Technical WritingTechnical Writing

The Technical Writing Process

An Overview of the Process

Prewriting Stage: Planning to gather relevant information and steps to follow.

Writing Stage: Draft and revise by selecting and arranging all the elements in the document.

Postwriting Stage: Finish by editing the document into final form.

Planning Your Document

WRITING

PREWRITING POSTWRITING

Plan: Determine the•Audience•Goal•Constraints•Basic factsTentatively establish•Strategy•Tone•Outline•Page format & Visual Aids•Production Schedule

Draft• Apply strategies ofstyle, organization, & Interest• Apply strategies to help yourselfbrainstorm and tree• Revise to help reader’scomprehension

Finish•Edit for consistency & accuracy

•Understand your method of producing the report

•Don’t finish too soon

USUAL FORWARD PATHPATHS BACK TO HELP YOURSELF

Constraints

Factors affecting the production of the document are:– Time– Length– Budget– Method of production– Method of distribution– Place of use

Effective Strategy

Plan to achieve a goal “Creative Concept” The way one presents the material

– Overall organization– Arrangement of material– Way of carrying out the message– The visual logic

Developing a Style Sheet

The basic format decisions are:– Width of margins– Appearance of heads– Treatment of visual aids and lists– Position of page numbers– Selection of type face/font

Developing a Production Schedule

How much time do I have?– Problems faced in bad time management

• Finishing working on the document too soon

• Spending extra time on the preparation of document

• Composing of your document

Who is involved in producing the document?

Drafting and Finishing

Choose devices to help your reader– Use the familiar to explain the unfamiliar.– Use accepted terminology.– State your purpose clearly.– Make the topic of each section & paragraph clear.– Use the same terminology throughout.– Choose s structuring method that achieves your goal

• For main ideas structure your document hierarchically

• For the details use a list format

Hierarchical & List FormatHierarchySite A has two basic problems.

TerrainWater in the basementHills block solar heating

Disrepairroof leakswindows are brokenair conditioning system is broken

ListSite A has these problems.

water drains into the basementHills block solar heating roof leakswindows are brokenair conditioning system is broken

Write clear sentences. Try to write shorter sentences (under 25 words) and use active voice.

Make your writing interesting. Use devices that help the readers “picture” the topic. Include helpful:– Comparisons– Common examples– Brief scenarios– Narratives– Graphics such as

• Photographs• Drawings• Tables• graphs

Use Context-Setting Introductions

Define terms. Tell what caused you to write. State the purpose of the document. Place important material at the top. Use preview lists Use repetition & sequencing Use structural parallelism