Yes, I just called writing fiction "boring". You heard me right. You see, when you write fiction, you can afford to be wrong. Oh sure, fiction writers are definitely encouraged to be consistent, but I'm talking about the kind of mistakes that can make a difference between life and death. Imagine if Mr. Darcy had mistakenly called Lizzy "Liza" a time or two. Despite some embarrassment on the part of Jane Austen's editor, no reader would come to undue harm from this mistake. Or if Shakespeare messed up a few subject-verb agreements, well, so be it.
Here's where fiction and technical writing diverge. Imagine if I was writing for the medical field, and I wrote the following:
"When the patient's rapid heart rate has stopped, make a notation in the electronic record and release the patient from care".Um, uh-oh. So if the patient's heart rate has simply returned to normal, all is well. But what if the patient's heart has actually stopped? I'm guessing the doctor will have no choice but to release the patient from care when the patient is dead, but let's hope that is not the case! Admittedly, this is a ridiculous example, but it illustrates the point -- technical writers cannot afford to be wrong or even slightly misinterpreted.
You can see why being wrong is just not an option.
On a side note, let's be clear that I'm not talking about grammatical errors. I'd rather be technically accurate than grammatically accurate, but that's another blog post for another day.Now, not all subject matter is as serious as medical writing. I've written about subjects such as print devices, network connectivity, and even restaurant management software. I'm pretty sure no one will die as a result of a mistake I may have possibly made in any of these subject areas, but a mistake on my part could make somebody's job go incredibly wrong. What if I was writing a cookbook and my instructions mistakenly called for 1 tbsp of hot sauce, rather than a teaspoon? Someone's going to get a hot surprise! Or if my instructions led a user to incorrectly route internet traffic on the wrong subnet? Somebody is going to be soooo mad when they can't surf the internet!
Ah ha, now you get a sense of the excitement... Technical writers walk a fine line between getting it right and making it interesting enough to read. It's no picnic, let me tell you. Our subject matter is often dry, and it can take a very long time to vet the information we collect. The process can be slow and painful.
Nope, being right all the time isn't easy. I'm guessing that's why this profession draws Type A personalities... detail oriented (which is not the same thing as anal!), patient and yet bossy enough to drag information from even the most recalcitrant person.
So perhaps now you won't be so quick to assume that I write fiction because it sounds sexier. My job is so much cooler. And it pays better. Just saying!
