4. Manuals and Technical Documents

As anyone who has struggled with a video or TV instruction book will know, clarity and simplicity are the two most important things to bear in mind when writing manuals.

Putting together this kind of material also requires, unsurprisingly, a detailed knowledge of the technology or process you are describing. Being able to test the product yourself is vitally important; make notes as you use it, not only so you can describe what to do, but also so you can describe what to do if things go wrong.

It is likely you may have to work closely with a graphic designer. Where possible, rely on pictures rather than words to describe processes as they are clearer and easier to understand.

Beyond advice already covered in Chapter 8 about writing clearly, the exact nature of each technical writing job is likely to depend on the type of product involved. If possible, I would advise trying to get hold of either an earlier version of the manual or a similar document from a competitor, and using it to look for areas that could be improved.