Technical Writing is Boring! (Or is it?)

People think writers write novels, blog posts, or magazine articles. Technical writing isn’t top of mind. People also tend to think that technical writing is boring. It’s about writing instructions, and how many people have the patience to follow instructions these days? Now before you yawn, let’s get into why we need technical writing. 

First, what is technical writing? 

It’s not dry writing. I mean, technical writing is about a specific topic. The primary purpose is to provide instruction and information. Employee handbooks, standard operating procedures (SOPs), troubleshooting guides, user manuals, company documents, and case studies are all examples of technical writing.

Why do we need technical writing? 

Sometimes in life, we get stuck. We need help that is easy to follow. You’ve probably read an example or two of technical writing by now, especially if you bought a new computer or phone and read some documentation to figure out how to use it. If you’ve watched a video that gave you instructions, the transcript is an example of technical writing. 

Technical writing organizes information into easily digestible bits. You can go to a table of contents to find the topic you’re interested in, and read just that section to get the information you need. You don’t need to read the entire book or PDF from cover to cover, or read each page of a website to find the answer you need.

Why is technical writing fun to write?

People may think that emotions and personal experience have no place in technical writing, so technical writing is boring. However, if you like organization and solving puzzles, you’ll like how technical writing follows a sequence. Technical writing will explain a concept clearly, using plain language without jargon or idioms. If a special term is used, the meaning is explained. 

This is why technical writing is fun. It’s like being in an escape room and you’re faced with the challenge of organizing a bunch of information to get the answer you need. If you get it right, your mission is accomplished. You can also use your imagination in technical writing. You can create a handbook on how to capture and tame dragons.  

Key Takeaways

Technical writing provides valuable instructions and information. If you’ve picked up a user manual to find the answer to your question, you’ve read a piece of technical writing. This style of writing sticks to the facts and doesn’t include emotions or personal experiences. For this reason, some people think technical writing is boring. But other writers think technical writing is fun. It’s challenging to write information in a way that is easily understood and easily found by skimming and scanning. Technical writing has a very important role in providing readers with important information. 

9 Things to be Thankful for This Season

Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October while Americans celebrate in November. As the season changes from summer to fall, today is as good a day as any to reflect on what we can be thankful for. Here are nine things to be thankful for this season.

1 Friends and family

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reflect and be thankful for the good friends and family members who we have in our lives. The ones who make us laugh and make us feel valued.

2 Food

Turkey is the most popular food choice at this time of year. It doesn’t matter what you choose to celebrate the occasion with – good food is delicious food worth eating.

3. Autumn weather

Crisp, cool mornings to start the day. When the sun comes out, the golden colors add to the mixture of hues.

4. Pumpkins

Thank you to the abundance of pumpkins at this time of year: pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin-orange colored themes, and jack-o-lanterns.

5. Movies

Celebrating movies that put us in a thankful mood – even if the movie is not about Thanksgiving. 

6. Nature

Such a beautiful time of year for walks in nature. The air is crisp in the mornings and cool at night, the sound of leaves crunching under your feet. Animals and other critters are busy getting ready for winter.

7. Holidays

Time off, whether you celebrate in October or November. It’s a time to recharge and spend time with family, enjoy a meal, and think of gratitude.

8. Colors

Celebrate a change in color, from summer greens to autumn golds, yellows, and browns.

9. Mazes

Walking through a corn maze taller than yourself, using a map, and trying your best to get out as quickly as you can. 

What would you like to add to this list?

Your life without a computer: what does it look like?

Dailyprompt 2079

The daily word prompt on WordPress caught my attention. I realized that without a computer, my current life would cease to exist.

I work from home. Without a computer, I wouldn’t have a job. Without any income, I wouldn’t be able to pay my bills or have money for food. I would lose my connection to my coworkers because, without virtual meetings, I wouldn’t see them or communicate with them in any way. (Although I could get on a plane to meet them face-to-face.)

Life would be very quiet. No more messages via messaging apps. No more emails to reply to. No more rapid communication throughout the day on social media. I wouldn’t be able to share files instantly. 

A project would no longer be completed in a week or three weeks. It would take several months because files must be packaged in an envelope and sent by post. A document that could be fixed in minutes would need to be retyped from scratch using a typewriter. (Does anyone type letters on a typewriter anymore? Does anyone own a typewriter?)

Without a computer, I would need a new filing system. I would need Post-it notes and a paper calendar to mark all my appointments and important reminders. Files would need to be printed to be viewed, occupying binders upon binders on a bookshelf, instead of a small USB stick or in the cloud.

It is amazing how instantaneous and compact life has become because of a computer. I no longer need piles of paper or a bookshelf. Because of my computer, I can communicate instantly with people on the other side of the country or the world. My life without a computer: let’s hope that never happens.

How different would your life be if you didn’t have a computer?

Gratitude Quotes

Time to reflect! We’ve now completed nine months of 2023, also known as Q3 in business circles. It’s also the end of another week. What are you grateful for?

There are so many wonderful things: family, friends, the weekend, another fulfilling week… the list goes on. 

As we think about the things we’re grateful for, we’ll share some thoughts about gratitude from writers and storytellers.

“Writing’s still the most difficult job I’ve ever had – but it’s worth it.” — John Grisham

“Love and magic have a great deal in common. They enrich the soul, delight the heart. And they both take practice.” — Nora Roberts

“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” — Stephen King

“Everyone’s got some greatness in them. You do. The girl over there does. That guy on the left has some. But in order to really mine it, you have to own it. You have to grab hold of it. You have to believe it.” — Shonda Rhimes

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Fashion Tips and Trends for Writers

Part 2: An update.

Most writers I know are introverts: shy and unseen. You read about them and their work. Unlike news reporters, teachers, actors, or nurses, you don’t see them while they’re working. So does it matter what writers wear?

Of course, writers wear clothes, but what are this elusive group’s fashion trends and preferences? The mystery is about to be solved. Here are some fashion tips and trends for writers… and anyone who wants to dress like a writer.

What should a writer wear?

A search through Google images showed me a wide range in fashion: a suit and tie (while standing in front of the stereotypical bookshelf, because what is a writer without books, right?), a dress with a newsprint pattern (why read the paper when you can wear it), and frumpy clothes (these are the work from home writers).

These days, I rarely see anyone in a shirt and tie. I’ve never met a writer wearing a scarf and sunglasses, or a newsprint dress.

In some of my writer groups, people write about lounging around the house in gym wear or PJs while they sip a glass of wine at their computer.

Some easy fashion tips

A Google search gave this result: “Writers can wear anything, as long as they wear it with confidence. You can start with black clothing, a basic uniform for many writers.” Uniform? Writers have uniforms? (If you’re a writer and wear a uniform, raise your hand.)

When I’m writing, I like to dress incognito. The clothes I wear around the house when I’m working blend in with the crowd when I go shopping, walk at the park, or hang out at the coffee shop. If you’re observing people to write about them in your stories or blogs, it helps to mix in with your surroundings.

If you write genre fiction, you can dress like a famous person if you write history, an alien if you write sci-fi, or a vampire if you like horror. Then, wait for the reactions of your friends and fans as they ask about your latest book. You can also reuse your costume at your next Halloween party—or book promotion, where you dress up as your protagonist.

The possibilities are endless.

If you’re a writer, what pieces of clothing define you? What clothing characterizes you so that when you’re famous, your fans can recognize who you are with one single glance?