Introduction to Technical Writing | Technical Writing Tutorial

Do you now have a better idea of where technical writing stands with respect to other types of writing?

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Lesson 2

A typical day at the office for a technical writer…

Sometimes people who are considering technical writing as a career ask me what a typical day in the life of a technical writer looks like.

“What is the daily routine for a technical writer?” they ask.

I for example work for a software company and here is what I do in a typical day, in a typical year

I write user manuals, system administration guides, installation guides, quick reference guides, release notes, help files… depending on the day.

Perhaps I should also mention that, while writing these products I also consult with various Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), sometimes through e-mail and other times on the phone or through teleconferences. In some years I even travel out-of-state to meet with those SMEs who work in far away offices.

Some technical writers working for software companies help with testing the product as well by both working as a tester and also by writing the scenarios that the testers use.

I also draw diagrams and illustrations to illustrate some of the guides I write.

There are a number of administrative tasks that I take care of as well, like attending the departmental meetings, filling in time sheets, etc.

And of course around noon time there’s usually a half-hour lunch break. On days when I’m swamped with work I just skip it, or push it to late afternoon.

No two days are alike when you’re a technical writer working out there in the real world. It’s an exciting career full of interesting challenges and plenty of room to grow into with new skills while making a good living at it too.

ONLINE COURSE: Professional Technical Writing

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Lesson 3

Difference Between Business Writing and Technical Writing

There are a number of books, programs, and classes out there today offering to teach “technical writing.””

Some of these are excellent; prepared by industry veterans who know what they’re doing.

But some others are basically rehashing the traditional “business writing” concepts and techniques under the guise of “technical writing.”

“So what?” you may ask, which is a fair question.

And here is the answer: if you are seriously considering to go out there and find yourself a job as a “technical writer” then you need to have at least one technical document prepared according to industry standards and expectations.

Business writing in general will of course help you communicate better and conduct your business more efficiently. That’s why it’s a good thing. But when it comes to finding a technical writing job, traditional business writing won’t help you much. No recruiter will accept a business writing sample as a proof of your technical writing skills, especially in the hi-tech sector where I’ve been working for over 10 years now.

Business writing is all kinds of copy generated to administer, communicate with and control others in a work environment. It covers all office communications, and topics like how to write a memo; how to write an e-mail; how to prepare a report; how to write meeting minutes; all kinds of business letters, etc.

While helpful, such knowledge will not be enough to find a job in the highly competitive field of modern technical communications.

Instead, what you need to learn is the kind of documentation generated every day in such hi-tech industries as software, hardware, networking, telecommunications, manufacturing, chemicals, finance, defense, etc. You need to learn how to write and format user manuals, system administration manuals, configuration and installations guides, release notes, help files, etc. The list is a very long one indeed…

Does your instructor help you learn what a “scope” document is, for example, and how it should be written? How do you prepare and write “release notes”“? What’s the crucial difference between a “Functional Manual” and a “Procedural Guide”“? How would you write a QCP for a defense contractor?

There are many other similar topics that beginners need to learn to prepare themselves for a great career in technical writing. Once you know the crucial difference between “business writing” and “technical writing,” you can make a better decision as to which questions to ask before buying a technical writing book or registering in a technical writing program. That way you won’t waste your time, money and energy on a product or a program that won’t help you reach your main goal. As always the case, knowledge is power in this particular issue as well.

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Lesson 4

Difference Between Copy Writing and Technical Writing

Copy writing tries to sell products and services, as the advertisement-legend David Ogilvie always (and rightfully) maintained. And I agree with him. Until and unless someone buys something, copy writing is not good for anything.

Technical writing, on the other hand, is an answer to the basic question of HOW.

But in order for technical writing to explain the “how” of anything, there first has to be a clear definition of its “WHAT” and “WHY”. Without that pre-requisite step, your technical writing can easily get lost in the woods.

