Technical Writing - How to Design Your Page Margins in a Microsoft Word Document Template (1)?

Microsoft Word is the world's most frequently used word processor with pretty good page layout functions. It's installed on a great majority of home and business computers in every country. So it makes sense for you as a freelance technical writer to learn how to design a document template in Word.

First create your margins and other basic page layout features.

Select File > New from the main menu and create a blank Word document.

Technical Writing - How to Design Your Page Margins in a Microsoft Word Document Template (1)?

Select File > Page Setup to display the Page Setup dialog box.

Select your Page Orientation (Portrait vs. Landscape).

Set your Top, Bottom, Right, and Left margins. The default values look good but you can change them to anything you want.

Set your Gutter dimension and position. Gutter is the blank non-text area to the LEFT or TOP of your text area. A lot of book-format documents leave a gutter to the left for ease of reading. Experiment with different gutter widths and see which one you like better; or set it to the width specified by your Documentation Guideline (if you have one).

Select a value for "Multiple Pages" from the drop-down menu. Here are your options:

NORMAL creates a single type of page, with the same margins and gutters, headers and footers. All pages of the document will look exactly the same. MIRROR MARGINS creates left and right pages with margins "mirroring" each other. That is, margins will be on the OUTER edge of each page. 2 PAGES PER SHEET creates two small equal-size pages out of the "normal size" page. For portrait-orientation pages, two smaller landscape pages are created. For landscape-orientation pages, two smaller portrait pages are created. BOOK FOLD creates a "spread" (a single page unit) out of 2 or multiples-of-2 pages. Your choices are All, 4, 8, 12, and 16 pages to a spread.

In the Preview box, select from the drop-down list how many pages these page layout features should apply to.

WHOLE DOCUMENT applies the page setup values to every page in the document. THIS POINT FORWARD applies the changes from where you are in the document to the end.

Click the DEFAULT button to reset all values to their default values.

Click OK when you're done.

Technical Writing - How to Design Your Page Margins in a Microsoft Word Document Template (1)?
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Writing Style - The Differences Between Academic and Casual Writing

Everyone knows that you should write your term papers differently from your Facebook posts, and your journal submissions should be written differently than newspaper columns. What exactly are the differences between casual and academic writing? Between formal and informal writing?

The biggest difference

The single most important difference between casual writing and academic writing is style. That is, casual writing does not require you to adhere to any published style guide. Academic writing, or any formal writing for that matter, requires that you adhere to a style guide. Some schools and teachers will go so far as to specify which style guide to use.

Writing Style - The Differences Between Academic and Casual Writing

What is a style guide?

A style guide is a manual, or document, that specifies a set of rules and standards, followed by writers to facilitate clear communication. The guide for EzineArticles.com is a web page that indicates how to write articles to be included in the EzineArticles directory, for instance. Each school and corporation can have its own, personalized style guide.

Main style guides do exist, however.

1. The Chicago Manual of Style was one of the first style guides published in the United States. Currently (as of 2010) in its 16th edition, this style guide first came out in 1906. People often refer to "the Chicago style," but people also refer to it as CMS or CMOS.

2. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is in its sixth edition (as of 2010). This style guide was developed so professors and students could read papers more easily-and so comprehension was increased. APA Style calls for only two fonts in a paper, and the body of the paper must be written in Times New Roman 12 point. Underlining, bolding, and italics are permitted in some places.

3. The Elements of Style was written to help people write clearly. While the book has its critics, it is one of the shortest style guides.

4. The MLA Style Manual, 3rd edition, is the Modern Language Association's style guide. First published in 1985, this manual is used by many universities, colleges, and students.

5. Microsoft wrote The Manual of Style for Technical Publication, and this document is used for internal and external Microsoft documentation.

Common style guide conventions vs. informal writing

Contractions

Generally, it is okay to use contractions (like it's) in informal writing. Academic writing requires writing out both words.

Technical terms

If you are writing informally to a group of people in your same field, you might use technical terms frequently and never explain them. If you are writing to a group of people that have no relationship with your industry at all, you try to take the technical words out altogether. If you are writing academically, you must explain the term the first time you use it.

Active/Passive

This is not different between informal and academic writing. Most often, active sentences are better. Both the APA and the Chicago style guides concur with this.

Grammatical person

The grammatical person is the point of view, or you might have heard it phrased as first person, second person, third person, and fourth person. The first person perspective contains a lot of "I" or "we" statements like "I fed the dog." First person is the writer's perspective. The second person is you, the person the writer is writing to. The third person is associated with pronouns such as he, she, it, and they. The third person is not me (the writer) or you (the reader). Sometimes academics use fourth-person sentences like, "One should always behave when one is in public."

Informal and casual writing uses the first, second, and third person point of view, as appropriate. While academics often write in the fourth person, I have yet to find a basis for that style of writing in style guides. Style guides facilitate clear writing and fourth person, one-statements are anything but clear.

