This can be accomplished using clear, concise ideas. Technical writing encompasses a wide range of professions and people. Most of the writing done in the workplace would be considered technical writing. Something that is not technical writing would be a short story or novel. These two items fall more into the category of creative writing, which is meant more to entertain.

There are many forms of writing involved within the field of nutrition. The kinds of writing one going into nutrition can expect to do depend largely on what area of nutrition one chooses to pursue. All of the writing done, however, is mainly technical in nature. Registered dietitians and nutritionists do most of their writing for a patient-based audience. They must write out things such as meal plans, nutritional information on different kinds of foods and exercise regimens. They must configure their writing differently depending on their patient population. Those working with children would have to write in simpler language than those working with an older community. Other types of writing that registered dietitians and nutritionists would have to do include the same kind of writing associated largely with any business field such as memos, emails, professional letters, filling out forms, etc. Someone studying nutrition can also go on to do research, which would include a much more scientific type of writing. A researcher writes lots of lab reports and deals with more statistical and numerical data. A number of those in the nutrition field are now writing books, and some write for health-related magazines. This type of writing, in contrast to the scientific writing done by researchers, has to be written in a way that can be understood by the general public.

I expect to have to do most of the different types of writing that get done in my field throughout the duration of my professional career. I am planning to go on in the field of nutrition in graduate studies and earn a master’s or a Ph.D. I am interested in doing more of the research type of work and would also like to write for a health-related magazine someday. I would also be interested in writing a book or two as well, so my future undoubtedly includes a lot of writing.

There are many forms of writing involved within the field of nutrition. The kinds of writing one going into nutrition can expect to do depend largely on what area of nutrition one chooses to pursue. All of the writing done, however, is mainly technical in nature. Registered dietitians and nutritionists do most of their writing for a patient-based audience. They must write out things such as meal plans, nutritional information on different kinds of foods and exercise regimens. They must configure their writing differently depending on their patient population. Those working with children would have to write in simpler language than those working with an older community. Other types of writing that registered dietitians and nutritionists would have to do include the same kind of writing associated largely with any business field, such as memos, emails, professional letters, filing out forms, etc. Someone studying nutrition can also go on to do research, which would include a much more scientific type of writing. A researcher writes lots of lab reports and deals with more statistical and numerical data. A number of those in the nutrition field are now writing books, and some write for health-related magazines. This type of writing, in contrast to the scientific writing done by researchers, has to be written in a way that can be understood by the general public.

I expect to have to do most of the different types of writing that get done in my field throughout the duration of my professional career. I am planning to go on in the field of nutrition in graduate studies and earn a master’s or a Ph.D. I am interested in doing more of the research type of work and would also like to write for a health-related magazine someday. I would also be interested in writing a book or two as well, so my future undoubtedly includes a lot of writing.

To me, the word technical makes me think of something that is very structured. If something is technical, it follows a particular technique. It has an exact purpose and a specific goal that it is set out to accomplish. When I think of technical, I also think of something science related. Something technical is something that can be applied in a mechanical sort of way in order to achieve a predetermined goal.

Writing is a form of nonverbal communication. It is a way of expressing and conveying a particular thought in written words. Writing is a means of putting a thought into a form in which other people can read and understand. Writing can be technical but is not restricted to being only technical. Writing can be done with a specific purpose in mind or it can be done with no purpose at all. Writing can be simply an expression of thoughts or feelings, or it can be goal-oriented.

Within my field of nutrition, mostly all of the writing done is of a technical nature. When I think of writing personally, I think more of the pleasurable writing than I do of goal-oriented writing. Taking that into consideration, I would have to say that writing does mean something different in context of my professional field than it means to me personally. The term technical doesn’t really have any personal meaning, so it means the same to me regardless of whether I am thinking in terms of my professional or personal communication.

Technical writing is a form of communication that has a specific purpose, whether it be to inform or persuade, and is designed to reach a specific audience. While technical writing uses the same techniques and skills as fictional or creative writing, it differs greatly in its purpose. Technical writing deals with persuading or informing its target audience rather than entertaining, as with creative writing. The tone of technical works are also much more formal as they are most generally used in a workplace environment. Technical writing is able to include topic specific words the audience will be familiar with that would be useless in creative writing. For example, if one was writing a proposal for a grant to practice medicine in a third world country, he or she would be able to use technical medical terms that would be understood by other people in their field. Because technical writing is still a form of language, creative license is still allowed by the author and so different persuasive writing techniques may be useful. The most important thing to remember is to appear available to one's audience. If persuasion is the goal of the technical work in question, writing above the audience's knowledge level will alienate the audience and most definitely turn them off from the proposed change or suggestion.

In hopes of becoming a doctor, the amount of "technical" paperwork that I will be responsible for in an average weeks overwhelms me. While sitting in a consultation room with a patient, I will be required to formulate a legible, concise description of the patient's symptoms, history, and plan of action. After a consultation I will be expected to either perscribe a treatment or refer the patient to another specialist. In persribing a treatment, I will have to take my exhausted knowledge of science and manipulate the diagnosis and treatment into laimen's terms for the patient to understand. If I am required to refer the patient to another specialist, the composition of a formal letter to a colleague will require an explicit recount of my visit with the patient and their ailing symptoms. After each visit I will have to dictate a report to myself for future reference. If I proceed into a research field of medicine, such as oncology, I will be documenting statistics, findings, and experimental treatments that either failed or worked. Such research documents could expand hundreds of pages or could just be an abstract of my work. Outside of my patients' work I will be required to file paperwork with the hospital system to ensure that I am abiding by the law and with the insurance companies to ensure that my patients are obtaining the best care for a reasonable price. Although this appears to be a hefty amount of writing, I am sure that there is more to come that I am unaware of as a pre-med student.

The manipulation of specialized nomenclature - in fields of science, art, craft, industry, and profession - into understandable definitions and examples navigates the realm of technical writing. Technical writers often possess a college degree, or eminate an enormous amount of knowledge pertaining to their specialized field, in order to compose formal documents, research findings, textbooks, technical manuals, etc. The audience is often compiled of intellectuals, students, and the abiding enthusiast thursting for more knowledge. Technical writers are utilized to enrich society with a broad range of information that is appealing and educational. The papers, articles, and documents formulated by technical writers include statistics, definitions, history, and descriptions of experiments or research. Technical writing does not encompass original, ficitional works, the ability to revise and rewrite sections to appease the audience, and biased or falsified views on results and topics. The augmenting growth of technology's use in our society is paralleled with the increasing expansion of technical writers that are found within the workplace.

SECOND PROMPT: Think about the career for which you are preparing . . . . What kinds of writing will you do in an average week? (Think broadly--writing for "to yourself," informal correspondence with colleagues, periodic reports--everything that will cause you to pen, type, even dictate and draw.) What role will writing have in your professional life?

FIRST PROMPT: What does the term "Technical Writing" mean? How much does it encompass? What makes something definitely *not* technical writing? (Think about what was said in class Thursday about audience, purpose and context as a place to start defining what tech writing is and is not.)