Review of Structured Writing: Rhetoric and Process

Mark Baker has published a new book called Structured Writing: Rhetoric and Process. It is probably the most important book on technical communication since Anne Gentle’s Docs Like Code. In this post, we’ll look at what the book covers. We’ll also include quotations from Mark’s book and his website. About the book The book provides an overview… Read more »

Advice for new technical writers

Here are the responses we received when we asked, share one piece of advice you have for new technical writers: Start with the question “why does the reader care?” and you won’t go far wrong lornajane Find a balance between: (1) Take feedback well and constantly improve (2) Develop a thick skin to criticism and… Read more »

Managing a project? Need technical writers? Solve that issue today

This is one of our occasional reminders that Cherryleaf offers technical and business writing services. Don’t worry if you don’t have the time or skills to create the documentation in-house. You can use Cherryleaf to create: End-user documentation Online Help Embedded Help Getting started guides Knowledge Bases Quick reference guides Reference manuals Tutorials Screencasts and video… Read more »

The risks with Technical Author certification

As part of the attempt to make technical writing similar to other professions, there have been a number of moves by different technical communication societies to introduce certification. This can be a good thing, but there are some dangers with it as well. Certification usually involves some training and a test. Students can be accredited… Read more »