The grammatical person needed for a sentence often depends on if the sentence is active or passive.

Citations

Academic writing requires citations. If you are state "X is true," you need to cite either where you found that statement. If you created that statement, your words must clearly show that.

Sentence length

Casual writing tends to have short sentences. (Bad casual writing has run-on sentences.) Academic, formal writing uses longer sentences. Take heed though. The goal of any writing is to get a point across, and if your sentence is too long, you will defeat that purpose.

Colloquial expressions and cliches

While "awesome," "da bomb," "the bees knees," "kids," "nose to the grindstone," and "dude" permeate Facebook, these words and phrases are not used in academic writing.

Abbreviations

All your friends might know what LOL (and in the case of the ferret community, DOL), but whenever you use an abbreviation in an academic paper, you first need to write it out and connect it to the abbreviation so people know what you are talking about.

Writing Style - The Differences Between Academic and Casual Writing
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Gwen Nicodemus is a freelance engineer/writer and a homeschooling mom. Visit her website, Notion Nexus, for unit studies, worksheets, notes, and educational videos.

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Technical Writing - About Flowcharts

"A route has no meaning in itself; its meaning derives entirely from the two points that it connects." - Milan Kundera, 1929-, Czech Author, Critic

What's a flowchart?

A flowchart can be defined as a graphical representation of a sequence of operations or steps. In other words, it's an illustration of the various steps involved in a project or process.

Technical Writing - About Flowcharts

Typically, a flowchart consists of a number of boxes, arrows, and text that combine to form a sequence.

Why create a flowchart?

The purpose of a flowchart is to show the various steps of a process in a snapshot. By looking at the flowchart, the viewer should be able to identify the various steps involved in the process.

Flowcharts can be very useful for a technical writer. If you're working on a complex process, a flowchart can show you the various steps involved in that process. For example, you could be working on a manual on how to troubleshoot the Autopilot Flight Director system for the Boeing 747 aircraft. There are various steps involved in troubleshooting this system. Each step has multiple sub-steps. By creating a flowchart, you can quickly see which step takes place at what stage in the process.

How to create a flowchart

When you're working on a complex project, creating the flowchart itself may be a time-consuming task. Here are six simple steps you can follow to create even complex flowcharts:

1. Start by defining the end result of the process or project. The end result could be anything such as completing a user manual, writing a complex software process, installing a new part, or performing a test.

2. List the various steps involved to achieve the end result. This will take some research. In complex processes, each step could have a series of sub steps. The steps involved to create a user manual could be:

a. Meet with SME
b. Research existing documentation
c. Videotape the procedure
d. Take photographs
e. Create illustrations
f. Develop the user guide
g. Test the user guide
h. Make changes/adjustments
i. Deliver final product

3. Define the starting point of the process of project. This is the first step that starts of the process. For example, the first step could be project planning or research.

4. Write down the starting point and the end result. Both of these should be in boxes with some space in between them. Adjust this space according to the number of steps and sub-steps involved in the process.

5. Draw an arrow from the starting point to the end result.

6. Along this arrow, list the various steps in order that are needed to go from the starting point to the end result. Include any sub-steps as needed.

Some processes may have multiple branches of steps involved. For example, to get from Step 1 to Step 2, there could be three options. You would illustrate this on the flowchart as three separate arrows going from Step 1 to Step 2.

A flowchart is like a roadmap. It has a starting point (A) and an ending point (B). Your objective is to get from Point A to Point B. The flowchart tells you what's involved in the process.

For a technical writer a flowchart can be a very useful tool to illustrate various operations and processes. Before you start your next project, see if you can illustrate the process via a flowchart. It will make life easier for you and your manager or client. The end result will be a better project which is good for your target audience.

Note: Microsoft Visio is a good software for creating flowcharts.

Technical Writing - About Flowcharts
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If you can write a simple sentence in English and organize your thoughts then technical writing may be a rewarding field. You can easily make it a second income stream in your spare time.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average salary for technical writers is ,380. Freelance technical writers can make from to per hour.

The field of technical writing is like a golden city. It's filled with wealth, rewards and opportunities. After learning technical writing you can branch out into business writing, marketing writing and communications writing. All of these can become additional income streams.

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How to Write About Yourself - Generating Writing Ideas From Your Everyday Life

New writers often complain that their lives aren't exciting enough to write about. If they haven't had a traumatic childhood, climbed a mountain or battled a life threatening illness, they believe no one will want to hear what they have to say. This is not true. Everybody's life history is unique and a successful writer will exploit their particular set of circumstances and experiences to generate fresh writing ideas and create sellable articles or exciting stories.

Who are you?

Everything about you is a potential source of inspiration. What do you look like? How old are you? What is your ethnicity? Do you have brothers and sisters? Are you healthy? What is the most vivid memory you have from childhood? However mundane you feel your responses are to such questions, your answers will be unlike anyone else's.