This is usually expressed as the principle of knowing who “the audience” is.

This is just another way of saying that unless a technical writer is sure of the PURPOSE behind the document, that is, the manner in which the users will use the document to PERFORM certain tasks, then just explaining how something is done, may or may not get the job done.

Why?

Because there is always more than one way to describe the HOW of anything.

For example, imagine you are asked to write a technical guide on the HOW of running; a “User’s Guide to Running.”

If as a technical writer you immediately pull up your sleeves and start writing i, you might be in for a big trouble.

Let’s say you devote chapters on strength and speed training, without ever thinking WHAT this guide is supposed to achieve, for WHAT kind of an audience.

What if it turns out that you were actually asked to write this guide for runners over 50 years old, who could care less about “strength” and “speed” but are keen about “losing weight”? That of course would require a totally different sort of technical guide, wouldn’t it?

Copy writing excels as long as people buy the product; period. The late copy writing geninus David Ogilvy stated that fact half a century ago and nothing has changed since then.

Technical writing, on the other hand, excels only when the description of HOW matches the PERFORMANCE GOAL of the project’s AUDIENCE (or, the project’s “WHAT” and “WHY”).

ONLINE COURSE: Professional Technical Writing

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Lesson 5

Types of Technical Writing

Technical writing is a vast field. Here are some different types, organized by different ways of looking at it.

By industry category:

Technical writers are employed by the following industries (an incomplete list by its very nature…):

* Software + Hardware +Networking
* Financing + Investment +Banking
* Education + Academia
* Governments at all levels
* Manufacturing plants
* Phamaceuticals + Medical equipment
* Sports
* Gambling + Entertainment
* Transportation companies
* Communications + Broadcasting
* Press + Publishing
* Telecommunications
* Security Access + Protection
* Health
* Sports + Personal Training
* Tourism
* Politics + Law
* etc.

In short, technical writers work in every industry and in every field. You would be hard pressed to find a single industry where technical writers are not employed.

By employment type:

Technical writers are:

* Self-employed freelancers
* Employment agency employed independent contractors
* Payroll employees

Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. We’ll pick up this topic again later on.

By skill level:

There are basically two types skill levels involved in technical writing:

* Business-writing skills. This level overlaps considerably with business and commercial copy writing and involves writing business letters, grants, proposals, press releases, etc.
* Hi-tech skills. This level requires specialized technical knowledge of electronics, pharmaceuticals, finance, telecommunications industry and generates documents catering to the insiders or the consumers of that industry.

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Lesson 6

Three sources of employment for technical writers

There are three ways to get a job as a technical writer:

1) On your own, as an independent freelancer.

2) Through a job agency, as an independent contractor.

3) As a company employee.

Each offers different benefits and advantages, depending on your skills as a technical writer, your background and your personality.

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1) To be on your own is perhaps the ideal of most freelancers and it certainly has its allure. That’s the good old American dream, isn’t it ?

But I wouldn’t recommend going 100% freelancing if you don’t have advanced “social engineering: skills, including heavy-duty networking.

A second point is, yes, freelancers make more money when there’s work to do but their expenses are also much higher. They pay all their (and their family’s) medical insurance, disability and life insurance (if any), Social Security and FICA contributions (for U.S. workers), etc.

2) Job agencies fit you into the projects they secure from the companies where you actually do the work. In a way, they lend you to this other company for a fee. They take their share from the top and pass on to you the rest. If you are good at what you do job agencies can be a steady and lucrative source of income.

I worked briefly for Fannie Mae back in 2006 through a similar agency and I liked the experience very much.

However, if you do not like your job, the agency might not have another and better one for you in waiting. So there is a danger of getting stuck with assignments that you don’t like.

There are many employment agencies that you can query as a technical writer. Just search for them on the Internet with the key words “technical writing jobs” and “technical communicator jobs”.

