Technical writing is about more than writing training manuals and SOPs (standard operating practices). Today, the field of technical writing reaches into almost every industry as the demand for clear and concise writing grows. Whether you are working as a full-time writer, hoping to break into the lucrative world of freelance tech writing, or simply want to communicate better with your team, Technical Writing For Dummies 2nd Edition helps you master the skills you need to succeed with new and revised material that includes:
- How to use virtual and remote collaboration tools to reach new audiences.
- Insight into the ever-evolving world of technical communication.
- New information on writing user manuals and instructional videos.
- Best practices for using cloud-based communications and storage.
- Tips to help you write for video and virtual conferencing.
- How to improve document readability so your words connect with the reader.
- Craft user manuals and universal documentation for a diversified and global audience.
- Career opportunities for emerging technical writers.
- How to write for e-learning platforms.
Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts leads business-writing seminars throughout the country and is the author of over 25 books, including 135 Tips for Writing Successful Business Documents. She has appeared on television and radio networks throughout the United States and has been featured and quoted in The New York Times.
Introduction 1
Part 1: What It Takes to Write Technical Docs 5
Chapter 1: Working as a Technical Writer 7
Chapter 2: Putting Together a Team and a Plan 25
Part 2: The Write Stuff 37
Chapter 3: Completing a Technical Writing Brief 39
Chapter 4: Crafting a Draft 51
Chapter 5: Designing Documents to Enhance the User Experience 57
Chapter 6: Honing the Tone 85
Chapter 7: Fine-Tuning toward the Ideal 97
Part 3: Frequently Written Docs 107
Chapter 8: Writing User Manuals and More 109
Chapter 9: Preparing Abstracts 127
Chapter 10: Creating Spec Sheets 133
Chapter 11: Generating Questionnaires 141
Chapter 12: Preparing for Technical Presentations 149
Chapter 13: Abridging for Executive Summaries 159
Part 4: Tech Tools 167
Chapter 14: Collaborating with Others 169
Chapter 15: Videoconferencing 183
Chapter 16: Offering eLearning 195
Chapter 17: Surfing the Net 211
Chapter 18: Protecting Intellectual Property 221
Part 5: The Part of Tens 233
Chapter 19: Ten Tips for Writing a Whitepaper 235
Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Publishing in a Technical Journal 241
Chapter 21: Ten Frustrations of Technical Writers 247
Appendix A: Punctuation Made Easy 253
Appendix B: Grammar’s Not Grueling 265
Appendix C: Abbreviations and Metric Equivalents 275
Appendix D: Tech Talk: Glossary of Terms 285
Appendix E: Technical Writing Brief 289
Index 293
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