Writing about new product features

Writing about new product features can be hard work, much like digging the garden to prepare for planting vegetables in Spring. Often technical writers are called in at the last minute to write about a feature that has taken months of development effort and has a specification document running to 100 pages or more. And the release is going out tomorrow! I first heard about the gardening analogy to writing from Diana Gabaldon, author of the award-winning Outlander novels, and generous suppo...
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Recipe for writing a task

A task is one of the fundamental building blocks of good technical writing, and one of the first things new technical writers learn. I was reminded of this when I bought a new cookbook at the end of last year. In my spare time I love to cook. I have several shelves devoted to cookbooks, and I can spend hours browsing through my books looking for a new recipe to try. One of my favorite cookbooks is Jamie's America, written by Jamie Oliver, with recipes he created while he toured the United Sta...
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5 tips for facing the blank page

Like other writing professionals, as a technical writer, I'm often faced with a blank page. Starting a new documentation project can be daunting, overwhelming, even scary, because not only do I want to provide my readers with good content that answers their questions, I want it to be perfect. But as soon as I whisper that word "perfect" to myself, I'm in trouble. My brain shuts down and I'm paralyzed, unable to start. To avoid this paralysis, I've learned a few tricks: 1. Find a sample...
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