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Technical writing: lessons learned from the att...

GoDays
January 23, 2020

Technical writing: lessons learned from the attempt of writing a book chapter - Ioana Rosu - solarisBank

Attendees will learn that technical writing requires multiple skills, from an understanding of the technology to writing ability and social skills. It is not just about grasping technical information and recording it in a document. Technical writing takes high-level information and processes it into digestible content for a specific audience. Attendees might also be surprised to discover that the process can take just as much (or more!) time to plan and review than to write. All the knowledge is correlated with an attempt to write a book chapter.

GoDays

January 23, 2020
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Transcript

  1. Who am I? • Ioana Rosu • Software Developer @

    solarisBank • Twitter @alexanderspace_
  2. How did I end up in this? • I am

    a regular human • I do sport, love programming and meerkats • I had some attempts to write short stories (fiction) ages ago • I received a proposal to write a chapter, part of a book about Go language
  3. My Q&A • Who ever wrote a blog post? •

    What about a novel? • Who ever wrote a README? • What about a technical book?
  4. The thing is… • Writing is a very big topic

    • Writing genres • Business emails, CVs, medical reports
  5. The roadmap for today • What is Technical Writing? •

    Style Definition & Benefits • The Technical Writing Process
  6. What is Technical Writing? Is about processing information into digestible

    content with a specific meaning for a specific audience. Is not just about understanding technical information and recording it in a document.
  7. Style Definition & Benefits • Clear, direct and neutral style

    • Guides the reader in how to use that information. • Becoming a little expert on that subject
  8. 1. Prewriting - facts • Document type • Goal •

    Consulting with experts • Audience analysis and understanding
  9. 2. Drafting - Writing in the correct style • Using

    the Active Voice Passive Voice Example: The electricity meter is read six times a year by a trained technician. Active Voice Example: A trained technician reads the meter six times a year. • Accurate Word Choice (less is more: details) • Avoid jargon
  10. What is the state of the story? • The chapter

    is in draft state • Still uncertain about one subtopic I would like to add • Still uncertain about the book situation regarding the publisher
  11. Let’s recap • Writing is a process • Prewriting is

    the phase where a good part of the magic happens • Let’s not fall in the trap of the editor’s syndrome • It’s fun!
  12. Sources & credits • The big internet • Technical Writing

    A Guide for Effective Communication by Carmen Bombardó Solés Marta Aguilar … • Technical Blogging by Antonio Cangiano • Technical Writing: A Practical Guide for Engineers and Scientists by Phillip A. Laplante • Technical Writing For Dummies by Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts • https://www.publicationcoach.com/ Twitter @alexanderspace_
  13. Q&A