An element of this course, I find challenging is writing style. My initial understanding of technical writing was one of clarity, short sentences, directive type writing. My experience of technical writing prior to the course was limited e.g. creating e-learning modules and training material. When I wrote, my approach to writing was objective in nature, provide the facts and a direct call to action. I associated writing style with prose and the language of the novel. Creating a flow to the language was more a consideration for the verbal delivery of the content using link words as opposed to link words included in the written word.
Visuals e. g graphs, charts, videos and pictures were all included in my content but not in an informed way, more on instinct. Moreover and similar to using language, creating a flow using the visual elements was not a high priority. The emphasis was to use a visual to show information for variety and not in a connected way with the rest of the content e.g. placement of the visual, choice of colour to support the intended tone and the use of space for ease of reading. Considering how visuals impacted on the tone was hit and miss.
The more you understand sometimes highlights how much you don’t actually know and how much more there is to know. While this can be overwhelming at times, in my experience it is part of the learning cycle whether academic or experiential learning. Starting to breakdown the elements of area you want to study is, for me, always the starting point. Sometimes, starting is difficult and a term I use is the “Ladybird approach” (after the Ladybird books) which helps me create a structure to break down the elements to a very basic level and thus build my knowledge. I will use this blog as a framework to begin this process. I have created a category called “Grammar” to work on my grammar and a category called “Topics” to practice my writing skills.