The Grand Finale
Having finally finished this book, Im a bit depressed—turns out everything I know about technical writing can be covered in just over 10,000 words.
The point, I guess, is that technical writing doesnt need to be complicated. Technical writers have just spent several decades convincing people that it should be. No part of the job is easy in execution, but all of it should sound easy in theory:
- Learn everything about a subject.
- Write down exactly what an audience needs to know and no more.
- Make the content beautiful, discoverable, scannable, and searchable.
- Consider everything a draft, and iterate relentlessly.
- Make contribution simple.
I wish I had something more all-encompassing to say, something that would tie technical writing into storytelling or poetry or life. But no, technical writing is a job like any other, and I believe this book can help you do it a little bit better.
Acknowledgments
Even a relatively short and simple book like this one is a colossal task. Many thanks to my wife, family, and colleagues for their invaluable feedback and encouragement throughout the process.
Id also like to thank all the readers who helped make this book such a success. If you enjoyed Modern Technical Writing, please consider leaving a review on Amazon.com.
