Want To Be a Writer? Take a Picture

As technical writers our primary concern is words, but what happens when the primary content is graphical instead of textual?  Writing procedures using graphics instead of text is becoming more common so working with images and image editing software is an important addition in the tech writer’s toolbox.

Unless staged, conditions are rarely perfect for taking flawless product photos.  Whether the product is half finished or located on a cluttered factory floor you have to be able to take that photo and turn into something clean and usable.

This is where basic knowledge of photography comes in handy.  Digital camera technology and the Internet nullify any excuse for not knowing how to utilize your camera’s features.  All it takes is a little research and some old fashion trial and error (in my case more error than trial, but that's the beauty of a digital camera).  Read the camera’s user guide; Google some of the features; and above all, experiment.  Have some fun.  I’m not going to go into detail about specific settings but, understanding how to adjust ISO sensitivity, aperture settings, and shutter speeds are essential to improving your picture quality.

So, what do you do after you’ve spent a couple of hours photographing your product?  It's time to break out the image editing software.  I use Corel’s Paintshop Pro Photo Ultimate X2, but there are others such as Adobe Photoshop and the open source program, GIMP.  Choose one that best suits your needs, but whichever one you decide on, take the time to understand its many powerful editing tools.  Again, I won’t discuss individual features in detail, but there are lots of resources that can help you get the most out of your image editing software.

Before you start working with photos, read the User Guide, peruse the Help file and visit the company’s website where there is usually tons more information.  Know the difference between a raster image (made up of pixels on a screen) and a vector image (made up of mathematical equations) and learn what each feature should do to your picture when applied.  Know how to work with layers and how to resize images for the various media required.

Shadow lightening; color corrections; contrast; hue and saturation; and object removal are just some of the elements you should become familiar with to get the most out of your image editing software.

On top of photo correction, adding vector elements such as text and arrows is another must-have skill.  Users don’t like to search for information, especially when trying to get a piece of equipment up and running quickly.  Using arrows and text to identify and point out major features will save them time and hassle.  This will make them happy and as cliché as it sounds, a happy customer is a returning customer.

I’m not a professional photographer, but because I understand how my camera and my image editing software work together I am able to create high quality graphics for the documentation I write.  With a little effort, you will too.

Check out these valuable resources for much more on digital photography and image editing software.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/

http://www.digital-photography-tips.net/

http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/ca/en/Content/1152796555465

http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/

I'll Have A Latte and A Couple Thousand Words Please

I haven't posted in a while and the following post is part of the reason why.  Momentum is a strong force in writing.  When you have it everything is great, when you don't...it can be debilitating.
Anyway, on with the post.  Enjoy!

As I was sitting in the coffee shop the other day hammering out word after word of award-winning prose – ok, maybe not – I said to myself ‘I would never have gotten this much done at home’.  This is a particularly discouraging realization because other than my work office, home is where I (and most of us, I suspect) can usually be found.  So, why the lack of production at home?

A little reasoning tells me that it’s because of all the distractions.  Whether it’s the kids, cats, neighbors or chores, there always seems to be something keeping me from writing.  Some will say that the distractions are just an excuse for a deep-rooted fear of finishing a piece and having it flop.  Perhaps, but personally I think it’s more of a deep-rooted fear of my wife and the wrath I’ll feel if I don’t do the dishes.

All kidding aside, I believe there is another reason for the lack of productive writing at home.  Familiarity stifles creativity.  You look around and see the same things every day.  There is nothing new, nothing to stimulate the senses or fertilize the imagination.  It is very difficult to generate new ideas when looking at the same things day in and day out.

I suspect some will say: Going to the same coffee shop or park bench over and over is familiarity too.  True, but they are in a constant state of flux.  There are always new people, new sights, new sounds.  There is always something unique about it.  And if all else fails, there are other coffee shops and park benches.  In truth, it doesn’t really matter where you go, just getting out and away from your normal routine can rejuvenate and kick start the creative process.