How to Write About Yourself - Generating Writing Ideas From Your Everyday Life

What do you do?

Are you working right now? What job do you do? Are you planning to start your own business, retired or struggling to find the right career? There are stories to be told in all of these situations. What about your free time? Are you talented at a particular sport or do you play a musical instrument? What sort of company do you keep? Where do you like to hang out? Where do you take your vacations? Ask yourself questions like this and then think of how your answers could generate ideas for articles or stories.

Where do you live?

Where ever you live, your locality should provide you with plenty of inspiration. What is the latest gossip and are there any big issues affecting your home town right now? What facilities are on offer to residents and visitors? Are there any significant buildings with interesting histories? What are the people like? What do they do to earn a living and how do they spend their freetime? Is it a good place to live and why? Remember that relevant photographs make a feature much more sellable, so get out and about and see what you can find on your doorstep.

Who do you know?

You may feel you are not interesting enough to write about but what about other people? Perhaps some of your friends or family have a story to tell. What about famous people living in your area or somebody who has achieved something special? There are lots of people out their keen to share their experiences and most of them will be only too pleased to be interviewed if asked.

What do you love?

We often write articles that sell when we feel a connection with our subject. If you find something you feel strongly about - write about it. If a news item makes you angry or a newspaper story leaves you in tears - write about it. Write about the things you love to do or the things you would love to have a go at. Being a writer is a great excuse for trying out new experiences or researching subjects you have always wanted to know more about. Immerse yourself in the world around you. Be alert to new sensations and experiences. Just remember to carry a notebook around with you so can get it all down on paper!

How to Write About Yourself - Generating Writing Ideas From Your Everyday Life
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Louise Dop is a successful Freelance Writer and Technical Author. With a degree in Physics and a career history in science and technology she writes about popular science, the craft and business of writing and family and health issues. Keeping up with emerging technologies and topical subjects, she enjoys observing and commenting on all aspects of modern life.

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Cover Letter Starters and Endings

Do you get stuck on how to start or end your cover letter - so much so that you decide to send your resume without it? Well, there is no more need to fret. Below are sample cover-letter starters and endings for you to use when writing your letter.

SAMPLE COVER LETTER STARTERS

Sample #1: I am a dependable, quality-focused professional with a consistent record of meeting and exceeding employer requirements. As I am currently seeking new employment opportunities, I would like to present my resume for your review and consideration.

Cover Letter Starters and Endings

Sample #2: I am writing to express my interest in your current opening for a ; therefore, please allow me to submit my resume for your review. Having served in sales and operational leadership roles for the past 10 years, with continued success in meeting business/operational goals, I am confident that I can make a valuable contribution to your organization's future projects and initiatives.

Sample #3: I noted your advertisement for a with a great deal of interest, as your candidate description appears to be an excellent match for my background and skills. Therefore, I have enclosed my resume for your review and consideration.

Sample #4: I am a highly motivated employee with a consistent record of going the extra mile to meet corporate objectives. As I am currently seeking new employment opportunities, I would like to present my resume for your review and consideration.

Sample #5: I am a conscientious, organized professional with a 15+ year career and a consistent record of meeting employers' requirements and goals. As I am currently seeking new employment opportunities, I would like to present my resume for your review and consideration.

SAMPLE COVER LETTER ENDINGS

Sample #1: I will contact you within the week to follow up on this letter of inquiry. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or if I need to furnish you with additional documentation. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sample #2: My resume is enclosed to provide you with additional details regarding my technical/supervisory skills and achievements. I would welcome the opportunity for an interview with your organization. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sample #3: My resume contains additional details regarding my career accomplishments. I would welcome an opportunity for a personal interview to discuss your organization's needs and the results you can expect from me in addressing those needs. And I thank you in advance for your time and review of my qualifications.

Sample #4: To provide you with details concerning my qualifications and accomplishments, my resume is enclosed. I will contact you next week to follow up on this letter of inquiry; perhaps we could arrange a meeting to discuss our mutual interests. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sample #5: Thank you for taking the time to review my credentials. I hope you feel a personal meeting would be beneficial; I am available at your convenience. If you have any questions or when you are ready to schedule an interview - please give me a call.

Cover Letter Starters and Endings
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Certified in all three areas of the job search—Certified Interview Coach ™ (CIC), Job & Career Transition Coach (JCTC), and Nationally Certified Resume Writer (NCRW)—Linda Matias is qualified to assist you in your career transition, whether it be a complete career makeover, interview preparation, or resume assistance. She is also the author of the forthcoming book, How to Say It: Job Interviews (Prentice Hall Press, August 2007). You can contact Linda Matias at linda@careerstrides.com or visit her website [http://www.careerstrides.com] for additional career advice and to view resume samples.

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