Topic-based writing: what is it, and why should I care?

In this episode of the Cherryleaf Podcast, we take a look at topic-based writing. We explore: What is a topic? Features of topics Why use topics? Why not use topics? Where can you use them? What happens if you don’t use it? Tools for topic-based writing What do you need to know Interacting with others

How old are your readers?

In his newsletter last week, internet psychologist Graham Jones  mentioned research that had looked into what makes some web content more shareable than others. The researchers had analysed articles on Medium, and found there were several key factors. One was the length of the content – around 1,800 words ( approximately 7 minutes reading time). Another was… Read more »

Americanisms and Britishisms

There are user documentation projects where we are asked to write in American English instead of British English, and generally this is a pretty straightforward exercise for us. However, when I speak at conferences in the USA, delegates sometimes ask me afterwards what I meant by a particular expression. For example, I was recently asked… Read more »

Our approach to writing procedures documentation

Yesterday, I went on walk to celebrate the life of Richard White, and I was asked by someone on the walk how we tackle procedures writing projects. They asked two great questions: Do you use templates, and which tools do you use? I thought it might be useful to describe our approach.

Why business writing is so difficult

“Everyone is taught to write at school, so surely everyone can write in business?” Although the quotation above would seem to make sense, the reality is that many people find it hard to write in a business context. They struggle to write clearly, and it can take them ages to produce a piece of content. It’s not… Read more »