Books We Lie About Having Read

[Fluribus]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

I write instruction manuals, and I swear I've written and published more words that nobody reads than the biggest self-publisher at Amazon.

*sob* nobody reads my stuff.

still, I get paid for it, which counts for something I suppose.

I'll skim most manuals. I used to read the manuals for computer games. The modern iterations I will often skip entirely. They are rarely even shadows of their former selves.

I'm sure that your manuals, however, would fill Dostoevsky and Cervantes with wonder and envy.

[Rob Lister]

Originally Posted by Fluribus

I'll skim most manuals. I used to read the manuals for computer games. The modern iterations I will often skip entirely. They are rarely even shadows of their former selves.

I'm sure that your manuals, however, would fill Dostoevsky and Cervantes with wonder and envy.

I used to write instruction manuals for a living. I struggled mightily with every verb, noun and preposition. Accuracy was all the rage. Originality gave way to legal liability.

I started small. Did you ever assemble a barbeque grill back in the early 80's? Maybe I wrote those assembly instructions you refused to read. That's why you have a big grease stain on your patio.

I eventually worked my way up to describing the theory of operation in high-end military electronics. Far fewer non-readers, but at least I could sneak a cliff-hanger in on rare occasions. I once even managed something akin to a plot!

[kacir]

Originally Posted by Rob Lister

I eventually worked my way up to describing the theory of operation in high-end military electronics. Far fewer non-readers, but at least I could sneak a cliff-hanger in on rare occasions. I once even managed something akin to a plot!

HA!
So it was you who wrote the following manual:

Ha?!?

[Fluribus]

Originally Posted by Rob Lister

I used to write instruction manuals for a living. I struggled mightily with every verb, noun and preposition. Accuracy was all the rage. Originality gave way to legal liability.

I started small. Did you ever assemble a barbeque grill back in the early 80's? Maybe I wrote those assembly instructions you refused to read. That's why you have a big grease stain on your patio.

I eventually worked my way up to describing the theory of operation in high-end military electronics. Far fewer non-readers, but at least I could sneak a cliff-hanger in on rare occasions. I once even managed something akin to a plot!

Those are the type of manuals that I will read or skim for relevant information. I want to assemble things as quickly and easily as possible.

Computer game manuals used to include story and "historical" elements for the game's world. They included artwork and large color maps. They were a gateway. They used to be fun to read.

Today's game manuals have mostly jettisoned this "extraneous" stuff. They only contain basic control information. That information is usually included in the game itself. These days the game manuals can usually be skipped.