As to the benefits, most major agencies cover your medical insurance and other side benefits for a fee. The amount you end up paying is less than what you’d pay as an independent freelancer but more than what you’d pay as a full-time employee.

3) Working directly as an employee for a company is the best in terms of long-term job security, on-the job training opportunities, paid annual vacations, medical-dental-vision coverage, and a variety of other side benefits.

I highly recommend this alternative since it usually comes with generous 401(k) retirement plans and even (which is rare these days) an additional pension plan. During my technical writing career I have worked for 10 years as an employee for major Fortune 500 corporations and I never regretted it.

Good luck with your job search and let me know if you have any questions.

ONLINE COURSE: Professional Technical Writing

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Lesson 7

7 low-tech technical writing jobs that pay well

You do not need to be a computer engineer or a scientist with Ph.D. to become a top-notch technical writer. There are many low-tech writing niches that you can prosper in even if you are not too comfortable with hi-tech subject matters. Here are seven such opportunities available to all technical writers:

1) Grant Proposal writing. There are a lot of non-profit organizations out there looking for writers to prepare and submit a grant proposal on their behalf. The same goes for for-profit corporations that need writers to prepare the necessary documentation to satisfy the conditions stated in a RFP (Request For Proposal) document and win commercial bids.

2) Resume and cover letter writing. Resumes and cover letters are “evergreen” writing gigs since they are needed all the time. But especially in times of economic hardship and recession, a good resume becomes more important than ever. Learn how to write great resumes and cover letters and you’ll never be without a job.

3) Quality Control Plan (QCP) writing. This is a document submitted by a defense contractor trying to win a defense-related bid. You can learn how to write one within a day and make good money freelancing for defense vendors and contractors.

4) Tests and Quizzes. There are many tutoring companies, SAT and other exam-prep book publishers who need technical writers come up with all kinds of exam questions, tests and quizzes. Pick up one such book you like, find its publisher, and send a query to the editor.

5) Policy and Procedure writing. Policy and Procedure manuals are needed by all kinds of civic, religious, and military organizations, corporate Human Resources departments, and non-profits in general. You gather and compile the rules, policies and procedures so the managers know what to do when something goes wrong.

6) Case studies. A case study defines a problem for an organization, describes the alternative methods tried to resolve the issue, and then defines one solution that worked the best, with Before and After figures. Many mid- and large-size organizations have such case studies written both for their internal training and marketing purposes. This is a lucrative field that overlaps with writing White Papers.

7) Game rule writing. Video and board games is a $12 billion industry and growing. Every game must have its own file or booklet of rules and technical writers write them. If you can write clear directions on how to play a game, what constitutes a “win” or a “loss,” what are the things that are allowed and not allowed, and express it in a language that can be understood by an average reader with only high school education, you might have a job with a game company.

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Lesson 8

4 hi-tech technical writing jobs that pay well

Some technical writing jobs require that you have a science background or that you are familiar with finance and banking terminology and know how the financial markets work. Here are four such well-paying writing opportunities for technical communicators with a college background.

1) Defense industry writing. Due to the recent political developments and wars, defense expenditures have went through the roof within the last decade. And all defense companies need technical writers, some with top-secret security clearances, to document their products and services. If you specialize in this niche, you won’t have too much difficulty in finding and holding a full-time writing job with good pay.

2) Financial writing. Even when the global financial markets collapse, there is still a great need to explain to the average taxpayers how to invest or not to invest their money, how to save, which alternative money management methods they should adopt, how to set up their retirement accounts and insurance plans, which financial products they should purchase and which ones they should avoid. And those are all information tasks that are handled by technical writers. If you combine your finance knowledge with copy writing skills and get into the highly-competitive Financial Newsletter writing niche, your income may rise even more rapidly.

