114 lines
4.6 KiB
Plaintext
114 lines
4.6 KiB
Plaintext
Path: blister!jtsv16!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!news.cs.indiana.edu!purdue!spaf
|
|
From: spaf@cs.purdue.EDU (Gene Spafford)
|
|
Newsgroups: news.announce.newusers
|
|
Subject: Hints on writing style for Usenet
|
|
Message-ID: <15401@ector.cs.purdue.edu>
|
|
Date: 25 Jul 91 23:15:58 GMT
|
|
Expires: 23 Oct 91 23:15:58 GMT
|
|
Organization: Dept. of Computer Sciences, Purdue Univ.
|
|
Lines: 101
|
|
Approved: spaf@cs.purdue.EDU
|
|
Supersedes: <14697@ector.cs.purdue.edu>
|
|
|
|
Original-from: ofut@gatech.edu (A. Jeff Offutt VI)
|
|
[Most recent change: 19 Jan 1991 by spaf@cs.purdue.edu (Gene Spafford)]
|
|
|
|
I would like to take a moment to share some of my knowledge of writing
|
|
style. If you read the suggestions below, remember: it's easy to agree
|
|
that they make sense but it's much harder to apply them.
|
|
|
|
References:
|
|
Cunningham and Pearsall, "How to Write For the World of Work"
|
|
Strunk & White, "Elements of Style"
|
|
|
|
The above references are both excellent books. Cunningham is a
|
|
standard in tech writing classes and won an award for the best tech
|
|
writing book from the Association for Teaching of Technical Writing. I
|
|
was lucky enough to take a class from him as an undergraduate. Strunk
|
|
is a standard in college composition classes. Other ideas here come
|
|
from my own experience on the net and hints from other people.
|
|
|
|
This is a "long article." The rest of it is simply a list of pointers.
|
|
|
|
Writing style:
|
|
|
|
* Write *below* the readers' reading level. The avg. person in the US
|
|
reads at a 5th grade level (11 years of age). The avg. professional
|
|
reads at about the 12th grade level (18 years of age).
|
|
|
|
* Keep paragraphs short and sweet. Keep sentences shorter and sweeter.
|
|
This means "concise," not cryptic.
|
|
|
|
* White space is not wasted space -- it greatly improves clarity.
|
|
A blank line only adds a byte to the article length, so don't be
|
|
stingy if it will help make your meaning clearer.
|
|
|
|
* Pick your words carefully. Writing with precision is as important
|
|
here as it is in any other kind of discourse. Consider carefully
|
|
whether what you have written can be misinterpreted, and whether
|
|
that is something you wish to have happen.
|
|
|
|
|
|
* People can only grasp about seven things at once. This means ideas in a
|
|
paragraph, major sections, etc..
|
|
|
|
* Avoid abbreviations and acronyms, if possible, and define the ones
|
|
you use.
|
|
|
|
* There are several variations on any one sentence. A passive, questioning
|
|
or negative sentence takes longer to read.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net style:
|
|
|
|
* Subtlety is not communicated well in written form - especially over a
|
|
computer.
|
|
|
|
* The above applies to humor as well. (rec.humor, of course, not included.)
|
|
|
|
* When being especially "flame-boyant", I find it helpful to go to the
|
|
bathroom before actually sending. Then, I often change the tone
|
|
considerably. :-) Take a break before posting something in anger or that
|
|
might hurt or anger others.
|
|
|
|
* Subject lines should be used very carefully. How much time have you
|
|
wasted reading articles with a misleading subject line? The "Subject:"
|
|
header line can be edited in all the various posting programs
|
|
(as can the "Distribution:", "Newsgroups:" and "Followup-To:" header
|
|
lines).
|
|
|
|
* References need to be made. When you answer mail, you have the original
|
|
message fresh in your mind. When I receive your answer, I don't.
|
|
|
|
* It's *much* easier to read a mixture of upper and lower case letters.
|
|
|
|
* Leaving out articles (such as "the," "a," "an," etc.) for "brevity"
|
|
mangles the meaning of your sentences and takes longer to read. It saves
|
|
you time at the expense of your reader.
|
|
|
|
* Be careful of contextual meanings of words. For instance, I used "articles"
|
|
just now. In the context of netnews, it has a different meaning than I
|
|
intended.
|
|
|
|
* Make an effort to spell words correctly. Obvious misspellings are
|
|
jarring and distract the reader. Every news posting program allows
|
|
you to edit your article before posting, and most systems have some
|
|
kind of spelling checker program that you can use on your article.
|
|
|
|
* Remember - this is an international network.
|
|
|
|
* Remember - your current or future employers may be reading your
|
|
articles. So might your spouse, neighbors, children, and others
|
|
who will long-remember your gaffes.
|
|
|
|
'Nuff said.
|
|
|
|
These suggestions are all easily supported by arguments and research.
|
|
There's a lot more to say, but....
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
Gene Spafford
|
|
NSF/Purdue/U of Florida Software Engineering Research Center,
|
|
Dept. of Computer Sciences, Purdue University, W. Lafayette IN 47907-1398
|
|
Internet: spaf@cs.purdue.edu phone: (317) 494-7825
|