Follows brief preparatory comments with 12 sections (relevant to technical communication) from the "Analects" of Confucius--2 dealing with getting an education and applying for a job, 6 addressing one's approach to assignments, and 4 suggesting a professional code of ethics. (SR)

Discusses the overuse of capital letters in technical writing. (SR)

Elucidates the special properties of narrative as a mode of discourse and as a cognitive instrument. Argues for the potential power of narrative in many common business writing situations. (SR)

Advocates that technical writing teachers should teach computer (or other) hardware, in spite of its difficulty and perceptions that it is not needed. Shows why hardware should be taught, gives the specifications necessary to contract the teaching of such a course, and includes a reading list. (SR)

Asserts that traditional composition is only one pattern among many for creating and communicating knowledge and that different kinds of writing are specific to different fields. Argues that for people to communicate and understand one another in the world around them, they must have a clearer understanding of the various ways writing occurs. (PRA)

Notes that prescriptions for scientific writing about jargon and the passive voice do not take into account that language varies with rhetorical setting. Argues that prescriptions to avoid them are not well adapted to their functions. (SR)

Discusses Evelyn Goldsmith's rhetorically oriented theory of illustration as a guideline for effective pictorial communication for teachers of technical writing. Presents a practical 12-question heuristic that directs the technical writer's composition and evaluation of pictorial images. (SR)

Describes briefly the historical development of the English language. Argues that technical writers should use mostly words derived from Anglo-Saxon with only an occasional drop of Latinate to liven things up. (SR)

Discusses how to use features in WordPerfect 5.1 to have technical writing students design a page of a manual. (SR)

Describes the visual counterparts of 14 figures of speech and their usefulness to designers of illustrations, visual symbols, and hypermedia. (SR)

Discusses kinds of jargon found in technical writing, how much jargon is acceptable, and the best way to handle jargon. (SR)

Discusses the difficulties faced by technical communicators who work in organizations that manage by crisis or by whim. Offers recommendations. (SR)

Describes three principles of direct mail sales letters intended to entice readers to read them: the personalized look; an indirect arrangement of support; and readability ease. (SR)

Offers a detailed discussion of competitive assessment, an efficient and cost-effective method to evaluate competitive products. Describes its three phases: numerical scoring, building a best-of-breed model, and determining the gap between the best-of-breed model and another product. (SR)

Summarizes a lesson plan which uses W. S. Merwin's prose poem "Make This Simple Test" to introduce the ethical consequences of what technical writers do as well as to emphasize other aspects of technical writing. (SR)