3) Medical and Regulatory writing. This is one writing niche where the employers have more cash than they know what to do with it. Pharmaceutical companies, especially, are always solvent and they regularly need top-notch science-savvy technical writers to generate their regulatory documents. Without securing the approval of regulatory agencies no drugs can be marketed to the general public. Thus the work that medical writers do can be of vital importance for a drug company and that’s why medical writers are among the best paid hi-tech technical writers.

4) Software/Hardware documentation. Software and hardware companies around the world always need technical writers to write their specs, user documentation. configuration and system administration documentation, installation guides, quick reference guides, end-user help files, and dozens of other documents that they need on a regular basis. Related writing niches include telecommunications, network, and security access documentation.

ONLINE COURSE: Professional Technical Writing

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Lesson 9

Pros and cons of technical writing

You should become a technical writer if you like the following:

* A steady writing job, with generally good and above-average employment prospects
* A well-paying job (in 2007, the average American technical writer made about $62K a year).

NOTE: To get a free Special Report “How Much Do Technical Writers Make?” please register with my Tech Writing Tips ezine at https://technicalcommunicationcenter.com

* An interesting and challenging job where you are asked to grasp new technical concepts and explain them to others in a plain language
* Generous package of benefits (for payroll employees) that usually include health, life, disability insurance benefits (which sometimes include eye and dental coverage as well), employer 401(k) contribution, retirement plan (depending on the company), training reimbursement, credit union (depending on the company), etc.
* The real psychic satisfaction of knowing that you are doing something that counts, helping other people live better lives and making our world just a little bit better in a concrete way.

But you should not become a technical writer if the following are important for you:

* Getting a byline and making a name for yourself (usually you will never have your name appear on any of the documents you write and thus nobody will know your name)
* Owning the copyright of what you are writing (usually your employer or client will have full copyrights of everything you’ll be writing)

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Lesson 10

2 Basic Types of Technical Documents

There are basically two general types of technical documents:

1. Functional Manual
2. Procedural Guide

A Functional Manual is the kind of entry-level document that explain which “button” does what. I’m sure you have seen many “User Instruction” brochures packed with every gadget you buy. Usually such manuals explain the FUNCTION of user controls, without telling you the BEST WAY to use the product.

A Procedural Guide, on the other hand, is harder to write because it requires not only an intimate knowledge of the product or service in question but also an understanding of WHAT the users are trying to ACHIEVE with it. It requires a knowledge of the PERFORMANCE GOALS that the audience has in mind. It’s the sort of document that goes way beyond a mere description of the buttons, menus and controls of a product.

GUI/Button manuals are ideal for beginning tech writers. But you need to be an experienced tech writer to do a good job with a procedural guide.

Technical Documents” src=”https://technicalcommunicationcenter.comwp-content/uploads/2009/02/180px-digital-clock-alarm.jpg” alt=”2 Types of Technical Documents” width=”180″ height=”135″ /> 2 Types of Technical Documents

For example, let’s say you are documenting a digital alarm clock (public domain photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons).

A Functional Manual would talk about the functions of all the 6 buttons that you see on top this clock. It will tell you how the clock will behave when you click or push them, etc. It will describe the ACTION (e.g., clicking) and its EFFECT (e.g., the numbers blinking). It would establish a CAUSE and EFFECT relationship between the user actions and the behavior of the clock. But we would still have no idea the best way to use this gadget, although admittedly, it’s not that complicated a gadget to use of course.

However, let’s assume that this digital clock has the Bluetooth ability to download the music file of your choice from the Internet and play it when the alarm goes off… Then you would need to write a Procedural Guide explaining the best way to configure this digital clock so that it would perform such a complicated task. That would usually be a series of NUMBERED STEPS describing each step of the PROCEDURE involved.

For example, it might be a procedural description such as the following (provided here just for illustration purposes):

To set your Internet Wake-Up function:

1) Press Button A to display the music type options (jazz, classical, pop, country).

