I love collaborative writing. I think it is sometimes the best way to achieve excellence in a piece of written work.
Continue reading “Collaboration in Tech Writing”Creative problem solving for tech writers
How much problem solving do you do in your role as a tech writer? I used to do quite a lot. The company I was working at had a start-up mentality and culture. New ideas were encouraged and we usually had little to no budget. Continue reading “Creative problem solving for tech writers”
Comma splices and cultural differences
The craft of crochet is fundamentally the same, but the stitch names are different in the UK and the US. The same stitches have different names. A single crochet (sc) in America is a double crochet (dc) in England. You have to be very aware of the origin of your pattern before you start.
And knitting comes in English and Continental style flavours. The same fundamental concept, just that you hold the yarn and needles differently.
Same same, but different
What’s your favourite font?
Some time ago I applied for a tech writing job and part of the application process required me to fill out some questions online. They were standard scenario questions like “Describe a time you had to handle multiple conflicting priorities” but one of the questions was “What’s your favourite font?” Continue reading “What’s your favourite font?”
Friendly 404 page
I stumbled across a great 404 page the other day over at GitHub. I’m a Star Wars fan so this really tickled me. It’s got the parallax affect too. Kinda cool.
404 pages don’t scare me anymore. I eyeballed the URL, removed an errant character and the page displayed fine. It’s not always that easy. Continue reading “Friendly 404 page”
Writing fortunes for cookies
Ever had to write a fortune?
I’m working on a crochet project – a bowl of fortune cookies. Continue reading “Writing fortunes for cookies”
Instructions to assemble a spinning wheel
I have only ever documented software.
One of my secret tech writer dreams is to write doco for tangible products. “Congratulations on the purchase of your whipper snipper” I’d write. Continue reading “Instructions to assemble a spinning wheel”
Lifelines in writing and knitting
Being able to reclaim work is very important as a writer and a crafter.
If you make a mistake in your knitting, you can tink – that is “knit” backwards. Basically you undo stitches one by one by reversing your actions to get back to a point in time. In tech writing terms, a bit like Ctrl+Z. Continue reading “Lifelines in writing and knitting”
Zentangle graphic instructions
A cool example of instructions without words:
Zentangle is a meditative form of doodling. I recently got into it as a really quick way to relax. (Bonus: you end up with piece of artwork!) Continue reading “Zentangle graphic instructions”
