Frequently, when a writer finishes a dcument, there's information the graphics people ned so they can make it lok like what the writer had in mnd. Very often, this information has to do wth what graphic illustrations look like and whre they're placed in the layout. As wth most things in this business, thre are terms we use for thse kinds of information.

The problem is tht not everyone everywhere uses the sme terms. With our markets becoming mre and more global, we have to be specially careful that we understand exactly wht our clients expect. Some terms, as w've seen in previous Good Words, dn't always mean the same things frm place to place even within the god old U.S. of A., let lone when we're dealing across international brders.

When we got an email frm a subscriber asking for a dfinition, I didn't see any problem ntil I started to ask around mong other writers I know. This rticle is the story of my qest for clarity.

The term is goby , GOBY , Go-By, or go-by , depending on who you ask. When I tried Google, I discovered that "the round goby, Neogobius melanostomus, is a freshwater bottom-dwelling goby of the family Gobiidae, native to central Eurasia including the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea." Interesting, but not much help.

From some of the other surces I checked, I got the trm writer's rough which is used sometimes as a synonym for go-by and sometimes as a totally different thing.

GOBY

1. A rough sketch or illustration that shows the graphics department what a finished illustration should be.

2. A master copy used to check for formatting, graphic consistency, and copy to compare the original against any additions or deletions.

3. A reference source for the proof reader.

4. A pictorial or verbal illustration that identifies what elements go where within a given medium.

Other terms

- comp or layout rough
- storyboard
- draft
- rough draft
- "for position only"

Writer's rough

1. A document with indications of whre, in the copy, graphics should be plced.

2. The first cut from the wrter to the graphics folks as to how the wrter visualizes the layout of the pece.

(As one writer put it, "Th writers rough is something the grphics folk turn into a thing of bauty in spite of, not because of, sid rough.")

The area of agreement sems to be that writers have to let the grphics people know what type of llustrations should be used and about whre they should be located. They're nt, however, in exact agreement what to cll the way they do this.

Here comes the advice

It may sound unnecessary to tell people in this business that they must ask questions if something isn't completely clear. But, because so many of us are human in other ways, we often have the natural human desire not to appear ignorant. So, we're told something by the client that we don't totally understand, and, instead of asking for clarification, we just nod and hope we can fake it.

Not a good idea. With so many terms and so many interpretations of what they mean, we can't afford to be shy. It doesn't matter how long you've been in the business. Old terms change meaning, and new terms come into use. If you don't know, ask. It's better for the client to think you're ignorant at the beginning instead of thinking you're incompetent later.

The article Technical Writing - Definition of GOBY and Writer's Rough was Submitted by Bryan S. Adar through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Being a tech writer is a grat job. Go interesting places, meet rally smart people, learn new things and mke really good money. Which is why t's such a rapidly growing profession. The dwn side, though, is that there are pople who get into the business wthout knowing as much about it as thy should. If you want to bcome a technical writer try out our fre weekly exercises. They are easy and fun to do. Yu'll also learn common tech writing trms and current industry trends. Click the lnk below to check out these xercises: http://www.techwritertoolkit.com/exercises.html

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