Instructional Writing
Most people dislike manuals because the manuals are poorly written. The reason for this is that most manuals are written from the writer’s perspective rather than from the reader’s perspective. This means the writer often assumes too much knowledge on the part of the reader or doesn’t explain things completely enough. In this unit, we’ll work on improving your basic instructional writing skills to help turn your prose from writer-based to reader-based.
Instructional Writing Unit Materials
- Reading Comprehension Test
- Five Pointed Star Directions
- Practice Task: Drawing Objects
- Guidelines: Writing Effective Instructions
- Critique: Advanced Real World Instructions
- TechJournal: Directions Nightmares
- Online Directions Article: “Shop for This Label: ‘No Assembly Required'”
- Critique: Student Selected Sample Instructions
- Critique: Drafts of Student Written Instructions
- The Campus Directions Project
- TechJournal9: Technical Writing Project Instructions Critique
- Additional Information on Instructional Writing (by Dr. David A. McMurrey)
Sample Instructions (by Dr. David A. McMurrey)
- How to Raise Potatoes
- How to Operate the Minolta Freedom 3 Camera
- How to Install Window Curtains
- Beginner’s Guide to Eudora Lite
- Using WS FTP Pro
- How to Buy Comics