Technical Writing
Construct Sentences that Do Not Require Mental Inversion
© Ugur Akinci When we construct a procedural sentence in technical writing we are usually telling the reader either to do something or not to do it. Our intention is either pointing out to something positive or negative. For easier comprehension and longer retention, try to construct your sentences in a way such that the…
Read MoreJob Prospects in Technical Writing vs. Copy Writing
An accountant/bookkeeper reader asked whether copy writing is a better alternative in terms of finding jobs than technical writing, especially in rural areas. The following was my answer to him: “I’d say the chances of finding a tech writing vs. copy writing job in rural areas is just about the same. The business that has…
Read More5 Rules for Resumes that Work
PPT presentation at George Mason University, April 21, 2015, STC Presentation. Click below link to download the PTT file: Resumes that Work April 2015
Read MoreInsert Adobe Presenter Stock Characters into your MS PowerPoint Presentation
© Ugur Akinci You can liven up your MS PowerPoint presentations easily by inserting stock characters from Adobe Presenter, a great PPT plug-in by Adobe. Here is how you do it: 1) Open your PPT presentation. 2) Click and select the Insert tab. 3) On the Adobe Presenter Insert group of controls, click the Character button…
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How to Copy Paragraph Styles Between Word Documents
Introduction You have to copy paragraph styles between two separate MS Word documents. Problem You’d like to export the paragraph styles from one document (A) to another (B) since you like the styles of document A better. How would you do it? Solution ANSWER: By using the style organizer. Imagine you have these two Word…
Read MoreCloze Test of Document Comprehensibility
How comprehensible is your technical document? There are various tests and measures of comprehensibility but I like the Cloze Test the best since it measures the interactivity of the user with the document within a specific subject-matter context. The test is nothing new. It was first formulated by W. L. Taylor in 1953. It consists…
Read MoreHow to Insert a Proper Page Break for Changing Page Orientation in MS Word
In MS Word, not all page breaks are the same. The two different types of page breaks have different repercussions when it comes to changing your page layout in mid-stream. You have to be careful what kind of a page break you are inserting if you would like to change your page layout orientation from…
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Writing for Mobile Platforms
Introduction Writing for mobile platforms like smartphones and pads is an important specialization for technical writers. The trend is already picking up speed. One “mobile writing guru” is Joe Welinske of WritersUA who has done a lot to advance our understanding of the new challenges facing us in the mobile frontier. In a webinar organized by…
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