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Monthly Archives: August 2010

On Document Styles: How to Use Section Breaks in Microsoft Word

I spent yesterday explaining why technical writers use text columns, providing some specific examples along the way. What I didn’t provide was any kind of instructions. I hope to remedy that today. I’m going to walk you through the basics of setting up columns in Microsoft Word. Setting Up a Columned Layout The easiest way [...]

On Document Style: Text Columns

Yesterday’s story about carving out the blackberry bush, while carefully leaving load-bearing columns in the heart of it, would make for an excellent post on document structure. Wouldn’t it? Maybe I’ll have to tell it again sometime when you’re not looking…. Today I want to talk about a different type of columns, though: text columns, [...]

On Document Style: Building Forts

I’ve used today’s photo before, but it’s so adorable I just had to drag it out again. That’s not the only reason, of course. It’s also incredibly appropriate to the story I want to tell. I don’t know if it’s readily apparent in that image, but we were building a fort in that photo. I [...]

On Visual Storytelling: How to Write a Visual Scene

With all these posts lately on writing rules, I’m becoming quite the party pooper, aren’t I? That’s no fun. My goal isn’t to limit you as a writer, though — it’s to help you grow as a storyteller. Yesterday’s discussion of late attribution and flickering perspective was meant to help you spot the really cool [...]

On Visual Storytelling: The Camera Lies

Yesterday I told a story about a high school ski trip that ended with a Goofy-esque pratfall on the slopes at Aspen, Colorado. It was one of those moments too perfect to believe, and I’ve cherished it in my memory ever since. A couple years ago I got to relive the experience when Dad shared [...]