The Biggest Lies Heard by Technical Writers

This list is the result of a thread started on the Techwr-l listserver group about the biggest lies we, as technical writers, hear on an almost weekly basis.
Documentia (2003). Humor>Writing>Technical Writing
Boredom: The Secret of Tech Writing 
Of course, it's not 100% all of the time boring. Just some of it, on a fairly regular but not intolerable basis. But boring all the same.
Higgins, Lisa. TECHWR-L (2000). Humor>Writing>Technical Writing
The Bumper Book of Technical Boobs 
Humorous examples of accidental (and humorous) errors in technical descriptions. Most of the gems on the following pages were, thankfully, picked up at the editing stage. One or two slipped through into printed books; some didnÕt even get as far as first draft stage. We have wondered for a long time about the mentality of the people who write this sort of thing; now you, too, can sit at your desk and try to figure out what these technical authors (yes, they actually get paid for this!) and engineers are on, where they got it from and whether they will give you some.
Watson, Sophie. ISTC (2004). Humor>Writing>Technical Writing
Some people ask me about the frustrations and difficulties involved in the business of technical documentation. As a reply, I tell them this joke.
Documentia (2003). Humor>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing
Hall of Technical Documentation Weirdness 
Lists wacky, bizarre, surreal and otherwise strange examples of technical documentation, particularly illustration.
Barefoot, Darren K. Hall of Technical Documentation Weirdness (2005). Humor>Writing>Technical Illustration>Technical Writing
Kelly's Laws of Technical Writing (retro version)
A reaction to the dysfunction of technical writing in the modern workplace.
Kelly, William T. Typepad.com (2004). Humor>Writing>Technical Writing
The top 16 things likely to be overheard if you had Klingon technical writers working on your documentation team.
Documentia (2003). Humor>Writing>Technical Writing
A technical writer...hey aren't those like the guys who wrote the manual for the Quantum Leap Accelerator?
Tipple, Mark. InFrame. Humor>Writing>Technology>Technical Writing
Low-Level Jobs to Avoid: Technical Writer
Grouping technical writers with grocery stock clerks and temps, this article mocks us all. Seemingly, from the position of someone who's done the job. For example, under 'manager says,' it quotes:
I want those four bullet points on letters of credit to be perfectly clear and concise. Spend a few more hours reworking them until they're exactly right.
Suck (1998). Humor>TC>Writing>Technical Writing
Nine Easy Steps to Longer Sentences
Are you tired of short, direct, and simple sentences that seem to take forever to fill up a page? Are you paid by the word? In either case you can benefit by increasing the number of words in your sentences and the bulk of your writing. And it's easy if you just follow nine simple steps, many of which you may already know and practice.
McGinty, Kathy. PlainLanguage.gov (2004). Humor>Writing>Technical Writing>Minimalism
A Tech Writer Dies and Goes to Heaven
A joke about what technical writers' heaven might be like.
Hughes, Michael A. Blogspot (2008). Humor>Writing>Technical Writing>SMEs
A Technical Writer's Chicken Soup Recipe
This is my humble attempt to write a recipe in software manual style. The recipe makes store-bought canned chicken soup -- any brand -- taste almost as good as homemade.
Citron, David H. TechWriter.info. Humor>Documentation>Technical Writing
I shall attempt to describe to the audience the essence of the Technical Writer.
Hirshman, Yechezkel. Blogspot (2008). Humor>Writing>Technical Writing
Technical Documentation: How It Really Gets Written
The technical writing process: 1. Ask engineer how the damn thing works. 2. Deafening silence.
Cherryleaf (2008). Humor>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing
A short play featuring the God of Software (played by the Product Manager) and the Technical Writer (played by a technical writer).
Elephant (2007). Humor>Writing>Technical Writing>Project Management
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