[REMEMBER: You’ve already explained what each button is and does, either in a separate Functional Manual or in the “Operations” or a similar chapter of your “User Guide.” When the readers reach this section they should already have a good idea about “which button does what.” Here we are describing more complex PROCEDURES the user can follow to accomplish more complicated goals.]

2) Press button A and B together to select a music style.

3) Press buttons B and C together to assign the music style to your alarm schedule.

4) Shift the Selection Slide to ON position to save the setting. Now, when the alarm goes off, you’ll wake up with your favorite music style downloaded automatically from the Internet by your alarm clock.

ONLINE COURSE: Professional Technical Writing

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Lesson 11

Characteristics of Good Technical Writing

Here are some of the characteristics of good solid technical writing...

Technical writing needs to be:

CORRECT. This is ultimate. Paramount. No matter what else technical writing is, it cannot be INCORRECT. Period. Everything you write must be ACCURATE and verifiable empirically. That’s why you have to check and double-check all your facts and figures before including them in a technical document.

For example, “World War 2 ended in 1948” is not a correct and accurate statement.

PRECISE. A statement can be correct but NOT precise. Technical writing needs to be both.

For example, “When warmed up, a pot of water eventually starts to boil” is correct but not precise. “When warmed up, a pot of water starts to boil at 100 degrees centigrade” is both correct and precise.

RELEVANT. All statements in a technical document need to be not only correct and precise but relevant as well. Why talk about the history of physics in a Power Boat User’s Manual?

BRIEF. Shorter the better. “To tell the truth, you should ideally not be opening Valve A before you shut down Valve B” is wordy. Cut it down to: “Never open Valve A before you shut down Valve B.” Period.

UNEMOTIONAL. Emotions are great in creative writing and fiction but deadly in technical writing.

“Ignore any stupid error messages from the database server” is totallly unacceptable in a technical document since it is not up to the writer to judge whether a server acts “stupidly” or not. Such a characterization never helps to understand how a system works or how to fix it when it breaks down.

“Ignore any error messages from the database server” is enough.

NON-ANTHROPOMORPHIC. Okay, I admit, I’ve used a “$100 word” but that’s exactly the best word to express this idea. Let me explain…

Sometimes people attribute human-like qualities to non-human components. That’s what “anthromorphism” refers to.

When you write “the client machine loves thin applications,” “love” is a human emotion that a “client machine” actually never feels. Remember our first rule that tech writing needs to be “correct”? A client machine “in love” is simply not correct.

A better and non-anthromorphic statement that says the same thing would be: “A client machine works more efficiently with thin applications.”

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Lesson 12

How to Avoid Exaggeration and “Fine Writing”

Technical writing fails when it tries to become “fine writing” or “creative writing.” Why? Because one of the main tools of “fine writing” is attributing human-like qualities to non-human actors and agents. That’s a definite taboo in technical documentation.

For example you commit that error every time you write a sentence like “When the system becomes aware of a user selection, it switches channels.”

“Awareness” is an attribute of organic (human, animal, or perhaps even plant) consciousness. Machines and computer systems are not “aware” of anything the way we humans are aware of things.

A better sentence would be: “When the system detects a user selection, it switches channels.” Here there is no claim that the “system” is “alive” with “consciousness.”

The same “fine writing” error is committed when a technical writer uses adjectives, superlatives, and draws an exaggerated picture of technical states and processes.

For example, in a novel, it may be commensurate with “poetic license” to talk about a “gorgeous pomegranate-colored red pilot light” flashing on and off when the user presses the OFF button. But in a technical document such an exaggerated description comes across a ridiculous.

A better description would be “a red pilot light flashes on and off for 2 seconds when the user presses the OFF button.” It’s simple, correct, and effective.

Again: “When you hear an awful sound coming from the B module, it’s time to change the oil.” The adjective “awful” does not belong in technical writing since it’s meaning is subjective and can change from one person to another. A technical document needs to be as objective as possible to eliminate any variation in application.

