Writing
Every tech writer knows two basic things about our work: We spend only a fraction of our time actually writing. The information development cycle is circular and continuous.
Splunk Documentation Team • The Product is Docs: Writing technical documentation in a product development group
The editor, then, is a connector—a conduit from writer to reader—but also a translator, improving the communication from each to the other.
Peter Ginna • What Editors Do: The Art, Craft & Business of Book Editing (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)
Paragraphs matter. I’ll always resist copywriters who insist that paragraphs should never be longer than 1-3 sentences. According to White, each paragraph should contain an indivisible topic. Every paragraph functions like a scene change, a visual aid to let your reading know you’re shifting from one facet to another. If you use paragraph breaks... See more
Michael Dean • Here is New York (1949)
I would argue that the paragraph, not the sentence, is the basic unit of writing—the place where coherence begins and words stand a chance of becoming more than mere words. If the moment of quickening is to come, it comes at the level of the paragraph.
Stephen King • On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft (A Memoir of the Craft (Reissue))
writing wasn’t easy and wasn’t fun. It was hard and lonely, and the words seldom just flowed.
William Zinsser • On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction
When people say, "I was writing all day," they don't mean they were intermittently typing for eight straight hours. They mean they spent the entire day engaged in the writing process. And a big part of that process is installing, configuring, and testing software—in other words, learning.
Andrew Etter • Modern Technical Writing
What works for me (as I said previously) is a single line at the top of the page that sums up the main point I'm trying to make. Then I list some key points that relate to or support my bigger idea. Then I go back and expand on those ideas in another sentence or two, creating paragraphs. Then I move the paragraphs around, adding transitions between
... See moreAnn Handley • Everybody Writes
I find that it’s in this search for aesthetic satisfaction that so many of the best lessons are found. I’m not talking about ornamentation or bells and whistles. I’m taking about the beauty of the four Cs: Clarity, cohesion, consistency, and conciseness.