TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Candie McKee wonders: <<I have three possible status types. Do I say
statuses or something else?>>
Editors have a criterion known as the "it looks (or smells) funny"
criterion. If something reads oddly to you, then there's a good chance that
it will read oddly to your audience too, and another good chance that
there's really something wrong with it even if you don't know exactly what.
In this case, you have "three possible status types"; whether or not
"statuses" exists, it fails the ILF criterion, and since "status types"
works just fine, at the cost of four more letters, stick with that wording.
<<I know. That's a really basic question.>>
All of which have basically important answers. Master the basics now; worry
about the details later.
"Technical writing... requires understanding the audience, understanding
what activities the user wants to accomplish, and translating the often
idiosyncratic and unplanned design into something that appears to make
sense."--Donald Norman, The Invisible Computer
