Technical Writing For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Technical Writing For Dummies, 2nd Edition

by Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts
Released June 2023
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781394176755

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Book description

Learn to document the technology that makes the world go

Technical Writing For Dummies is a master class on how to build a career writing user manuals, e-learning, streaming, simulations, and more. It even zooms into the metaverse. Whether you’re new to the field, a seasoned professional, or a technical person who needs to write, this guide arms you with the skills you need to cash in on this flourishing world of technical writing. This isn’t your average how-to. It’s a compendium of innovative industry knowledge that will help you set yourself apart with the latest trends and best practices in technical writing. As a tech writer, you’ll need a robust skillset that allows you to offer clear and concise documentation for just about anything. This new edition of Technical Writing For Dummies—updated for all of today’s tech writing advances—can get you there.

  • Uncover the basics of technical writing and master common documentation types
  • Get insight into the career paths available to tech writers today
  • Discover new remote collaboration options and cloud-based tools for technical writers
  • Learn how to elevate your documents for high search engine optimization (SEO) rankings
  • Improve your craft to connect with diverse, global audiences

Whether you’re a technical writer or technical professional who needs to write—you can learn the best practices of effective technical writing, as well as how to navigate its various formats and platforms, thanks to this handy Dummies guide.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Foolish Assumptions
    3. Icons Used in This Book
    4. Beyond the Book
    5. Where to Go from Here
  5. Part 1: What It Takes to Write Technical Docs
    1. Chapter 1: Working as a Technical Writer
      1. Technical Writers Spring from All Walks of Life
      2. Documentation Is Part of Our Everyday Lives
      3. Technical Writing Differs from Business Writing
      4. Assigning Responsibility for Technical Documents
      5. It’s About Strategy, Not Software
      6. What You Need to Succeed
      7. Seeing Is Believing
      8. Beyond the Writing
      9. Tech Writing Career Trajectories
    2. Chapter 2: Putting Together a Team and a Plan
      1. Benefiting from the Team Experience
      2. Choosing the Right Type of Delivery
      3. Completing a Production Schedule
      4. The Power of Brainstorming
      5. Generating an Outline
      6. Getting Your Arms around the Document
  6. Part 2: The Write Stuff
    1. Chapter 3: Completing a Technical Writing Brief
      1. How to Feed a Martian
      2. Getting Jump-Started with the Technical Writing Brief
      3. Slicing and Dicing the Technical Writing Brief
    2. Chapter 4: Crafting a Draft
      1. Psyching Yourself Up
      2. Getting Down to Business
      3. Integrating the Editing Process
      4. Revising Your Work
    3. Chapter 5: Designing Documents to Enhance the User Experience
      1. Grabbing Your Learners’ Attention
      2. Using Whitespace
      3. Giving Learners a Break
      4. Harnessing the Power of Headlines
      5. Putting It on the List
      6. Keeping It Short and Simple (KISS)
      7. Presenting the Natural Order of Things
      8. A Picture (Pixel) Is Worth a Thousand Words
      9. Tabling That Thought
      10. Adding More Value to Your Visuals
    4. Chapter 6: Honing the Tone
      1. Giving ’Em a Little KISS
      2. Accentuating the Positive
      3. Loving the Active Voice
      4. Looking Through Lens of Social Justice
      5. Being Clear and Consistent
    5. Chapter 7: Fine-Tuning toward the Ideal
      1. Crossing Your T’s and Dotting Your I’s
      2. Editing for Clarity and Flow
      3. Determining the Readability of Your Documents
  7. Part 3: Frequently Written Docs
    1. Chapter 8: Writing User Manuals and More
      1. Understanding the Value of a Well-Written Manual
      2. Getting Up and Running
      3. Determining Style and Format
      4. Taking Each Step, Then Acting on It
      5. Writing for Between the Covers
      6. Testing, Testing, 1-2-3
      7. Determining Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
      8. Preparing an Instructional Video for Streaming
      9. Creating a Simulated Learning Experience (SLE)
      10. Join-the-Dots Brain Teaser
    2. Chapter 9: Preparing Abstracts