Home is where the heart is, and for many writers being productive there is essential, but if it just isn’t working, take your laptop, pen and paper or stone and chisel (whichever you prefer) to the park or the bistro on the corner and see what happens.

What are some of the places you like to write?  Where are you most productive?  How do you find ways to be productive at home?

Proofreading Tips and Pitfalls

Proofreading is essential to ensuring any piece of writing, whether it is a twenty page report, a two hundred page novel or a two line email, is error and confusion free.  There is no 'right way' to proofread and edit, everybody does it a little different, but the things to look for during a proofreading session always stay the same.  Here is a list of proven proofreading techniques and some things to watch out for.

Focus

Concentration is key if you're going to spot mistakes.  Get rid of the distractions like TV, Internet and cell phone and focus on the writing.  Music at a low volume is ok as long as it helps you focus.

Print it Out

Proofreading from a computer screen is different than proofreading from a printed page.  You can make notes in the margins and your eyes won't get as tired.

Colored Text

Change all the text in your document to red.  As you proofread it, change it back to black.  This will allow you to focus on the document one sentence at a time and provide an easy way to tell where you left off if you have to leave the document and come back.

Don't Proofread Right Away

The brain has a tendency to read what it wants to read, not what's actually written.  This is especially true if proofreading right after writing something.  To make your proofreading more effective, set the document aside for the day or at least a few hours to give your mind a chance to forget what you wrote.

Enlist Some Help

The human eye generally picks up about eighty five percent of what we look for during an inspection or a proofread.  As such, things get missed.  One way to counter this is to get someone else to proofread it as well.  Having a second set of eyes look at your document will help ensure it is free of errors.

Now that you have some ideas on proofreading techniques, what do you look for?  Spelling, grammar and punctuation are automatic on the list of search criteria.  Utilize the spell and grammar checker of your word processor, but do not rely on them completely.  They are not foolproof.  Here are some other things you should be looking for while proofreading.

Homonyms

Words that share spelling or pronunciation but have different meaning.  Words such as accept and except or compliment and complement can cast an embarrassing light on your writing if mixed up.

Contractions and Apostrophes

It's easy to mix their and they're, its and it's, your and you're, etc.  They will hurt the credibility of your text if used incorrectly.  There are a couple of things to remember here, apostrophes are never used to form a plural and they are frowned upon in more formal writing (i.e. technical writing, business writing).

Numbers

An extra zero or incorrectly placed decimal can prove disastrous, particularly in business or technical writing.  You don’t want the reader to read $350 when you mean $3.50.  Check the numbers as many times as necessary to ensure they make sense.

Word Count

Many experts advocate 'write with the active voice'.  Active voice uses fewer words and improves clarity of your writing.  This could prove important if translation costs are a consideration.

The above list of techniques and pitfalls are not the only ones, but they are some of the most common.  Remember, whichever way to chose to proofread is the right way as long as it works for you.

I’m a Writer. Are You?

I’m a writer. I want to say aspiring writer, but of all the advice I’ve absorbed, the advice to never view yourself as an aspiring writer seems the most difficult to follow. It boils down to having the confidence to declare that it is something that you are and not just something you wish to be.

I am a technical writer by trade, which I guess makes me a writer by default, but I also write fiction, most of it not very good, although I do see improvement, thanks to the great advice gathered from books and on-line articles.

So, how do you know if you are getting sound advice? Much of it is subjective and depends on what you’re writing. As a tech writer reading How-To books on writing for children will provide me with little return on investment, however, reading articles and books from established technical writers would provide a great deal of insight.  I’m not saying that reading children’s books will teach me nothing about writing, but there is so much information out there and in today’s busy world, research has to be specific, to maximize efficiency.

