Do you remember The Crystal Maze? It was a show where teams of people had to complete puzzles and tasks while making their way through a series of themed studio sets. Each member took it in turns to take on a task and if they failed, they got 'locked in' for the rest of the show. At the end, the remaining team members had to scramble to collect pieces of gold paper while inside a glass case, with the bits of paper being blown about by a massive fan.
The host and captain of the show, was a theatrical oddball - imagine a kind of fancy-dress Patrick Stewart somehow being possessed by the spirit of Russell Brand... in the 1990s.
Anyway, it was strange - but it was sort of compelling. I thought about The Crystal Maze today - at 5:24pm. I know because I looked at the clock when my manager popped over to my desk and said this:
"Maybe I could arrange a meeting where we could go over your ideas for the installation guide?"
Gulp. The fans whirred into action, the golden tickets flurried into the air, flapping against the glass and around my head.
"Um, yes, OK." I said, internally scrabbling.
"Probably towards the end of next week. I'm out on training Tuesday and Wednesday so..."
Phew.
"... although tomorrow might work. Yes, let's go for tomorrow."
Double gulp. The whistle pipped inside my head and I was frantically jumping and clutching for ideas about this installation guide. Here's what I've come up with so far:
1. It's a good idea
2. It will involve some instructions about installation
3. It will be useful
4. Screenshots will help make it look longer than it is
Some days I think I'm a terrible technical author. I bluff my way through, using words to blag and bluster, generating ideas about usability and commenting on user experience. I'm not really that great when it comes down to the technical side of things. I suddenly feel like the guy in The Crystal Maze who got dragged along on the team because he liked solving number puzzles, but turned out to be useless at balancing across a beam over some gunge in the Jungle Zone.
I'm going in early tomorrow. Really early.
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