SampleTakeaways

1. I find it interesting that many of the rules for technical editing are similar to other forms of
writing. I have a background in creative and persuasive writing styles and follow a similar
process during my editing process. Eliminating unnecessary words, using efficient
language, etc. are all things that I look for in my works. Beginning with this class I was
worried that I was going to have a hard time transitioning writing style, but the more I
learn about technical writing the more confident I am in my ability to learn this new skill.

2. In conjunction with my first take away, I do like the fact that technical writing is tailored to
be understood and used by a specific audience. A lot of times when I write creatively I
am writing simply for myself, or when I am writing persuasively I don’t usually change my
words or how I use them based on who I think will be reading it. In 6.2 it mentions that
“Editing is about making your style readable while also making decisions about the best
way to reach your audience”. I appreciate how technical and science writing is focused
on being accessible.

3. I really liked the example listed in 6.2 using Caesar’s famous line “Veni, vidi, vici”, if only
because “I came, and I saw, and I conquered” sounds silly. It’s interesting that a phrase
can be rearranged so many times and have the same meaning with different inflection
and expression. “I came; I saw; I conquered” has so much more power and infection
than “I came, and I saw, and I conquered”.

4. “Plausible eventual possibility” sounds like the beginning of a spell from a Halloween
movie (think Halloween Town or Hocus Pocus). I am guilty of using wordy and
redundant writing in my first drafts of anything so I found the noun modifier stack section
extremely helpful. I use a lot of long, complex sentences that uses a lot of descriptive
and decorative words; it can be extremely redundant and difficult to comprehend what
I’m trying to say sometimes.

5. The negative framing is something I’m familiar with but don’t have a lot of practice
implementing. I’m aware of the idea but it isn’t necessarily something I think about often,
so I am glad that the book made note of it. How to effectively use words with positive
connotation by replacing the negative words is important and something I definitely will
need to practice.