A better sentence would be: “When you hear a high-pitched sound coming from the B module, it’s time to change the oil.”

ONLINE COURSE: Professional Technical Writing

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Lesson 13

3 rules of Good English in Technical Writing

Here are three rules that will help you write technical documents that are much easier to read, understand and remember.

1) Follow the subject of the sentence immediately with the verb.

For example: “The operator [SUBJECT], after consulting with her supervisor, normalized [VERB] the database.”

BETTER: “The operator normalized the database after consulting with her supervisor.”

2) Chain-link multiple sentences in a paragraph by ending and starting consecutive sentences with the same topic.

For example: “The new Xenon encrypted servers were installed yesterday after a two month delay. The wrong encryption key was the reason why the installation did not go smoothly. The Project Management, in order to prevent the same issue in the future, decided to implement a new encryption key management system.”

TOPIC 1: Servers installed. Should be at the END of Sentence 1.
TOPIC 2: Installation not going smoothly. Sentence 2 should START with that.
TOPIC 3: Wrong encryption key. Should be at the END of Sentence 2.
TOPIC 4: A new encryption key management system. Sentence 3 should START with that.
TOPIC 5: Preventing the same issue in the future. Should be at the END of Sentence 3.

BETTER: “After a two month delay, the new Xenon encrypted servers were installed yesterday. The installation did not go smoothly due to wrong encryption key. A new encryption key management system will be implemented by the Project Management to prevent the same issue in the future.

3) Consolidate the group of short sentences written about the same topic.

For example: “When there is too much load, network should be shut down. Only an Admin can shut down the network. 10,000 logins per minute is the upper limit of what the network can carry.”

BETTER: “The network, which can carry a maximum load of 10,000 logins a minute, should be shut down by an authorized Admin when that limit is superseded.”

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Lesson 14

Why are Templates Necessary in Technical Writing?

Consistency of a technical documentation is what creates that subliminal sense of trust and confidence in the end-users.

A technical document must be “boringly consistent” in order to be trusted.

Just ask yourself: would you trust an airplane maintenance manual that has missing page numbers, has chapter headings printed in different fonts and sizes, has differently formatted figure captions for consecutively printed figures (like “Figure 2-14” on one page, and “FIGURE 15” on next)?

Consistency all starts with a document TEMPLATE. That’s why you need a good template to write a good technical document.

It is harder to shift between different page templates if you are using MS Word as your main text editing program, and much easier if you are using Framemaker or InDesign since the last two are built on the “Master Pages” concept. But a page template is what you definitely must have.

When you have a template, you have consistent margins, sidebars, headers and footers, for starters. You have consistent page numbering and column, and page gutter(s) if you have more than one column.

If your text editor allows you to create Master Pages, I’d recommend you to create a document template starting off with the following 5 types of pages (assuming you are writing a book):

1. Front Cover
2. First Page
3. Right Page
4. Left Page
5. Back Cover

And it wouldn’t hurt at all of you design templates (Master Pages) for the following types of special pages as well:

1. Front Matter
2. TOC
3. List of Tables and Figures
4. Index

Have a template first before structuring your information. It’s a must. “Don’t leave home without it,” as one credit card commercial used to say.

ONLINE COURSE: Professional Technical Writing

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Lesson 15

What’s the Difference Between a “Font” and a “Font Family” ?

A sound knowledge of fonts is a must for any technical writer. In about fifteen or twenty years that may not be as crucial as it is today if and when the technical communication field makes a wholesale shift to “structured authoring” in which the writers may lose control over how their “content” will be formatted and “presented.”

But as these lines are written, we’re still living in the “unstructured authoring” era when technical writers not only gather the content but also decide how that content will appear in print, in a PDF file, on screen, etc. So that’s why they also need to have a good understanding of the fonts and how to use them properly.

First, you should be aware that when we commonly refer to a “font” in daily language we’re usually referring to a “font family.” It is also known as a “font face” or “typeface.”

