Mims Wright

Tech Writing Tips

As you may know, Roger and I are working on the next version of the ActionScript Bible published by Wiley (the Amazon page is full of errors, don’t worry, it’s not even out yet). I wanted to share a few tips that I use as notes to myself for when I’m stuck with writing.

  • Write headlines and use the outline view to order the big picture
  • Simplify
  • Base information around a task that the reader might want to do
  • Write or flow without being concerned about the form then go back and edit it later
  • Ask “Do I really need this?”
  • Read other similar books
  • Say it out loud then write down what you say
  • Work on something that you know you can finish then go back to where you were stuck
  • Forget about style and focus on the facts
  • Take breaks and do something different like drawing a diagram or writing a code sample

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