Great Technical Writing: Beware Of Your Editor/adore Your Editor
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Your editor should be an integral element of your writing team. Do not feel of him/her as a judge, but rather as a resource to assist you in all phases of the writing project. This article will assist you overcome any fear of your editor, and how to successfully use your editor for the duration of the writing approach.
Beware of Your Editor
Some of the modifications that an editor may suggest could make the User Document more challenging for your Reader to realize.
Improving You...
Overview
Your editor really should be an integral part of your writing team. Do not assume of him/her as a judge, but rather as a resource to aid you in all phases of the writing project. This post will aid you overcome any worry of your editor, and how to successfully use your editor in the course of the writing process.
Beware of Your Editor
Some of the alterations that an editor may well recommend could make the User Document far more hard for your Reader to realize.
Enhancing Your Writing
When your editor has gotten past the simple mechanical editing tasks of:
* helpful resources grammar
* punctuation
* spelling
* editing to a Style Sheet,
he/she could work on "enhancing your writing."
Your editor may believe that 1 way to make the writing a lot more intriguing is to use synonyms when you refer back to one thing. Thus you may call one thing a "chip bin" in 1 part of your text, and your editor might suggest using a various term, such as "waste trap," later in the document. This really should make your writing "more fascinating."
You do not want intriguing writing in your User Documents! You want clear, straightforward, really easy to recognize writing. If you make your writing far more intriguing by utilizing the synonym ("waste trap") then you force your reader to have to believe about no matter whether or not these are the very same issue. I recommend that you use the exact identical wording each spot in your User Document exactly where you are referring to the exact same thing. No synonyms here!
If your Reader wanted to be entertained or have his/her thoughts provoked, then he/she would be reading a novel.
Do not let your editor make your writing more interesting or a lot more clever if those efforts tends to make the material tougher for your Reader to comprehend.
Erudition
An additional spot to beware of your editor is "erudition." That is, when an editor that tries to make your User Documentation sound more formal. Other than disclaimer, legal, and safety data, the User Document ought to sound friendly, with a conversational tone.
For example, an editor could suggest changing contractions (such as "don't") into their far more formal form ("do not"). Don't do it! Contractions are conversational and they should not be avoided.
If you assume about it, most people reading the User Documentation for any item are beneath some form of pressure:
* they either want to get on with utilizing the solution, or
* some thing has gone incorrect.
A formal document will put the User off. The document ought to not be silly or flippant however, it must provide the data that the User requirements in a conversational, effortlessly understood style. The needed data really should be simple to find.
Although most word processor grammar checkers are woefully inadequate, numerous of these checkers can be created to give a readability score (you could have to set an solution to allow this function). Editing must assist enhance the readability (indicated by a lower in the reading grade level) of the document. If editing increases the reading grade level, ask your editor why that score has changed.
What to Do
Provide your editor with the details that will allow him/her to do the best job. Here are some issues to tell your editor:
* The intended audience for the User Document
* Tell your editor that you want an informal style of User Document
* What style manual or guide to be utilised in editing
* Scheduling and progress of the project
* Format for sharing and editing the text (make confident the editor can read your electronic documents -- do this when you hire the editor)
(Whenever you are dealing with someone outdoors your organization, you must have a signed non-disclosure agreement. This is in addition to any other contractual items in between the outsider and your organization.)
Get to Know Your Editor
Your editor is NOT your school teacher. In your school days, your teacher-as-editor was a judge. Your goal was to impress your teacher with your writing. You were operating for a grade. Thus you may have come to fear your editor.
Modify your thinking! Now, your editor is on your side. Your editor will function with you to produce the greatest attainable writing. You will not have to be concerned excessively about grammar. You objective is to get the info "on paper" as clearly and fully as you can. Your editor will recommend modifications to polish the text.
So don't worry your editor. Make your editor portion of your writing team.
Adore Your Editor
Employ Your Editor Early in the Project
Employ your editor early in the life of the project. There are at least two advantages to hiring the editor early:
* Initial, your editor will buy minecraft server be ready for the editing job. He/she will have had time to get to know the item, target audience, and your organization's style guide.
* Second, your editor can assist you with your writing, as I describe below...
Let Your Editor Assist You
If you run into difficulties about how to write a thing, call on your editor. Most most likely your editor can give an effective wording to get you around your block. That is a single reason why you got the editor on the project early. Here's one more...
A Recommendation
I suggest that you work on tiny pieces of the User Document, and circulate these little pieces (rough drafts) to the development team for comments. Then use their comments to increase the writing, and re-circulate the improved material. Continue this for a couple of cycles. I call this "Iterative, Interactive Writing." This is an effective method for writing rapidly and accurately.
If you really feel uncomfortable about circulating rough drafts to the solution development team for review, here's a solution. Have your editor perform a quick edit of the rough draft ahead of you circulate it for comments. Your "drafts" will appear fairly great, and the development team will concentrate on the content, not the wording or grammar (and comments about content material are you want from the team).
The Bottom Line
Do not think of your editor as an enemy lurking at the end of your document production path. As an alternative, realize that your editor can be a useful member of your writing team, and is on your side. He/she must:
* Be brought onto the writing project early
* Be kept aware of the status of the writing project
* Be employed as a writing, as properly as an editing, resource
TIP: It is significantly a lot more enjoyable for the writer (you) to function with "marked-up" electronic documents, rather than marked-up printed documents. Investigate your word processor's "many reviewers" capability. To employ this capability needs that you and your editor use the exact same or compatible word processing continued software program.
NOTE: I am not an editor, nor do I represent any editors. But as a writer, I worth editing.
