The Corner Desk

Tips from Topaz Cove Creations

www.shirleyannparker.com

March 2003

NASA / File Photo

February 1, 2003 brought tragedy and heartache to families and friends and nations when we lost the Columbia space shuttle so close to another safe landing. While investigations continue, with no lack of directions in which to point to place blame, we grieve immensely while honoring the immeasurable loss of a truly valiant crew in the pursuit of knowledge that has already brought great benefits to humanity. Space exploration will continue, as tribute to these souls and the souls who died aboard Challenger and Apollo 1 in the name of courageous exploration and the unshakable desire of the human spirit to push forward and upward and outward, to reconnect with what is out there that we once knew so well before coming to earth for our brief mortal probation in the endless eternities that are ours. Fare thee well, our friends, until we meet again. And may those of us left to mourn for a season come to our senses before we all destroy each other and waste the potential of life on earth. There is no room for hatred, no just cause for brutality, and no validation for destruction of any part of this beautiful blue planet. Greed and all forms of abuse must end, now. May each one of us remember that the worth of individual souls is great, that in our Creator's eyes no one is expendable except by His decision, and that all life—whether on the earth, above it, under it, or in the oceans—is sacred because of He who created it. We need to treat all living with the greatest of respect and compassion while protecting and defending our loved ones from evil. We only get one chance to show who we are and what we are made of here.

Contents

Technical Writing Tip of the Month

When you've been asked to document a product or project, what do "they" really want? Before you begin, questions you should ask will include the basics:

What actually is the product or project? A full scale manual? A pocket guide? A double-sided assembly sheet? Part of an existing series? Standalone online help?

What is the timeline for it? Have similar projects at this company ended up being shapeshifters?

What does the product do, or what is it supposed to do? That is, is it ready to be signed off on yet or are other folks still tinkering with it? Will they ever stop tinkering?

Can you get a unit yourself to find out how it works? Why not? Is it unique?

Have you been invited to sit in on a preliminary training class? 

Who is the documentation for? Are they technically savvy? How will they use it?

Where will they use the documentation? On top of a cherry picker in freezing rain? In the kitchen? While they're providing customer service on the telephone? Rolling on their backs under a car?

When and how will they obtain the product? Individual purchase, or didactic distribution from the boss?

Are there extant design notes or white papers or an existing outline? Preliminary marketing material that shows the benefits of the features? Is it all helpful or will you have to tear it up and start over?

Who's responsible for the accompanying graphics? If there won't be any illustrations, why not?! We live in a world where users are visually oriented.

And then there are the not so obvious questions:

Is product development in the early, fluid stages or is the documentation almost a panicked afterthought?

Will you have to drag information out of one person's head?

Are there multiple, possibly conflicting, sources of information?

Does it replace an existing product or service? Why? Did Version 1.0 have design flaws or undocumented features? Are you about to step off a cliff?

Who worked on the documentation last? Someone who quit in frustration because of lack of cooperation or unrealistic deadlines that were always extended after everyone had developed unnecessary ulcers?

What does the competition have that's just like it? And where can you find a copy of at least their marketing brochures, if not their technical stuff?

You can fill a yellow legal pad with answers to those questions, but you won't get them all from the same person. Do your research! Build rapport with the Subject Matter Experts. Far better to ask upfront than try to work in a vacuum. That way lies madness.

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DISCOVERIES   A Journey Through Life 

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Writing Tip of the Month

Will those writers accept me? I'm not published yet. We wouldn't be human if we didn't wonder deep inside if we're going to get rejected for trying to join a group we might be unfamiliar with. Some healthy trepidation is normal when facing the unknown. While a certain amount of risk-taking is healthy and encourages growth in our abilities, throwing caution to the winds has never been a particularly intelligent decision. The dumb and stupid do not survive long in any society, but they have no right to take innocent people out with them. Unfortunately, that very thing happens too often. At very least, there's no point in humiliating yourself when other people are quite often ready to do that for you. No point in stumbling home to your spouse or family, blinded by tears, and making them hate the organization, too, for having rejected you.

When wondering about eligibility for a particular writer's organization, do some research. Write, fax, call, or e-mail their headquarters organization after you've found the information at the library or on the Internet and ask about the requirements and if they have a membership packet to send out. If you know someone who's already a member, ask some pointed questions but be polite about it. If they sound too negative, try to find another person who might balance their opinion. Sometimes, local chapters can be a nest of pettiness and nothing constructive ever gets done; sometimes, local chapters have members who sit on the sidelines, soaking it up, but never contributing. A neighboring chapter, however, may plan a long list of workshops and speaker sessions where a lot of people participate. 

On the other hand, the organization might be very, very selective about who they admit to membership. You may have to prove your "professionalism" by having published at least one book (through traditional channels) or by having three articles professionally published within the past 12 months. In that case, there's no use showing up at a meeting based on an abbreviated notice in a newspaper, only to be turned away at the door, or being allowed to stay but ending up shut out from everyone else's conversation.