A “font family” or “typeface” includes all letters of a given alphabet in one or more font sizes, all the punctuation marks, all numbers and a selected set of symbols.

For example, “Helvetica,” “Arial,” “Times Roman” are all font families. And within that “family” there are individual fonts, differing from each other by individual attributes such as “weight,” “style,” “size” etc.

That’s why, technically speaking, “Arial, 12 pt, Italic” is a different font than “Arial, 14 pt, Italic” because they do not have identical attributes (size, in this case). However, they still belong to the same “font family,” regardless of their attributes. This is especially true in print documentation.

However, the introduction of computers did change some of these basic definitions. Since size, weight and style of a font can be changed easily on a computer, the fonts that have different attributes (like weight and size) are referred to these days simply as a “typeface”. For example, “Arial 12 Bold” and “Arial 14 Italic” become “typefaces” in this new on-line design environment.

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Lesson 16

How to Use Fonts Properly in a Technical Document

As a technical writer, you should be aware of certain basics about fonts and some basic rules to observe in your documents. The most basic distinction about fonts is whether they have a “serif” or not. That’s why font families are split into two major categories: Serif and Non-Serif fonts.

A serif is a small tail- or wedge-like appendage that extends outward from the end fo a letter or symbol. “Times Roman,” for example, is a famous serif font and “Arial” is an equally famous non-serif font.

RECOMMENDED RULES of font selection for technical writers:

1) Select your headlines from NON-SERIF fonts (like Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Tahoma, Futura, Optima) and your body text from SERIF fonts (like Roman, Times Roman, Times New Roman, Georgia, Bookman).

2) ITALIC is designed to attract attention to itself by virtue of being hard to read. That’s why, in a block of readable text, it makes sense to emphasize a word or a phrase by printing it in Italic.

However, some authors print whole web or print pages in Italic! That defies the whole purpose of the Italic style. Every time you use Italic font, be aware that you are making your words harder to read. Thus use it sparingly, like using pepper while cooking.

3) Do not use more than two or a MAXIMUM of three typefaces in your technical documents. A profusion of typefaces creates confusion in the reader’s mind. When it comes to fonts, less is always more.

4) Do not assume that all computers have access to every font you have. All computers, however, come with a set of built-in “system fonts” that are installed automatically by the operating system. The most famous of these system fonts are Arial, Times or Times Roman, and Courier (or Courier New). If you use these three fonts you can rest assured that your document will appear in the receiving end in the same fonts that you have used on your machine.

If, however, you use a hard-to-get fancy font, the reader’s machine will substitute the “closest font available” to render your document readable. “Optima” for example may be replace with “Arial” and sometimes such substitutions change the way a page is composed, usually for the worse.

Thus, to be safe, stick to the basic “system fonts” when designing a document that you expect to be distributed and read online.

ONLINE COURSE: Professional Technical Writing

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Lesson 17

How to Use the Bulleted Lists Properly

Bulleted lists are important in technical writing. They summarize information in a manner that is easy to read and absorb. Use them whenever you can to get your information across quickly.

Compare:

“In winter months make sure to check your tires, have enough wood for the fireplace, make sure there is are extra blankets for the guests, and the pump water is shut off.”

With bullets:

“Make sure to do the following to get ready for the winter:

* Check your tires.
* Have enough wood for the fireplace.
* Keep extra blankets for the guests.
* Shut off the pump water.”

Another comparison: which list would you remember with less difficulty:

This one:

“A knowledge of mathematics, besides geometry, trigonometry and physics, is necessary for an civil engineer to know well.”

Or this?

“A civil engineer should know his

* mathematics
* geometry
* trigonometry
* physics

well.”

But when you are drawing up a bulleted list try to use “parallel construction”; that is, the bullet items should be similar grammatically. They should have the same mood and tense. If one starts with a verb, the others should also start with a verb.