Review
The [first edition's] pace is brisk, the writing crisp and clear....business principles behind technical writing shine through as well. --
Technical Communication: Journal of the Society for Technical Communication, May 2002
From the Author
Have you ever thought:
"Hey, I'm a good writer. I wonder if tech writing would make sense for me?"
If so, this is the book for you. Technical Writing 101 is a concise handbook that describes what it really takes to make it as a technical writer.
Technical Writing 101 explains that in addition to writing ability, technical writers also need a grasp of technical subjects, planning and organizational skills, and the ability to extract information from sources, which often means coaxing information from harried product developers. Tact, diplomacy, persistence, and a good sense of humor are essential.
The second edition features updated information about single sourcing, which is the process of creating different types of content (for example, printed documents and web pages) from one set of files. Limited budgets force many documentation departments to rely on single sourcing, so an understanding of single-sourcing techniques is essential for prospective technical writers.
This edition also contains a new chapter about how structured authoring affects technical writing. Structured authoring is a publishing workflow that enforces consistent organization of content. For example, if you write a list, the list must have two or more items. If a list doesn't have at least two items, your text processing software displays an error. Structured authoring may seem intimidating at first, but Technical Writing 101 clearly describes the process and its many benefits.
If you're working toward a degree in technical writing, this book is a great complement to your more theoretical classes.
