Wompa One

I was going to write a brief review on a documentary I just watched about the short yet fulfilling life of Toulouse Lautrec.

Instead, I'll simply mention I signed up for a writing class to "make my email and report writing more stuffy and officious," and post for you some answers from a short preparation survey they provided. This is all real, unless otherwise denoted.

(x) test plans, (x) status updates and reports, (x) software documentation... (x) Blah Blah Blah corporate BS and on and on

Describe the content of your usual writing:

A majority of my writing is based around intra-company communication, usually including the checked examples above. I am also the Beta Test Coordinator, so I frequently write to a contingent of roughly 60 external consumers via email, as well as in a private company web forum. In some cases I direct a larger group, at times reaching an audience of a few hundred testers and thousands of general readers in a public forum.

What do you consider your writing strengths?

I can be concise when warranted.

I can also elaborate at length, describing difficult concepts in simple, expressive and accessible vernacular, often using colorful analogies. Imagine “The Intricacies of Software Test and Beta Coordination, by Playschool”.

Weaknesses?

Grammar, and speling,

I often have difficulty assessing any given audience, resulting in either sterile jargon, or excessively gilded rhetoric.

I take too long. This is not to say I’m a slow typist; I simply have difficulty hitting “send” without re-reading for mistakes or otherwise.

I have no formal training in composition.

What would you like to see covered in this workshop?

I’m hoping there may also be “tricks of the trade” for business writing of which I’m not aware. I’d love to slip an evilly subversive, yet overtly telling diatribe to execs, without being detected. This would simply be for my own personal satisfaction. Unfortunately there's not much reason for me to write to a tie-guy outside of the building. The people with whom, and for whom i work directly are rad, so it'll not be likely i get that opportunity to jab at the big wigs living in excess on the next coast.

Ultimately, I’m looking forward to learning all that I can. Which is likely going to be where i can find the closest Taqueria.