Technical Writing for Success, 3rd Edition

Book Preface

WRITE TO LEARN

Think about the many types of writing you do—for example, writing for school, on your job, in a diary or journal for self-expression, or to family and friends. With what kind of writing are you most comfortable? What kind of writing do you find most difficult or most uncomfortable? Of the writing you do, which would you consider to be technical writing? How would you defi ne the term technical communication?

Focus on Technical Writing

Read the sample writing excerpts on pages 3–5 and answer these questions about each document:
• What is the subject?
• For whom was the document written?
• How is the document organized?
• How would you describe the writer’s (or writers’) style?
• What is the tone of the document?
• Does the document include any special features (for example, boldfacing, numbering, bulleted lists, visual aids, headings, or subheadings)?