Untechnical Writing: How to Write about Technical Subjects and Products So Anyone Can Understand

by Michael Bremer

No other book can better prepare you to work as a writer in the technical world, to write better about technology for a nontechnical audience, or to understand how the ever-more-inportant writer can... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0966994906
• ISBN13: 9780966994902
• Release Date: September 1999
• Publisher: UnTechnical Press
• Length: 227 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

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One of the first things I noticed about this book as I flipped through it before reading was the use of quotations. They caught my eye and made me stop more than once to read the rest of the section before going back to where I started. I had to force myself to stop reading the quotations and go back to the beginning. Bravo, Mr. Bremer, for making me anticipate each section and the great quotations I knew it would contain.This isn't your typical "how to write user documentation" book. If you're looking for dry, technically-scientific terms and long winded sentences, don't read this book. Warning: This book isn't for everyone who wants to be a technical writer or a better technical writer. If you are looking for a lesson in grammar, don't read this book. If you are expecting to learn how to type or use a word processor, forget reading this book. However, if you are looking for a new, innovative way to write clear, concise instructions for the layman consumer audience, then make yourself comfortable and read away. This is your book. Caution: This book may cause you to see technical documentation in a new light. You may become overly excited and expect your company to immediately adopt your new ideals and change their documentation or product lifecycle processes. It's very obvious, right from the beginning that Mr. Bremer knows what he's talking about and can express himself very well. He has a firm grasp on who the reader is and how to sort through the garbage and find that reader the gems. He describes the different readers and how to best reach each one. Best of all, he doesn't cop a "holier-than-thou" attitude. Even though we can tell he's "been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt," he keeps his opinions low key. I, for one, am grateful. I refuse to take any technical author seriously who tells me that their way is the ONLY way. Mr. Bremer makes it very clear that what he's writing about are ideals and suggestions that have worked for him in one form or another and may not work for everyone. Mr. Bremer's basic philosophy is to keep everything simple. "Simple in language. Simple in style. Simple in organization. Keep Occam's Razor handy, and use it often." For those who don't know, Occam's Razor is the rule that if there are two ways to do something, the simpler one is the better one. That rule has always been a personal favorite of mine and I am glad to see it used here.

A unique, user-friendly, invaluable guide.

Michael Bremer's UnTechnical Writing: How To Write About Technical Subjects And Products So Anyone Can Understand clearly and cogently explains how to write and produce good documentation, and how to deal with the business side of writing as well. Michael Bremer even addresses such tangential issues as office politics and using the bottom line to get management support for better documentation. UnTechnical Writing is a unique and invaluable guide for anyone charged with the specialized responsibility of writing user-friendly instruction manuals for any kind of product.

UnTechnical Writing Guide is Worthwhile

Michael Bremer's book makes it easy to write to non-technical audiences about technical subjects. He gives tips, techniques, hints and lessons learned from his ten years of experience working in the software industry and writing about technical topics. He provides forms and templates which will help gather information and organize the writing process. His advice is always interesting and practical. He rightly emphasizes that there is more than one way to approach a writing assignment depending on your audience.I especially enjoyed his conversational tone and humor to help get the reader through this potentially dry subject. It's refreshing to find an author who is working to eliminate the ever-increasing division between the average person and technology.This book is worthwhile for anyone who will be writing about technical subjects. The beginners will gain from Bremer's experience, but the more advanced writers will also benefit from Bremer's fresh outlook on the subject.

Easy Read

Michael Bremer provides very practical guidance to writing on technical topics for writers of all experience levels. He gives tips and techniques for making very technical subject matter easy to understand. He includes a wealth of checklists and forms that can be used unchanged or modified for specific purposes. Bremer's book covers more than technical writing techniques and aids. It addresses the human side of the technical writing field by addressing such issues as conflicting priorities, missed deadlines, and team dynamics. The book includes suggestions for dealing with clients, graphic artists and subject matter experts. Bremer gives readers the benefits of his years of experience as a manager of technical writers, including both the highlights and the pitfalls.Bremer writes this book in a very accessible style. The language is clear, direct, and understandable. His engaging style gives sparkle to what otherwise might be a very dull topic.

Great book about writing for the Untechnical

Michael Bremer's book, Untechnical Writing, is an excellent guide for beginning technical writers and for technical writers who write for a non-technical audience. The book focuses on how to deliver information in an effective, enjoyable style that will keep your readers from falling asleep but still give them all of the information they need.For the beginning writer, Bremer provides an excellent introduction into the technical, writing and interpersonal skills that will help distinguish a good technical writer from a bad one. He readily admits that even he can't uphold all of those standards all of the time, but what he provides is an ideal to work toward.Bremer has built his career around delivering technical information to the general reader. He often writes for game developers and other consumer software companies. His insights into delivering information in a fresh and readable manner are excellent. Some of the important skills he discusses are knowing how to analyze and respect your readers so that you can write from a perspective that is best for them, rather than from your point of view on a product. He also encourages writers to be more involved in the design of a product whenever possible, so that problems and procedures that may need extensive documentation in the beginning may be reduced to something as simple as a new button to click on.Bremer also explains the benefits, detriments, and pitfalls of a career as a technical writer, and helps explain some of the choices writers need to make, such as whether to aim for contract and freelance work or to pursue a permanent position. He also discusses the benefits of working for established companies versus working for start-up firms.Bremer displays an excellent knowledge of technical writing and his book has much to offer. This book is aimed at writers who focus on consumer products and non-technical audiences, however. If you are writing for a moderately or highly technical audience, much of his advice will not apply. Some of his advice is common to any technical writing project, but the delivery styles that work for consumer audiences often do not apply to more technical audiences.