RE: Structuring Documentation

["Dan Goldstein" <DGoldstein -at- riverainmedical -dot- com>]

Hi Tony,

I doubt I could improve on the clear steps to structured writing that
Sharon Burton and Dick Margulis have already posted.

I would add only that all tech writing requires the ability to ask your
SME an intelligent question and listen carefully to the answer. If the
answer leaves you in the dark, rephrase your question for clarification.
If you repeat the same question, you're liable to leave the unfortunate
misapprehension that you didn't hear the answer.

I've met many SMEs who needed help articulating their answers. Haven't
met many tech writers who needed help rephrasing the question, so I
guess that's a skill that's common in the field.

-- Dan Goldstein
(Won't rise to the bait again)
(Maybe)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tony Markos
> Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 3:05 PM
> To: Dan Goldstein; TECHWR-L
> Subject: RE: Structuring Documentation
> 
> What are the basic steps to structured writing
> (formatting aside)?
> 
> Tony
> 
> --- Dan Goldstein <DGoldstein -at- riverainmedical -dot- com>
> wrote:
> 
> > Tony, many of us work every day with intelligent
> > people who are
> > perfectly capable of performing an analysis, but are
> > completely
> > incapable of expressing their analysis in writing.
> > Not the same, not
> > even nearly the same.
> > 
> > -- Dan Goldstein
> > 
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Tony Markos
> > > Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 2:53 PM
> > > To: Dick Margulis
> > > Cc: TECHWR-L
> > > Subject: Re: Structuring Documentation
> > > 
> > > If structured writing (formatting considerations
> > > aside) is the same or nearly the same as analysis,
> > > then the term serves no purpose other than to
> > create
> > > confusion...
> > > 
> 

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