RoboTechnical Writer

The warning are there to proactively protect the client and in essence, the writer. If you work for a company as a full-time technical writer, you are probably covered by the company’s legal umbrella.

However, as a contractor, you don’t have that protection. If you write something in your documentation that makes claims or declarations about a product or service that is untrue, the company can hold you responsible if they become involved in a legal dispute. Moreover, if you do not indicate warnings or cautions about a particular product and a user / reader is injured because of not understanding the consequences of an action (whether it makes sense or not) you can be held responsible.

Know your rights and protect yourself. Incorporating can help in protecting your personal assets. For more information about incorporating, read my previous article: To Incorporate or Not to Incorporate at http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/8567...

Uphold the Laws Of Grammar
Writing well requires you to understand what good grammar is and then following those examples. Good grammar hasn’t changed. The same rules still apply. One of the best guides for reference is The Elements of Grammar by Margaret Shertzer © 1986 by Macmillan Publishing Company ISBN 0-02-015440-2.

Another very good reference is The Essential Writer’s Companion © 1997, 1994 by Houghton Mifflin Company ISBN 0-395-71810-4. This small pocket book explains the mechanics of writing from spelling to punctuation to capitalization to numbers. It also covers the basic rules of Standard English Grammar.

Your writing should be concise and clear. Scrutinize every sentence. Eliminate all words that detract from the subject and cloud the message.

For more information, read my article series on Fat Free Writing at http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/tech... for specific examples.

Become a Success! It isn’t difficult to be a successful technical writer. Give your clients and their users what they ask for. Make sure you protect yourself, and write well.

I wish you much success!

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