Re: Another Newbie question about procedures

["Tom Johnson" <tjohnson -at- freeway -dot- net>]

Mary wrote:

> As far as defining one action vs. two actions, I agree that's more 
of a
> gray area. However, I've seen some fairly gross examples of this 
where
> writers throw everything - including the kitchen sink - into one 
step. 

I've seen that too. It's impossible to use and the first thing I do, 
when I find them, is break those conglomerations into manageable 
chunks.


> I try to make my procedural steps (and writing in general) concise. 
> I think that most people want to scan numbered steps. By including
> *unnecessary* details or combining what should *logically* be 
multiple
> steps into one step, writers do a disservice to their readers.

Agreed!

> That said, another pet peeve I have is the addition of the 
words "Now" and
> "Then" in numbered steps. I'm not saying that these words should be
> avoided entirely. I do have problems with their use in the following
> example:
> 1) Click W.
> 2) Now click X.
> 3) Then you can click Y.
> 4) After completing step 3, you can click Z.  

I don't know, I think it is okay now and then. <g> I often write as 
though I were giving spoken instructions. I see it as conversational, 
and relaxed. Without those extra words, the language sounds terse. I 
say when translation and space aren't a huge concern, conversational 
verbage can be beneficial. If I'm editing to conserve space or 
wordcount, I'll whack the "extras" in a heartbeat.



> Granted, this is a minor issue. But it does irritate me (hence the
> reference to pet peeve ;). I mean, how many people try to complete 
step 4
> before step 1? Can't we assume that our users understand that 
numbered
> steps are sequential? (If your users are different & will follow 
steps out
> of order without these directions - then by all means, you should 
include
> them. You also have my genuine sympathy - it must be challenging to 
write
> for this type of audience.)


I hope I never have to write for an audience like that! I can't 
imagine a situation where it would be required. If it isn't 
sequential, it isn't a procedure. If isn't necessarily sequential, 
it's often better to write it like it is sequential so people don't 
wonder which to do first. Just give 'em an arbitrary order that works 
and leave it at that.

Tom




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