Most forward looking organizations have, at very least, an associate membership level, where newcomers are encouraged and mentored. But some have no time for that, or are too tied to tradition and the clique mentality of the past. All organizations are cliquey to an extent, some more than others. All groups have an insiders' jargon which they delight in using, so as to exclude others not "in the know". It takes a greater awareness than most members have to remember to include new members in conversations and presentations. Many of them may not even remember what it was like to be new, since their position or status in the society may practically have been inherited. Maybe they accompanied a parent or other relative to open meetings or on selected field trips, to give one example.

You owe it to yourself to inquire about the benefits and eligibility of any writers' organization that interests you, in whatever genre. Smaller critique groups aren't always looking for new members, especially if they're not part of a larger organization. They're quite content to stay small and closed, and tend to have one self-appointed, highly critical member who frightens away new people anyway. But check the community bulletin board at the library or ask the reference librarian if she knows of any such groups. Otherwise, pick up the phone or send that e-mail to the national organizations after you've done a search on the Internet. If you don't try, you'll never know how much help and encouragement you may be missing from not joining a writers' organization.

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What Shall I Write? Personal Letters for All Occasions

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1. Again, it's quite easy. 

2. You don't have to use your full name.  

3. It will really help! 

 
Thank you very much.

Lifestyle Tip of the Month

Bullies—just another challenge?

Don't you believe it! If your child is being bullied, you must step in, and step in now. If you don't complain to the school, for example, they will ignore the problem, even when a teacher or other staff member is the bully. And too often they are. I had an experienced high school teacher we were all terrified of, especially a classmate who had problems with his kidneys and urinary tract. The day finally came when the teacher refused to allow the boy to leave one more time to go to the restroom during class, and the urine went all over the floor. Do you think that child wasn't scarred for life? Do you think we didn't all hate that teacher's guts? It could have been any of us who were embarrassed like that, but no disciplinary action against the teacher was ever taken. 

If you don't complain to church officials, when that's where the abuse is taking place, your child may suffer irreparable damage. There is no stronger emotion than that of betrayal when spiritual trust has been destroyed. If officials do nothing, take whatever legal steps you have to take, to make them pay attention to you. You may need to move from the neighborhood while the case is making its way through the courts, but deal with it, Mom! Deal with it, Dad! You are the parents of your child; your church is not. 

Sometimes children are bullied outside of school or church facilities but on the way to and from the buildings. It is still the school's or church's moral, if not legal, responsibility to do something about the offending child or children. The parents of the bully need to be called in and warned that their child is jeopardizing his own and their future security. A suggestion that counseling may be in order will probably be rejected, but it should be made. 

At times it is obvious that the bullying child is being bullied at home and a watchful eye should be kept for signs of abuse to her. Yes, bullies have been and still often are girls, though the majority are boys. Children repeat what they learn. When a 3-year-old in my Sunday School class takes off his leather belt and begins hitting another child with the buckle end of it, you can bet I take the belt out of his hand. I return it to the highly embarrassed mother when she comes to pick him up.

Don't beat your own children. It's wrong, and the entire world will find out about it sooner or later! But if one of your children is a bully, don't let him or her get away with it. You are doing them no favors and, as they mature, they will become a danger to you, as well as to their siblings and others they meet.

In 1982 I wrote an article for the Canadian magazine, Annals of St. Anne de Beaupré, in which I mentioned, along with other subjects, that we should be careful how much we interfere in our children's lives, so that we don't lead them to expect that someone will always be there to rescue them. I still believe that. However, times continue to change, and bullying has increased along with the world's deteriorating moral values. Even if your stepping in consists only of teaching your child how to defend herself, and how to avoid nasty confrontations, you must act. This is a time-honored parental responsibility. If your intervention is that of taking the topic to school administrators, then that should be done at the first signs of trouble. Don't wait until your child is physically hurt or emotionally devastated.

In spite of what licensed child psychologists or pastors may tell you, sooner or later you will have to teach your children how to fight back, not just turn the other cheek or run away. Someone will come along who is stronger or faster than they are, so teach them to kick and scratch and scream, whatever it takes to get away from a bully or kidnapper. You will need to channel any "passing phase" obnoxious childhood tantrums into proper expressions of indignation and outrage, when something inappropriate is being done to them, such as touching their private parts or unwanted tickling. Children need to be taught to respect authority, but not at the expense of their own safety, their own innocence, or their dignity.

If children reach adulthood before they run into a bully, perhaps an abusive employer, a conniving co-worker, or other empire builder, it will require verbal skills to stand up for themselves instead of punching out the guy or gal. Those skills are best taught at a young age, also, although they can be acquired the hard way. And while you're at it, teach them to keep their crap detectors turned on 24 hours a day. There's plenty of that flying around.

Bullies are not just another challenge. They're a major life threat.

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