The Fine Art of Technical Writing

By Carol Rosenblum Perry

Book Overview

Updated edition! This friendly and engaging little book, the outgrowth of the author's 30+ years as an editor, offers key points to help you think your way through writing, whatever your subject... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 093608524X
• ISBN13: 9780936085241
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Blue Heron Pub
• Length: 111 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.5" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Better and less dry than one might expect

THE FINE ART OF TECHNICAL WRITING was recommended reading in a class I recently took on how to become a better technical writer and I must agree that the book earns its high recommendation. Carol Rosenblum Perry squeezes a lot into this thin volume, but wastes very little space. The author writes in a direct and to the point manner, so anyone afraid of reading pages and pages of dry material would do well to try this handy little book.Many of the major discussion topics occupy less than a couple of pages, and this quick style really works to the benefit of the reader. The author will typically mention a topic in clear, easy-to-understand language, maybe give an example, and then swiftly move on to the next topic. The subject matter manages to cover virtually everything that the to-be technical writer would need to have a firm understanding of, including: how to construct a good framework, how to be concise, how to use language effectively, how to write an effective ending, and how to avoid the inevitable bout with writer's block (something familiar to everyone who does technical writing work).I found this to be a very uncomplicated book that can be finished in a single sitting if desired. As a resource, it's a fairly handy volume to keep around as the shortness of the individual topics makes for fast referencing. In only one hundred pages the book manages to cover a wide range of topics, from the nitty-grittiness of grammar to making your writing flow smoothly to enhancing your prose style. Recommended for anyone learning how to write technical papers, or even for those who are already experienced but seeking to improve their writings.

A gem, not just for college students

This book is targetted at, and helpful for, anyone who needs to write non-fiction prose of any kind. I think that not only college students, but many kinds of professionals and academics, will find it useful. It addresses the general process of and strategies for writing -- the kind of information that is often actually glossed over in books on writing. Perry's metaphor of a document as a vertebrate body provides an interesting new perspective for familiar pieces of advice, such as "use active voice."This book will go on my shelf next to Strunk and White, and Joseph Williams' _Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace_.

Quick and concise guide for college students

Perry, following her own advice and techniques, condenses the 'fine' art of terse and succinct technical writing to 100 pages of blunt tips for student writers and excellent examples. Very accessible by students, and focuses on the entire process of writing...not just editing a final draft.