Re: Techwriting style, speech patterns, etc.

Subject: Re: Techwriting style, speech patterns, etc.
From: "Karen E. Black" <kblack_text -at- hotmail -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 00:07:18 -0400


Interesting idea. You have only one style of thinking, therefore you have only one style of writing. I have a number of thinking and writing and speaking styles, depending on what I'm thinking or writing or speaking about. My best attempt, though, is to use fewer words than more, to crowd the sentences instead of letting them roam free, and to clip their tails.

Is it meaningful? Is it elegant? Is it productive? Let your fingers do the sitting.

If someone else is doing the writing, I don't corral their prose -- but I do trim the excess where possible. It ain't po-try, after all, and if I don't trim it it doesin't fit on the page.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is fearr socrú dá dhonacht ná dlí dá fheabhas.
It's better to solve the problem than to improve the law.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From: Alan Weiss <specwriter2003 -at- yahoo -dot- com>
I've often heard creative writers say "you should
write like you speak." I've slowly com to realize that
my technical writing style is very minimalistic; to
the point, summarized, organized. My speech patterns
are the same way - a man of few words. When I write my
thoughts out for the sake of gaining clarity
(journaling), I also write short, summarized
sentences.
 
The point: My minimalist style makes it very easy for
me to conceptualize, outline, and write drafts, but
difficult to do copy-editing or filling in details. I
wonder how many of you feel that your skills are
slanted more toward either the broad / detailed level,
and how you compensate.

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