Technical Writing
Software Documentation Terms You Should Know As a Technical Communicator
Introduction A software technical writer must be very familiar with software documentation terms. Software documentation is a distinct specialty within the larger discipline of Technical Writing. It’s a world with its own rules, processes, and lingo. Here are some of the terms you should be familiar with if you are thinking (highly recommended!) to start…
Read MoreList – Components of a Technical Document
Are You a Screenwriter? – How About a New Career in Technical Writing to Make Ends Meet?
Screenwriting is a passion. I’m well aware of it since I myself have written six feature scripts within the last ten years and a seventh one is brewing somewhere in the back of my head. But I also have a confession to make: I think my chances of ever selling a script and moving on…
Read MoreGlossary – Technical Writing Terms Every Technical Writer Should Know
A new glossary is posted – Technical Writing Terms Every Technical Writer Should Know. Click here to read it…
Read MoreGlossary – Software Terms Every Technical Writer Should Know
A new glossary is posted – Software Terms Every Technical Writer Should Know. Click here to read it…
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Book Review – Guidelines for Developing Instructions
Book by Kay Inaba, Stuart O. Parsons, and Robert Smillie Introduction This is a small but information-packed (and rather expensive) 136-page book for all technical writers who are writing procedural guides and/or maintenance and troubleshooting manuals for mechanical systems. The authors clearly have a lot of experience in documenting mechanical systems and working on military…
Read MoreAre You a Journalist? How About Technical Writing to Make Ends Meet?
(Copyright-free image courtesy of Unsplash dot com) © Ugur Akinci Journalism is exciting but tough. I should know. I’ve been a journalist for 4 years in mid-90s. I loved every minute of it but had a hard time making ends meet. I was an NPC (National Press Club) member reporter accredited both with the U.S.…
Read MoreWhich Text Editor to Use for Technical Writing – Adobe FrameMaker or Microsoft Word?
© 2008-2010 Ugur Akinci Technical writers have been asking this question to themselves for the good part of the last 15 years. The short answer is this – if you’re writing a short memo, letter, or a short document, MS Word would be just fine. No problem. I use MS Word in that fashion all…
Read MoreTechnical Writing – How to Design a Twitter Background to Market Yourself as a Technical Writer
I hope you’re on Twitter already. It’s a great social networking service through which you can market your technical writing and documentation services with great efficiency. You can increase the effectiveness of your Twitter account by custom designing a new background instead of the default background that your Twitter account comes with. A great majority…
Read MoreTechnical Book Review – "Spring Into Technical Writing for Engineers and Scientists"
© 2010 Ugur Akinci Spring Into Technical Writing for Engineers and Scientists by Barry J. Rosenberg is definitely one of the better technical writing books out there. You can tell it was written by an industry professional who himself spent quite a few years in the “trenches,” trying to solve one pesky documentation problem after…
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