On Dec 30, 2009, at 3:38 PM, Yves Dorfsman wrote: > I wonder if you guys have a book about writing that you keep going > back to, > or use as a reference. I'm looking specifically for technical > writing, but > good references that are pertinent to writing in general would be > good too.
Oh my. I have several. Few are specific to technical documentation, but then that's not what I write or edit most frequently. I think these would still be quite helpful to you. For creative inspiration: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, which taught me that it's okay to write a shitty first draft as long as I go back and edit later. Also, it's funny. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385480016?ie=UTF8&tag=thegroovycorpora&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0385480016 Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, an essential reference for expressing yourself clearly. Also, it's funny. (Do you notice a trend?) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1592402038?ie=UTF8&tag=thegroovycorpora&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1592402038 The Art and Craft of Feature Writing, which taught me everything important about writing article features (not that I sucked at it before, exactly). It's not funny (so much for the trend) but it's engaging and readable... otherwise how could one trust his advice? I think the story structure may still be relevant for tech doc because he's very clear about the need to give the reader a clear promise of what you're going to tell him, and then deliver on the promise. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452261589?ie=UTF8&tag=thegroovycorpora&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0452261589 Esther who, yeah, kinda writes a lot... _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lopsa.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss This list provided by the League of Professional System Administrators http://lopsa.org/
