Writing Memories From Over 20 Years Ago

by Debbie Kerr, The Quill Editor

As someone who began technical writing in the early 1980s, I just recently became aware of how different my experiences were compared to the 'norm' of today.

Not So Technical Writer

My first writing job was part of a co-op work term from the University of Waterloo. I worked for the Ministry of Community and Social Services to write a manual about how to run homes for the aged. It certainly was no software manual, but it seemed complicated enough to me at the time with discussions about subsidies and various levels of care.

No Computers

Yes, you are reading correctly. When I started writing, cut and paste was more precisely 'cut and tape'. My handwriting deteriorated quickly once I started in this profession. I didn't just use a pen and paper when I took notes; I actually wrote the manuals by hand. When I wanted to move a paragraph, I cut my lined paper to remove the paragraph and then cut the paper apart where I wanted to insert (tape) the paragraph. None of my pages were the same length when I handed them to a sort of typing pool.

I don't think the typing pool really used typewriters. They were probably using early computers or they would have killed me every time I resubmitted my paperwork, because they would have had to type everything from scratch. I never went into the actual room where they worked, so I don't know what they did behind the half door where I left my stacks of paper.

Proofreading Marks

The women who were typing my manual for me, did not know proofreading marks, so if I wrote # or stet, the pound sign and the word 'stet' were always included in the text, so that I had to circle them and resubmit the pages to the typing pool. And, because you were dealing with a pool of people, you didn't always have the same person type your work. Once you told one person about the meaning of the marks, then you would get a different 'typist' and experience the same frustration of sending the pages back and forth a lot of times.

I eventually gave up and wrote my comments out in full.

Distant SMEs

In the good old days, the term 'Subject Matter Expert' didn't exist, but their purpose has always existed. In my case, the SMEs were administrators from homes for the aged thoughout Ontario, and they flew to Toronto once a month. During our three-day meetings, we reviewed the previous month's content that was written and collected information for the next month's documentation. My boss chaired these meetings like a drill sergeant to make sure we completed everything on time. When my boss was away for a month, I got to chair this meeting. It was pretty heady for a university student. I ran the meeting the same way as my boss, but, because I was new to it, they didn't threaten me with bodily harm for pushing them so hard to get everything done.

Quite different from today, there was little communication with this group while you were actually writing the manual. You relied totally on notes that were written on flip charts during the meetings. You couldn't drop by to ask a question, because all the SMEs were from out of town, and phone calls to them were rare.

In Conclusion

Since those days, over 20 years ago, I now successfully use a computer, at least most of the time. I also get to write about the software that we use on the computers. I have even critiqued those software packages and had changes made that I requested.

I now make most of the changes to the documentation myself, so there is little need for proofreading marks, even when I am editing someone else's work. I also get to talk to SMEs directly and frequently, which they may wish would be only monthly visits.

How About Your Story?

Each time you try something new you make history. What memories do you have of the STC? Often, you cannot appreciate how far you have come until you see where you have been. Why not take this opportunity to share some of your stories that show the changes in the communication profession over the years? Submit your ideas and stories to quill@stc-soc.org.