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Create Technical Writing Consistency While You Write—Or Add it Later

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One of the primary tasks any writer or editor must perform is to impose consistency on a manuscript. Consistency is particularly important for technical writers, because it makes the task of writing easier: if you don’t have to develop a new solution each time you face the same problem, you can simply find a solution that works for all occurrences of that problem and use it thereafter. From the technical writer’s perspective, it’s best if you try to build in that consistency right from the start, because it can save you a lot of time both in your initial draft and in your subsequent revisions. Read more of this technical writing article »

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New Look at Grammar Basics for Technical Writing

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Of all the arguments technical writers enjoy having, few beat the ones about grammar for sheer vehemence of point of view. Grammatical arguments suffer from a problem of authority. one technical writer flourishes complex syntax categories with impressive names, while another points out the arbitrary rules of a revered style guide. There are still quite a few who refer to the authority of an impressive early teacher, and some of us who are forced to fall back on "I know what sounds right." Whether you’re on a technical writing team that serves up corporate style guides for lunch, or a lone writer trying to find consistency and clarity, perhaps it’s time to take a new look at how you approach grammar. Read more of this technical writing article »

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Gender-neutral Technical Writing

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Gender-neutral writing uses language that does not stereotype either sex nor appear to be referring to only one sex when that is not the writer's intention. In this article, you'll see why gender-neutral writing is important for technical writers to use, what gender-neutral writing is not, and how you can use gender-neutral writing in the documents you develop. Read more of this technical writing article »

The Quality of the Writing Can Never Be Better Than the Quality of the Research

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Editor’s Note: The following piece, by the late, great Herman Holtz, is part of our collection of “classics”–articles that stand the test of time no matter how many technologies come and go. Most of us probably have some notion of what is good writing and what is poor writing, and probably most of us measure or [...] Read more of this technical writing article »

Escape from the Grammar Trap

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Too many editors focus on the details and don’t pay enough attention to the bigger picture. Editors can–and should–add even more value through substantive, technical, and usability editing. Copyediting is important, but the details are only part of what an editor can and should be reviewing. After all, a document can be correctly spelled and [...] Read more of this technical writing article »

The Bold Approach: How Reporting the Facts Can Invigorate Your Writing

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Editor’s Note: The following piece, by the late, great Herman Holtz, was to appear as part of Herman’s “Hindsights & Insights” column.  It is part of our collection of “classics”–articles that stand the test of time no matter how many technologies come and go. Published with permission. Some people in the flying business are fond of reminding people [...] Read more of this technical writing article »

Tech Writers, Grammar, and the Prescriptive Attitude

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Most technical writers are confused about grammar. On any day on the TECHWR-L list, basic questions are asked: “Is ‘User’s Guide’ or ‘Users’ Guide’ correct? Maybe ‘Users Guide?’” “Should ‘web’ be capitalized when used to refer to the World Wide Web?” “Which is right: ‘A FAQ’ or ‘an FAQ?’” Many of these questions become the major thread on the list for a day or two, generating far more debate than they’re worth. The confusion isn’t so much about the grammatical points themselves. It’s about the nature of grammar in general. Apparently, many tech writers do not see grammar as a set of conventions to help them write clearly. Instead, to judge by the wording of the questions and responses, they see grammar as a set of unchanging rules that can provide definitive answers in every situation. Read more of this technical writing article »