This is a topic that’s been on my mind lately, since in each of my technical writing jobs, I’ve been attached to a different business area or team (sometimes changing areas/teams within the same company). And of course, I’m currently looking for a new job… I’ve yet to decide which ‘location’ I prefer, to be [...]

In Writing for the right audience, one of my golden rules was Don’t use clever-sounding language just for the sake of it. As I’ve recently been revising some documents written by software professionals who aren’t technical writers, I’ve come across lots of examples of this – in some cases, long words are used in slightly [...]

[Just a note: I'm aiming to get back to a more regular posting schedule for my Technical Writing Tuesday posts. My current intention is to post on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. Topic suggestions are welcome!] The good news: having quality, easy-to-read, frequently updated documentation for your product can reduce support calls, [...]

As discussed in previous posts, technical documents typically go through several draft phases. A first draft is often incomplete, and it can take a few more drafts and review cycles before a document is ready to go out to its intended reader (and can be classed as a ‘deliverable’). But how can you stop well-meaning [...]

Write for the right audience is (or should be) one of the golden rules of any type of writing. For example, if you’re writing a novel for children, don’t bog the story down in too much flowery description; if you’re preparing a pamphlet listing rubbish bin collections, keep timetables and lists simple enough for people [...]

In past posts, I’ve mentioned that information gathering is one of a technical writer’s more essential tasks. Here, I’m going to discuss some of the possible sources for information about the product you’re documenting. Requirements and specification documents Some companies produce requirements and specification documents when developing a new product or piece-of-product. In my own [...]