      1. Types of Abstracts
      2. Preparing an Informative Abstract
      3. Using Abstracts Effectively
    3. Chapter 10: Creating Spec Sheets
      1. Knowing What to Include
      2. Following the Natural Order of Things
      3. Considering Some Examples
    4. Chapter 11: Generating Questionnaires
      1. Differentiating between Questionnaires and Surveys
      2. Using Distribution Channels
      3. Designing the Form
      4. Posing the Questions
      5. Learning from the Results
    5. Chapter 12: Preparing for Technical Presentations
      1. Getting to Know Your Audience
      2. Getting Ready for Prime Time
      3. Conveying Your Message with Confidence and Competence
      4. Organizing for High Impact
      5. Presenting Visuals
      6. Giving Them Something to Remember You By
      7. Checking Out Before Checking In
    6. Chapter 13: Abridging for Executive Summaries
      1. An Executive Summary Is Critical
      2. Summing It Up
      3. Delving into the Executive Summary for a Business Plan
  8. Part 4: Tech Tools
    1. Chapter 14: Collaborating with Others
      1. Collaboration Is about People
      2. Collaborative Team Etiquette: Etta Kitt Says
      3. Using Collaboration Tools
      4. Storing Data in the Cloud
    2. Chapter 15: Videoconferencing
      1. Using the Goldilocks Theory for Selecting
      2. Creating a Culture of Inclusivity
      3. Videoconferencing Pros and Woes
      4. Are You Ready for Your Close-Up?
      5. Fostering Cohesive Hybrid Teams
      6. Suffering Burnout or Videoconferencing Fatigue?
      7. Planning for Success
      8. Onscreen Netiquette: Etta Kitt Says
    3. Chapter 16: Offering eLearning
      1. Understanding the Forms of eLearning
      2. Preparing the Learning Objectives
      3. Delivering eLearning
      4. Choosing Your Software
      5. Creating Learning Modules
      6. Solving Business Problems
      7. Designing a Process
      8. Testing, Testing, 1-2-3
    4. Chapter 17: Surfing the Net
      1. Avoiding the Internet Sharks
      2. Dodging Other Internet Pitfalls
      3. Decoding Error Messages
      4. Searching for the Holy Grail
      5. Boosting Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
    5. Chapter 18: Protecting Intellectual Property
      1. Applying for a Patent
      2. Establishing a Copyright
      3. Registering a Trademark
  9. Part 5: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 19: Ten Tips for Writing a Whitepaper
      1. Consider Your Audience
      2. Find Credible Sources
      3. Include Facts and Figures
      4. Follow a Simple Format
      5. Create an Eye-Catching Cover
      6. Pique Interest
      7. Proofread and Edit Carefully
      8. Conclude with a Call to Action
      9. Maximize Mileage
      10. Measure the Impact
    2. Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Publishing in a Technical Journal
      1. Don’t Procrastinate; Just Do It!
      2. Hook Up with the Right Publication
      3. Decipher the Masthead
      4. Understand the Lingo
      5. Write a Query Letter
      6. Follow Up after Submitting Your Manuscript
      7. Try Simultaneous Submissions
      8. Don’t Stress about Confidentiality
      9. Don’t Take No for an Answer
      10. Take the Next Steps: When Your Article Is Accepted
    3. Chapter 21: Ten Frustrations of Technical Writers
      1. Work Overload and Time Pressures
      2. Last-Minute Changes
      3. Issues with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
      4. Problems with Micromanagers
      5. Challenges with New Products
      6. Hardware and Software Challenges
      7. Poorly Defined and Managed Projects
      8. Poor Workspace Environments
      9. Little or No Job Security
      10. Burnout
  10. Appendix A: Punctuation Made Easy
    1. Commas
    2. Colons and Semicolons
    3. Dashes and Parentheses
    4. Brackets
    5. Other Punctuation
  11. Appendix B: Grammar’s Not Grueling
    1. Testing Your Grammatical Skills
    2. Adjectives
    3. Adverbs
    4. Conjunctions
    5. Double Negatives
    6. Nouns
    7. Prepositions
    8. Pronouns
    9. Verbs
    10. Answers to the Quickie Quiz
  12. Appendix C: Abbreviations and Metric Equivalents
    1. Writing Abbreviations
    2. Metric and U.S. Equivalents
  13. Appendix D: Tech Talk: Glossary of Terms
  14. Appendix E: Technical Writing Brief
  15. Index
  16. About the Author
  17. Advertisement Page
  18. Connect with Dummies
  19. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Technical Writing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts
  • Release date: June 2023
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781394176755