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Re: New Writer Seeks Advice

Subject: Re: New Writer Seeks Advice
From: Martha J Davidson <editrix -at- nemasys -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2005 17:26:49 -0800


At 01:10 PM 1/4/2005, Casey McCoy wrote:

I have no idea whatsoever how someone would document
software. I'm not really talking about *what* one
should cover, but *how* you go about it.

Here's a basic idea of what I do:
* I talk to one of the lead developers and ask for a demonstration
of the software and take as many notes as I can.

* I install the software myself and try to walk through the basic
workflow I saw in the demo as the basis for writing a tutorial.
In the process, I come up with a "real-world" scenario to use
as the running example for the tutorial.

* I write a high-level overview of what I think the software is for,
how it fits into a larger context, and what sorts of things you
can do with it.

* I delve more deeply into each of the parts of the basic workflow
with the idea of writing a chapter about what kinds of things you can
do at each stage of the process, and how to do each of them.

Most of all, I keep using the software and asking questions about
what I find as I use it. I find that QA people are a great resource,
especially for sample data or scenarios to use for a tutorial.

Good luck with your project,
martha
--
Martha Jane {Kolman | Davidson}
Dances With Words
editrix -at- nemasys -dot- com

"Too many words bring about exhaustion."
--Tao Te Ching, Chapter 5 (translated by Sheets/Tovey)



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New Writer Seeks Advice: From: Casey McCoy

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