Can the Computer Improve your Writing Style?  

We have spell checkers. We have grammar checkers. What we really need is a style checker.

Cohen, Gerald. STC Proceedings (2000). Articles>Writing>Editing>Word Processing

Tools of the Technical Writing Trade

In technical writing, the most important tool of the trade is of course your brain. Next come your communication skills and those are followed by language skills. Finally, you will use these tools to create and shape your writing. A word processor is the most important tool of them all.

Kamath, Gurudutt R. IT People (2003). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Word Processing

Using Computers to Improve Your Writing

One complaint I often here when teaching my courses is that I use computers too much. "What do computers have to do with writing?" students ask. "All I need is a pencil and some paper!" Well, that may have been the case a few decades ago, but now writers are expected to type their documents using a professional word processing program (Microsoft's Word, Corel's Word Perfect, Sun's Open Office Writer, or perhaps Abiword.) Though these programs each have their differences, they perform the same tasks.

Barton, Matt. MattBarton.net (2008). Articles>Writing>Word Processing

Word Processing Style Sheets  

Given that word processors are now common tools for writers and available to most students at all educational levels, integrating the software into a technical writing or English (or other language) composition course seems part of a natural progression. If you teach writing or are involved with students who use word processors for class assignments or other purposes, consider a group exercise in designing style sheets or complete file templates. Such teamwork introduces students to the collaborative environment of the workplace and provides opportunities for ancillary analytical and creative activities. It also allows you, as the instructor, to review and evaluate compositions electronically. Further, using word processing software and defining standards for its use emulate professional documentation workflows.

Ware, Bill. Intercom (2003). Articles>Writing>Software>Word Processing

Word Processing vs. "Web" Documents

Reading on screen is different than reading on paper. The metaphors used for writing word processed documents do not make for easy to read screen documents. Techniques from CD-ROM's, the Web, and on-line documentation can help make web documents that are compelling to read on-screen.

Bricklin, Dan. Good Documents (1998). Articles>Writing>Workplace>Word Processing

Word-Processing "Efficiency" By Means of Personalized Word-Frequency Lists    

This article examines the concept of the efficiency with which text is entered into a word processor from the perspective of effective use of keyboard shortcuts (sometimes called hot keys or accelerator keys ). The article makes reference to the Autotext facility which is available in Microsoft Word. The article illustrates how the possibility for productiveness offered by shortcuts, available through the use of features such as Autotext, are often under-utilized by many word processor users, academics being no exception. The method involves constructing a word list from a corpus of one s own writing. This word list can then be taken as the basis for a personalized set of shortcuts of the most frequent words in an individual s writing.

Coniam, David. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2001). Articles>Writing>Software>Word Processing