TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Laurie Little asks:
>what about when the bullet/step is long and involves
>another sentence?
I would fix this by dropping the second sentence down to be a separate
paragraph, possibly indented as if with an invisible bullet - the two
letters should be at the same vertical line on the page.
To do ..., you should:
* do this, then do that.
If you do the other thing, ...
* seek counsel.
Otherwise, ...
* ask for help on techwr-l.
You'll find the answers there. But be sure to check the archives first!
I would also consider rewriting it, since what you have here is not a proper
bulleted list, but a series of instructions using bullets for emphasis.
As for whether you should begin each element in a bulleted list with a
capital letter, that's really down to house style: it doesn't matter which,
so long as you apply it consistently.
Jane Carnall
Technical Writer, Compaq, UK
Unless stated otherwise, these opinions are mine, and mine alone.