It is important to know who is giving you the advice (go ahead and Google me, I’ll wait. Trust me; it’ll be a quick search). Look for names that you recognize and have a good track record. There are tons of well-known successful authors writing ‘Advice on Writing’ books. Stephen King is one you might recognize. Terry Brooks and Orsen Scott Card are two others that have enjoyed substantial success that have passed knowledge of the craft on to others.

The problem I find with How-To writing books is there are so many of them and their advice are so extensive; it is sometimes difficult to separate the useful stuff from author’s garnish. Not that I wouldn’t drink up every word King, Brooks or Card had to say on the matter. One way that may prove more efficient is to look for commonalities. If the majority of your sources are saying the same thing, chances are it is good advice to follow. For example, most sources I’ve read cited keep writing as a surefire way to improve prose. Now, if only one or two mentioned it, I might be skeptical, but since the advice was so overwhelmingly popular, I had to accept it.

So, keep writing, excellent advice, right? Well, easier said than done. To keep writing you need a little something called time. Many writers have busy schedules balancing a ‘nine-to-five’ job with home life and with small children it becomes even more challenging. What about writers who go to school? Even part time it is a significant time investment. Most work and school days are on average between ten to twelve hours, when you factor in commute and / or homework. Add between six to eight hours for sleeping and there goes two thirds of the day already.

Let me guess, you’re thinking that leaves six to eight hours of prime writing time, right? What about married life and kids? Most spouses would not appreciate being ignored while you spend the few precious hours of free time trying to be the next Tolkien or Jane Austen. And I’m sure little Jimmy would love to see you at his soccer or hockey game instead of stuck in a cramped office staring at, more often than not, a blank screen or notepad. And last, but certainly not least, all the other routine activities such as groceries, household chores, social interaction, etc. that make up the rest of the day. As you can see, that doesn’t leave much time for writing.

These may sound like some discouraging facts, and believe me the last thing I want to be is discouraging, but for many aspiring writers they are. I still haven’t found the right balance to manage my home and work commitments and still find the time to write. That’s why many will never make it past the aspiring part. Don’t let that be you.

The key is to maximize on your opportunities. Carry a pen and paper, or as is today’s norm, a laptop. Personally, I carry a netbook, with just a standard word processor. It’s smaller than a laptop, but powerful enough to handle the workload. If you get ten minutes where you have absolutely nothing to do (not bloody likely), write. Waiting for the doctor, they generally take forever, so write. Got a free period between classes, write. You get the idea and there are so many different things you can do to maximize your time. The most important thing is to write.

Some other suggestions for finding time to write is to write after the kids go to bed, write on the bus on the way to and from work or school. I’ll probably be crucified for this (especially when many writers will tell you to eliminate all distractions), but if you’re not distracted by the TV, you can write while your favorite program plays in the background. I stress, however, that if you’re spending more time watching the tube than banging away on your word processor or notepad, it’s time to turn it off and focus on the writing.

I’m an aspir—ahh—a writer that’s still waiting for the ‘published’ bus and you may ask what makes me qualified to give writing advice. Trust me, I’ve asked that question more than once. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether to take my advice or not, but for me the key is believing in your ability and having the confidence to tackle the hurdles.

Am I published to this point? No. Am I a very good writer? Probably not. Am I learning? Absolutely. I am learning because I write. I am getting better because I write.

And because I write, I’m a writer.

Hello!

Hi, my name is Sandy - and I'm a blogging virgin.  It doesn't hurt, does it?
I have been writing most of my life and recently decided to get serious.  Ok, maybe not too serious.
Most of my posts will be on technical writing, but this is a gallimaufry after all - so anything goes.  I'm also open to suggestions on topics for discussion.  I'm not sure what I'll get out of this, I'm not sure what you'll get out of it, but we'll find out together.  There is no script, cue cards or director telling me where to step.  Should be fun!
As for posting frequency, I will try for weekly, but I present no guarantee.
So enjoy, thanks for reading and I look forward to many, many discussions.
Cheers!