RE: Thank You from new tech writer

["Nicola Harlow" <N -dot- Harlow -at- seamsltd -dot- com>]

' And a corollary: "Don't use the same name for more than one thing."'

Gosh. Do you think it's possible for developers to learn that lesson? :)

Nicola

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+n -dot- harlow=seamsltd -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+n -dot- harlow=seamsltd -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Barbara Donohue
Sent: 05 March 2008 19:49
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com; Jim Mezzanotte
Subject: Re: Thank You from new tech writer

Hi, Jim,

Congratulations on your new adventure!

Untechnical writing : how to write about technical subjects and products
so anyone can understand, by Michael Bremer, was  recommended on this
list recently. It's out of print (and not available on Amazon), but I
found it on interlibrary loan through my local public library and it
seems very good. I would recommend to a newbie.

I also found these very useful when starting out:

     How to communicate technical information, by Jonathan Price & Henry
Korman

     Technical Editing by Judith Tarutz.

Both of them are available new and used on Amazon.

I always try to remind folks who aren't trained tech writers (as I
wasn't) that tech writing requires you to be super-user
friendly/supportive, and this means sometimes going against the writing
guidelines Miss Reinmann taught in 10th grade English.

For instance, she recommended using variety in your vocabulary. This is
a bad thing to do when writing instructions.

I tell new tech writers (and remind myself):

"Always call a thing by the same name."

And a corollary: "Don't use the same name for more than one thing."

Sounds simple-minded, but it's very important and many a writer (and
user-interface designer) has gone astray, much to the confusion of the
end user.

Cheers & have fun.  Let us know how it goes!

Barbara



----------
Barbara Donohue
The engineer who writes. Turning technology into English.
978-263-4961
bdonohue -at- alum -dot- mit -dot- edu
Specializing in mechanical technologies




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