Editor Corner

by Jackie Damrau, Managing Editor

"A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight." – Robertson Davie

Writers are readers, but not all readers are writers. I am always reading books on business, history, psychology, sociology, and other various non-fiction and fiction genres. It seems that my life centers on books. If you’re like me, you never leave a bookstore without a purchase. I’m always finding discount bargains that end up in a box. To date, I have two large Rubbermaid tubs and a paperbox full of time travel romances and classic literature; two small stacks of my most recent purchases in the area of history, psychology, and sociology; and my reference shelf of books that I refer to often. I even have a tutorial book on Dreamweaver® MX 2004 that I’m slowly working myself through to learn more about this software package.

What I find interesting is that when I come across a book that I really want to remember, I grab a pad of 2-7/8” x 2-7/8” post-its. Why? I use these to write down my thoughts on each interesting item that I read with my own thoughts. By the time I’m through with the book, you can riffle the pages to see the numerous post-its that are attached to the pages. The end result is that I then sit down with the book and begin bringing all the notes together to create my own notes about the book, which turns into a book review.

I encourage you every time you read a book, whether for fun or for business, to use this technique. It helps you remember the book so much more. Write a book review; share it with others; or simply take your notes and put them together. After reading several books on the same topic, you may have the beginnings of your own book that you might consider publishing at some time.

After all, we write every day in the technical arena. It doesn’t mean that we need to write everything technically, we can write creatively, narratively, or in whatever fashion meets that “writer within you.”

Letters to the Editor

Finally, I want to end this column by sharing the e-mails I received this past month. You all make this newsletter a joy to produce. Thank you

Dear Editor and Staff,

I am continuing to enjoy the new look and feel of the Technically Write newsletter this fall. And I'm particularly impressed with the amazing array of articles, authors, and resources on display in each issue. If I didn't already know that STC LSC consists of a great group of tech comm professionals, I could easily figure it out just by reading the newsletter. LSC's personality shines through each word!

I particularly appreciated Jackie Damrau's "Editor Corner" column in the October 2007 issue. Jackie's search for her family's roots via today's technology was inspiring! It's also hard to imagine that in less than 100 years we've gone from the first U.S. census in 1910 to being able to track our ancestors on the Internet in 2007. It makes me wonder where technology will take us and our profession in the next 100 years!

– Susie Lynn Fox, LSC 20007-2008 president