Blog Assignment #6

To tell you the truth, I didn’t really know what to expect in a technical writing course. But as the class went along, I learned about all the different considerations one should take when writing a technical document, such as who the target audience is and how to make an argument convincing. We also learned how to research more efficiently, by practicing looking for information on online databases, as well correct citations for information given and for reference.  Aside from the main purpose of the course, there were many “mini lessons” that are to be taken from it. For example, in one of the classes we learned about how to make our email more professional. While I’ve rarely used abbreviations in my email, there were still some aspects that I did not consider, such as the use of a signature and that emails should be formatted like a letter, beginning with dear such and such, and ending with regards/sincerely/etc.…

Now of course, technical writing isn’t all about writing better email, but how to write more professionally in the real world. I believe I did grow as a writer in this course, as I had hands on practice with technical documents, during which I used a different tone of voice than what I’m used to in traditional English essays. Based on previous comments by the professor, there also appeared to some sort of flow to the way things were being said in the technical documents. Now while I haven’t nailed down the art of technical writing completely, this exposure should serve me well as I continue along. Perhaps the next time I am asked to write a memo or any other sort of technical document I will look back at this course and revisit all the considerations taken into writing a technical document.

These blog assignments have also helped me develop technical writing skills. One of the great things about them was that we were given a recommended maximum word count. Though I sometimes was unable to stay within the word count (in fact it’s 342 at this point!), it did get me to think how I could display the requested information in as little words as possible, while also sounding professionally.