Tough Questions
Over the years, I have come across many tough questions such as writing or editing?, creative writing or technical writing. These, sometimes, turn into full-fledged philosophical discussions but still no conclusions are met. Then there are questions that bug all of us such as "who" or "whom", quotation marks inside the end period or outside, "alternately" or "alternatively". And many more. This section is dedicated to all such writers' pet peeves.
Tools
I have used MS Word and all its siblings, MS Office Project, MS Visio, Epic Editor, Perforce, SVN, TeamSite, SnagIT, Photoshop, Jasc PaintShop Pro, InDesign, WebWorks, FrameMaker, MadCap Flare, and the works. I have found that each tool is quirky to say the least, and sometimes can drive you nuts! But how would we do all the publishing had it to be done without these monsters that can work magically well sometimes. So if you are having a "bad tool day" similar to a "bad hair day", better consult your horror-scope for the day before starting out!
Processes
Vincent Van Gogh once said, "I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process". Just as well, there might be times when you are so engrossed in your daily tasks that some small and seemingly important tasks fall through the cracks and slip off your mind, and then become the most important. Processes keep your sanity intact in times of chaos and lend method to your work. So whether you work for a product or services company, processes can save bad blood and keep your focus intact.
Concepts
In the daily grind of belting out content and documents, all of us work with some basic concepts that guide our work. An example would be, it is assumed that you use a bullet list for items that have equal importance, and a numbered list for steps that must be followed in a particular order to achieve the stated result, or for items that are listed in an ascending or descending degree of importance with 1 or 5 being the highest. These are "basic" concepts or so we call them, but as an editor, I have seen many instances through the years where pressure to deliver and tight deadlines make writers sacrifice these concepts at the alter of emergency. Doing so might not tantamount to sin, but could set in as a habit that could prove detrimental to your writing in the long term.
Editing
Technical editing has grown into a full-fledged discipline within technical communications. Editors are expected to wear multiple hats beyond just line editing or proofreading. That is where different levels of editing come into play. An editor must know when to pull back on the depth of editing and when to take a deep dive; when to let missed edits pass, and when to say "over my dead body"; which edits are negotiable and which edits are not; how to deal with a difficult writer; and how and when to put your foot down in the best interests of quality documentation!
Information Mapping
Called by various names, labels, epithets, and misnomers, Information Mapping is not the monster it is made out to be. It is a method, a discipline, a few ground rules that need to be applied systematically to your writing after you have decided what is and what is not to be included in your documentation. A clear definition and understanding of what information finds its way in and what stays out helps you harness the power of information mapping optimally.
New Trends
Like every sphere of our lives that is being touched by the Internet, social media, digital content, and high level customizations for targeting users, the field of technical communications is no exception. For a technical writer, adoption and adaptation to these stimuli in the technology space determine the pace of learning and progress.
Over the years, I have come across many tough questions such as writing or editing?, creative writing or technical writing. These, sometimes, turn into full-fledged philosophical discussions but still no conclusions are met. Then there are questions that bug all of us such as "who" or "whom", quotation marks inside the end period or outside, "alternately" or "alternatively". And many more. This section is dedicated to all such writers' pet peeves.
Tools
I have used MS Word and all its siblings, MS Office Project, MS Visio, Epic Editor, Perforce, SVN, TeamSite, SnagIT, Photoshop, Jasc PaintShop Pro, InDesign, WebWorks, FrameMaker, MadCap Flare, and the works. I have found that each tool is quirky to say the least, and sometimes can drive you nuts! But how would we do all the publishing had it to be done without these monsters that can work magically well sometimes. So if you are having a "bad tool day" similar to a "bad hair day", better consult your horror-scope for the day before starting out!
Processes
Vincent Van Gogh once said, "I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process". Just as well, there might be times when you are so engrossed in your daily tasks that some small and seemingly important tasks fall through the cracks and slip off your mind, and then become the most important. Processes keep your sanity intact in times of chaos and lend method to your work. So whether you work for a product or services company, processes can save bad blood and keep your focus intact.
Concepts
In the daily grind of belting out content and documents, all of us work with some basic concepts that guide our work. An example would be, it is assumed that you use a bullet list for items that have equal importance, and a numbered list for steps that must be followed in a particular order to achieve the stated result, or for items that are listed in an ascending or descending degree of importance with 1 or 5 being the highest. These are "basic" concepts or so we call them, but as an editor, I have seen many instances through the years where pressure to deliver and tight deadlines make writers sacrifice these concepts at the alter of emergency. Doing so might not tantamount to sin, but could set in as a habit that could prove detrimental to your writing in the long term.
Editing
Technical editing has grown into a full-fledged discipline within technical communications. Editors are expected to wear multiple hats beyond just line editing or proofreading. That is where different levels of editing come into play. An editor must know when to pull back on the depth of editing and when to take a deep dive; when to let missed edits pass, and when to say "over my dead body"; which edits are negotiable and which edits are not; how to deal with a difficult writer; and how and when to put your foot down in the best interests of quality documentation!
Information Mapping
Called by various names, labels, epithets, and misnomers, Information Mapping is not the monster it is made out to be. It is a method, a discipline, a few ground rules that need to be applied systematically to your writing after you have decided what is and what is not to be included in your documentation. A clear definition and understanding of what information finds its way in and what stays out helps you harness the power of information mapping optimally.
New Trends
Like every sphere of our lives that is being touched by the Internet, social media, digital content, and high level customizations for targeting users, the field of technical communications is no exception. For a technical writer, adoption and adaptation to these stimuli in the technology space determine the pace of learning and progress.
