Technical Writing is not difficult when you know where and how to start. So, when you write a technical document, consider the following 7 points:

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1. Glossary – make a glossary, even for a half dozen words.
2. Definitions – create a list of definitions and acronyms. Always explain what the acronym means when it’s first encountered.
   Use bold for the definition or acronym to make it easy to find it again.
3. Analogy – provide a comparison or analogy.
4. Graphics – Provide graphics to illustrate the object in question, how it is assembled, or how it is used by operatives.
5. Replace general, abstract, and needlessly objective words with more concrete, specific, and simpler words.
6. Break long sentences into shorter sentences.
7. Use terminology consistently.

These points are not meant to be all-inclusive. However, if you are new to tech writing, this should put you on the right road.

Related posts:

1. Writing User Guides
2. How to Start a Career in Technical Writing
3. Checklist for Business Letters

Matthew Ellison shows how to single source publishing of Captivate into RoboHelp and FrameMaker. This informative and up to date workshop looks at how this software is a powerful authoring and publishing solution for technical communicators, saving time and reducing costs.

Duration: 60 minutes
Cost: Free

This webinar shows:

» Capability of Captivate to create Software simulations, demonstrations and random training questionnaires.
» Branching capabilities to customize the routing, depending on the experience of the user.
» Different output methods within Captivate.
» Import into FM and create a PDF to demonstrate the use of Captivate (swf) files in paper publications.
» Import into RoboHelp to show the functionality within Webhelp.

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Related posts:

1. How to Remove Routing Slip Information
2. Using Master Templates in Adobe FrameMaker
3. Software Testing Solution for E-Learning