Brokedown Palace, Part 1: Why User Guides Don't Work

Software user guides use up an awful lot of space with screen shots. But I know what the screen looks like -- it's right in front of me. Any decent GUI design is self-documenting to some extent, at least. No matter how much we complain about them, GUIs have gotten pretty good. Children have them figured out in minutes. And then they start asking questions like, 'How do I make my stick man move around?' Computers are toasters or drawing pads to them. That's another reason user guides don't work: the average user doesn't need one anymore.

Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2002). Articles>Writing>Documentation>Screen Captures

Brokedown Palace Part 2: Workflows for Fun and Profit

If you're going to toss out your user guides, you'd better have a good user interface and concise supporting materials. Workflows can help you both in the design of the user interface and in the creation of job aids for the people who use your product. A workflow is a compact and effective way to describe the flow of any procedure. How many times have you grumbled about the design of a piece of software or Web site that you've been trying to use? Chances are that no one ever sat down to model it using the workflow technique.

Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2002). Articles>Writing>Documentation

The Business of Writing: How Do I Set My Rates?

Do you know how much what you do is worth? Very likely a lot more than you think. But how do you figure out how much to charge for a given job?

Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2001). Careers>Consulting>Pricing

The Four-Point Writing Project Success Guide

Have you ever worked on a truly awful writing project? Maybe you're working on one right now. Too often, what could be a simple project becomes a morass of shifting requirements, last-minute changes, and expanding scope. In almost one-hundred percent of such cases, however, a well-run writing project can negotiate the most challenging terrain.

Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2001). Design>Project Management>Writing

Guerilla WriteFare: When Clients Don't Listen

What do you do with a perfectly good client who, despite your recommendations, embarks on a course of action you believe to be wrong or even disastrous? I know of only one answer to that question: let it go. After you've given it the old college try, of course. I never did let go easily. There are few things more disturbing than watching a client jump off a cliff. You just know they're going to crash onto the rocks below, because you've seen it happen so many times before. Is there anything you can do? Yes, and here's my list of things to do when clients don't listen.

Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2002). Articles>Writing>Consulting

How to Write a White Paper

A white paper in the high-tech industry is a technical document that describes how a technology or product solves a particular problem. It's a marketing document and a technical document, yet it doesn't go too far in either direction. A good white paper is informative and is designed to show off the advantages of a product or technology.

Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2001). Articles>Writing

The Last Ditch Sales Pitch

I recently encountered a young web entrepreneur who understands that in business, 'no' doesn't necessarily mean 'never,' and that a last ditch sales pitch can pay off - maybe not today or tomorrow, but some day. It's a wise investment because one sales letter can be adapted and personalized for many different uses over time. And it can help you retrieve prospects you thought you had lost!

Reimer, Heather. Write Thinking (2002). Careers>Consulting>Marketing>Business Communication

A Marketing Checklist for Freelancers and Consultants

Marketing can be as simple as engaging in a one minute conversation with another person or as complex as a $3,000 direct mail advertising campaign. But marketing is more than selling a product or service or yourself -- basically, it's getting the person or prospect interested in what you're selling. And that's not so easy -- unless you know exactly how to do it.

Konradt, Brian S. Write Thinking (2001). Careers>Consulting

Marketing the Wily Technical Writer

If the world really is run by C students, then you have to ask yourself a question: How do I market myself in an ocean of average? Today's competitive job market can be a hard nut to crack. How do you stand out in that crowd?

Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2002). Careers>TC

Nice Work If You Can Get it -- Here's How

The secret to finding off-site work is to change the way you think about work. You must first and foremost be doing a type of writing that lends itself well to off-site work. It's easy to say that all writing can be done off-site. But you'd be wrong.

Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2002). Careers>Consulting

Resources

Here you'll find links to various resources on the Internet and elsewhere that have to do with technical writing, tools, technical information, and occasionally absolutely nothing at all.

Write Thinking. Resources>Directories>Writing>Technical Writing

Sean Hower's Notes from the Cubicle: Getting the Most Out of the Web

As long as you're careful about evaluating the information you find, the Web is the perfect place to start any project. It's easy and cheap to find information on a variety of subjects in just a few minutes, depending on the search engine you use and your research skills. With so much on the Web, though, it's may be hard to find good information.

Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2004). Resources>Directories>TC

The Shifting Technical Writing Market

I believe that technical writers, by and large, do a poor job of marketing themselves in a competitive business. We cannot simply send resumes out anymore and expect the employers to come to us. The market moves too quickly for that. And business is changing: We're about to start moving even faster.

Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2002). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

Succeeding as a Technical Writer

I'll start with a list of rules that have served me in good stead over my entire career. Some are common sense, and others may sound a little extreme or radical to your ears. That's okay. They've worked for me.

Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2002). Careers>Writing

Testing Your Web Application: A Quick 10-Step Guide

Interested in a quick checklist for testing a web application? The following 10 steps cover the most critical items that I have found important in making sure a web application is ready to be deployed. Depending on size, complexity, and corporate policies, modify the following steps to meet your specific testing needs.

Kota, Krishen. Write Thinking (2002). Design>Web Design>Usability

Tips for Web Site Copywriting

The most obvious difference between writing conventional copy and Web site copy is that the latter involves non-linear writing. An entire Web site can contain numerous Web pages connected to one another, and each Web page can contain limitless copy. Conventional print materials usually dictate the length of your copy; i.e., if a client asked you to write a brochure, you can determine how much copy you're going to write, how much time it's going to take -- and thus, how much to charge. But if a client asked you to provide copy for a Web site, you cannot determine the amount of copy you're going to provide or how long it's going to take. Procuring a Web site copywriting assignment requires you to ask the client different types of questions so you can charge accordingly and make your time profitable. Here are some tips.

Konradt, Brian S. Write Thinking (2001). Design>Web Design>Writing

Where Can You Go from Here?

Where can you go from technical writing? Someone once told me that once you're a tech writer, you're always a tech writer. I think that's a load of hooey.

Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2001). Careers>Writing

The WriteThinking Newsletter

A free weekly e-mail newsletter for the practical technical writer. Contains articles, book and software reviews, links to resources, and a large weekly jobs list. Published every Monday.

Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2002). Journals>Writing