Becoming Your Own Corporation: Boon or Bust?

Writers today are being advised to stop thinking in terms of building a life-long career with one employer, and instead view themselves as a one-person corporation offering specialized services to whomever is willing to pay the highest price.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2000). Careers>Freelance>Consulting

Communications Is Everyone's Business

As we enter the new millennium, we have the benefit of a host of electronic tools that make the dissemination of information to an unlimited number of recipients virtually instantaneous. But these relatively new tools are only as effective as the quality of the content they carry, and are still dependent on a person's ability to organize and present information in a coherent manner.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block. Articles>Communication

Do You Have the Brain to Be a Writer?

Are some people born to be great writers, or can they learn their way to greatness? An insightful survey of current thought on this age-old debate.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (1996). Articles>Writing

Do You Have the Brain to be a Writer?

Parents, teachers, and guidance counsellors sometimes tell children who are anxious about what they're going to do with their life, that they can pursue virtually any career they put their mind to. With determination and lots of hard work, anyone can become a future Prime Minister or President. As reassuring as this sounds, recent findings in the field of brain research suggest that not all people (i.e., brains) are born equal.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (1996). Careers>Advice

Does Globalization Spell Trouble for Technical Writers?

The nature of work for traditionally white-collar professions such as technical writing, is also changing. While a growing number of professional writers is opting for the life of the freelancer, and enjoying the freedom and earning potential that this lifestyle can provide, many permanent full-time writing positions are being eliminated when work is delegated to temporary or contract workers.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2001). Careers>Writing>International

The Fourth 'R'

Teachers often emphasize the importance of the 'three Rs'--reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic. For people who earn a living through writing, as well as for those whose writing is a pastime, a solid grasp of the first two R's is indispensable. There is, however, a fourth 'R' critical for writers--research.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (1997). Articles>Writing

Ho-Hum, Not Another Meeting: A Delightful Experiment Changes the Way One Company Conducts Internal Meetings

Company meetings are often regarded as conservative and uninspired by those who must attend. We all know that meetings are necessary, but we also know that they can be wearisome. Not all meetings need be that way. In fact, meetings can inject some lighthearted fun into the day and stimulate the creative juices. This is a story about how a series of humdrum meetings at one consulting firm evolved into a creative expression that is as varied as the participants themselves.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (1998). Careers>Management>Workplace>Community

It's a Matter of Policy

Policies set boundaries for what is acceptable and unacceptable. But what makes a policy effective? Discover the basic components of a good corporate policy.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (1999). Articles>Business Communication>Policies and Procedures

Official Bilingualism Has Its Costs--and Opportunities

Since the inception of Canada's Official Languages Act in 1968, official bilingualism is estimated to have cost Canadians approximately $60 billion. Today, the cost of translating federal government documents and operating various programs, such as French language training for federal public servants, is estimated to be some $4 billion annually. And these figures do not take into account the cost of publishing bilingual documents and providing bilingual services at the provincial and municipal levels, or similar costs incurred by private enterprises. While these statistics periodically provoke intense debate in Canada on whether this is money well spent, the fact is that this country's bilingualism requirements have been a boon to at least one group of people employed in the communications field: French-language translators.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2002). Articles>Language>Localization>Canada

Online Vs. Hard-Copy Marketing Material: Both Have a Place

The World Wide Web, the panacea of the so-called information age, was supposed to transform the way we shop, are entertained, and get informed. If the web was supposed to be so great, why are we still reading so much information on paper?

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2001). Articles>Publishing>Online

Plain Language Writing: From a Good Idea Emerges Good Public Policy

Peter Zvalo looks at the plain language movement, its promoters and its critics.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2003). Articles>Writing>Policies and Procedures>Minimalism

Pricing a Documentation Project Is Part Science, Part Art

This article describes the ways in which determining a price to charge for documentation services is among the most important — and most challenging — tasks facing a contract writer or editor.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (1999). Careers>Documentation>Pricing

The Quest for Work

For consultants and independent technical communication contractors, keeping your eyes and ears open will go a long way toward keeping you busy.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block. Careers>Consulting

Requests for Proposal: A Call for Standardization

Anyone who has written a proposal knows that it sometimes takes a lot of work to make work. Peter Zvalo makes some suggestions on how to improve the Canadian federal government’s unnecessarily confounding requests for proposals.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2003). Articles>Grants>Proposals

Résumés: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

This article offers advice to technical writers about what to inlclude on their resumés, in order to get attention when applying for positions.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2001). Careers>Resumes

Schmoozing for Profit: Choose Your Event Carefully, then Start Working the Room

Two short years after the fortunes of many high-tech companies have all but dried up, Peter Zvalo discusses how schmoozing can ease the challenge of marketing technical documentation services.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2002). Careers>Consulting>Marketing

Teamwork Creates a Positive Working Environment

In our present economic system, competition is viewed as a positive force. As children, our parents undoubtedly rewarded us for being the best, the fastest, the cleanest, or the smartest. As adults, we learn very quickly that only the best can be successful in a highly competitive world. While this competitive spirit can often help us to perform to our limits, when applied in its purest form within a work environment (i.e., when the competition is not of the friendly variety) it frequently results in hostilities that are counterproductive to producing good results.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (1995). Careers>Collaboration>Workplace

Technical Writer Wanted

The interviewee entered her prospective manager's office, eager to answer the questions that she knew would soon be fired at her. Shelley had been through this process a dozen times in the past few months as part of her quest for a technical writing position, and could anticipate the line of questioning. Far from being nervous, she was calm and confident. Phil, the manager, was also well versed in the interview process. Having hired many people during his career, he knew the type of person he was looking to hire. During an interview, his mind would usually be made up within the first few minutes about whether the candidate would get a second interview or would end up having to continue his or her search.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2002). Careers>Interviewing>TC

Understanding the Importance of Style Guides

Style guides describe conventions for virtually every aspect of writing, ranging from such things as spelling, punctuation, and word usage, to structural and formatting issues. With the myriad of style guides in use, the dilemma for many writers is deciding which one to learn and apply in the trade. The answer to this is easy: learn at least one style guide thoroughly and keep a selected few others for backup. In the course of recruiting technical and generalist writers and editors for nearly a decade, I am sometimes shocked at the low level of familiarity with long-established style guides by people who claim to be seasoned professionals in this business. The reality is that it is plainly obvious to spot writers who “claim” to know a style guide and those who have actually taken the time to study it. The proof is in the pudding, as they say. The quality and consistency of a writer’s or editor’s output is the litmus test to how proficient he or she is in applying a given style guide.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2002). Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Why Every Creative Enterprise Needs Redundant Employees

The concept of redundancy is well known in the information technology industry. Redundancy, in this sense is not something to be eliminated, but rather a mechanism to be carefully controlled.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (1998). Articles>Management

Writer and Subject-Matter Expert: Establishing a Positive Relationship

In a typical documentation project, the writer's role is not to express his or her own thoughts on paper, but rather the knowledge, plans, or ideas of someone else (usually a 'subject-matter expert' or SME). This article suggests ways to establish good working relationships with SMEs.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2000). Articles>Interviewing>Writing