Technical Writing Basics

This practical guidebook to workplace writing shows how to apply the structure, patterns, and strategies learned in a Basic Composition course to the production of different types of technical documents. A variety of models of style and format are presented that demonstrate how to create technical documents that produce concrete results.

Included in this book:

• Practical examples of simple and complex technical documents
• Technical documents in a broad range of institutional contexts, including major companies, non-profit organizations, agencies, and small businesses
• Sections of the book build progressively but have been designed as standalone units that can be covered in any sequence, offering flexibility in course design
• Written in a straightforward student-friendly style
• Practical guidelines for executing a job search

This concise and cumulative guide shows readers the art of technical writing for a variety of contexts and institutions. Using examples from the business and non-corporate world, the book emphasizes transactional writing through practical explanations, real-world examples, and a variety of “role-playing” exercises. Each section builds on the next as readers learn a variety of models of style and format. This edition features a stronger emphasis on electronic communication, integrated coverage of ethics, and more explanation of how to create technical documents that produce concrete results. Begins with the basics of technical writing (from fundamental components of technical communication, to templates of presentation, to construction of letters, memos, announcements and instructions) and then focuses on using these skills to construct short and long reports and a job search portfolio. Goes beyond the large corporate view to survey challenges within a variety of settings–e.g., small businesses, social services, the academy, the corporation. Anyone looking to improve their techincal writing skills.

Dr. Brian Holloway was born in Flushing, New York in 1952 and from an early age was fascinated by the written word, dramatic performance, and the wisdom inherent in world cultures. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois with a concentration in literature of the Renaissance, including Shakespeare, and has served as editorial consultant and on the editorial board of Shakespeare and Renaissance Association Selected Papers, volumes 22 and 23.

While in charge of Arts and Sciences at Mountain State University, Dr. Holloway headed the development of its graduate individualized study programs and its interdisciplinary general education program, Spectrum, which have enhanced the lives of many in West Virginia and other states as well. He also served as the editorial advisor of five volumes of the school’s creative writing publication, Mountain Whispers.

The receipt of grants from the West Virginia Humanities Foundation allowed Dr. Holloway to pursue extensive research into the way that the book Black Elk Speaks was created as a collaboration between writer John Neihardt and Lakota holy man Nicholas Black Elk. This research grew into an elaborate project involving archival materials, field notes, family scrapbook photos, and narratives from the Neihardt family, with whom Dr. Holloway quickly became friends. Presentations at the Neihardt Center led to Dr. Holloway’s becoming the editor of the Neihardt Journal for six volumes spanning 1999 to 2004.

Professor of English at Mountain State University in West Virginia, Dr. Holloway is also Dean of Graduate Studies. In that capacity he has taught and guided many students as they explore their academic horizons.

Dr. Holloway is the author of articles, poetry, and presentations. His text Technical Writing Basics, published by Prentice Hall, will soon be in its fourth edition. Proposal Writing Across the Disciplines, also published by Prentice Hall, has readers from the continental United States to the Pacific Rim.

Dr. Holloway’s book Interpreting the Legacy: John Neihardt and Black Elk Speaks has been published by the University Press of Colorado. This book combines historical research, analysis of text, and archival scholarship to discuss that famous work and the lives and times of those who produced it. Notable in the book are rare photographs and high-resolution scans of original transcripts, manuscripts, and drawings.

At Mountain State University, Dr. Holloway has received the Alumni Association’s Teacher of the Year award as well as the Student Government Association’s Outstanding Professional Achievement and Faculty of the Year awards. In the past, he has served as president and as treasurer of the West Virginia Association of College English Teachers.