​The “INVERTED PYRAMID” Principle in Technical Writing

The “INVERTED PYRAMID” principle is very simple: write what is most important the first, and what is the least important the last. REMEMBER: IMPORTANT STUFF – write them right away! Don’t sit on them. The traditional style of writing takes its time by first establishing the “base” of knowledge, similar to the way a regular…

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7 Tips to Localize Your Technical Documents Successfully

Here are 7 tips to localize your technical documents successfully. “Localization,” or the translation of documents into multiple languages and their adaptation to local cultures, is a fast developing communication niche. We live in a “globalized” world. These days not only the goods and services but also all kinds of documents are shipped to (or are accessed…

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Watch Your Adjectives Like a Hawk in Technical Writing

Watch your adjectives like a hawk when you’re writing a list or a procedure in a technical document. Here is an example from the “Workout & Nutrition Guide” that came with the exercise equipment I’ve bought the other day. EXAMPLE 1 “Continue your workout until you feel you are no longer using good form.” What…

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Warning caution

How to Write Notes, Cautions, and Warnings

Introduction How to write notes, cautions, and warnings is an important skill in documentation. They can be used to make a point clear or to warn the reader about something they should be careful about or the possibility of personal injury. You can hurt or at least drive your readers crazy if you neglect the…

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Two Ways to Direct Your Readers in Technical Writing

© Ugur Akinci There are many times when while writing a procedure you’ll have to direct a reader in one direction or another. There are two types of directing instructions: A REFERENCE and a BRANCH statement. And both of them can be either CONDITIONAL or UNCONDITIONAL. I’ll give an example of each. UNCONDITIONAL REFERENCE: Refer…

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If You Ask a Rhetorical Question, Answer It, Right Away

If you pull your readers into a topic by asking a rhetorical question that’s perfectly acceptable as a writing style. But if you do that, you’d better answer your own question right away. Otherwise some of your readers can be really frustrated. Rhetorical questions increase the stakes. They introduce a tension that needs to be relieved by…

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Should technical writing be boring or entertaining?

Someone said “good technical writing is boring writing.” Not only that is true, but that’s a beautiful thing too. Why? Allow me to explain. Let’s think about what makes a piece of writing EXCITING versus BORING. Read any creative writing book you like and I think you’ll see that the author recommends VARYING word usage,…

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An Embarrassing Start to My Technical Writing Career

(Please leave a comment, good or bad, I appreciate them all. What questions do you have? I’m interested to know. Many thanks!) © Ugur Akinci I have a confession to make today… I’m embarrassed and actually still blush a little when I remember how I started my tech writing career. The year was 1998. At the…

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