Re: Creative Writing Samples for Instructional Writer Position

[mearro -at- msn -dot- com]

Ashaki wrote:
> I just received a call from the HR rep asking did I have
> anything more creative because the samples I submitted seemed rather techie.
> She suggested something that has more of a narrative tone. 

My suggestion is to take one of your existing docs (which I'm assuming are
procedural-based) and expand some of the text. You can do this by
prefacing the tasks with some chatty, narrative text. Write about a common
scenario that users may experience & explain how users can follow tasks in
order to accomplish their goals.

For example:

It's 10 a.m. By noon, you have to import over a thousand files, convert
them, and check for accuracy. What's the best way to do this?

Step 1: Import
First, let's take a look at the import process. The best way to import the
files depends upon the type of files you're working with. If you're
working with predominately graphical files, then you can follow the quick
& easy import method. If the files are text-based, then the long & harder
import method is recommended.
Here's some information about each method:
*Insert Quick and Easy Method*
*Insert Long & Harder Method*

Step 2: Convert
Congratulations, you've successfully imported your files. It's now time to
convert the files. Converting the files is a relatively simple process.

This is a quick & dirty example (so, please don't critique this). I just
wanted to give an example of how narrative text could be added to an
existing document.

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