This week, as I was riding my bike to work and listening to Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time: The Eye of the World (a classic fantasy/adventure book), one of the characters — was it Bayle Domon, the pirate? for the life of me, I can’t remember, nor can I find it, but he says Continue Reading »
Tag Archives: Creativity
Guest Post: Is Technical Writing Creative?
The following is a guest post by Lopa Mishra, a technical writer in Mumbai, India. At a college reunion party recently, someone asked me what job I’m pursuing. On replying that I’m a writer, a friend jumped in to clarify that I’m a “technical” writer. My friend considers that technical writing has nothing to do Continue Reading »
A Lifetime of Reading Versus a Lifetime of Writing
This past week I traveled to Florida to help clear out my dad’s house. He recently fell and hit his head, and now he’s in a rehabilitation center while his memory recovers. It may take him months to return to his normal self. When he does, we want him to live closer to my sister Continue Reading »
What I’ve Learned from Lunchtime Creative Writing Workshops
About a month ago, one of my colleagues approached me and asked if I would be interested in having an informal creative writing workshop every now and then. Huh, I thought, maybe. I floated the idea by the other four writers in our technical writing group, and it turns out everyone was interested in participating Continue Reading »
My Problem with Fiction, and How I Tried to Resolve It
I’ve been somewhat bothered by the fact that I don’t read much fiction. For someone who has a degree in creative writing, this is a bit troubling. My degree is in nonfiction creative writing, but still, you would think that I read a novel a week or more. Not really. Not too long after my Continue Reading »
Presentations Versus Conversations
Recently I listened to Moira Gunn interview Steve Rosenbaum about content curation in her podcast, Tech Nation. I heard Steve present on a similar topic at Confab. Interestingly, I found the podcast, which was a conversation between Moira and Steve, more interesting, fluid, and natural than Steve’s Confab presentation. Steve’s presentation at Confab was great. Continue Reading »
What Does It Mean to Be Innovative?
Last week while attending the STC Summit, I learned that MindTouch named my blog, I’d Rather Be Writing, the most innovative blog in technical communication. In their post, 2011 Technical Communication Innovation Award Winners, they write, This honor is bestowed upon long-time technical documentation professional Tom Johnson for creating some of the best — and Continue Reading »
I am perhaps finishing my basement, someday
My wife wants to finish our basement so badly that she registered for a local eight-week course on how to finish your basement. As the first class approached, she realized how difficult it would be for me to nurse the baby while she learned about framing, plumbing, electricity, and so forth. So I agreed to Continue Reading »
“Don’t know how you do it all”: Some Thoughts on Productivity
In my post on technical writing resolutions, Marcia Johnston commented, “Inspiring. Bravo, Tom, and good luck. Don’t know how you do it all.” I get that last remark a lot, actually. I don’t feel it’s deserved. I don’t do it all … not at all. I let so many important activities slip through the cracks. Continue Reading »
My Review of the Old Testament (really)
The Old Testament is not something one typically reviews in a blog post, but I’ve been reading it for the past year, and I want to write down some of my thoughts about the text. This is, after all, a blog about writing. Where does one even begin? Let’s start with purposes, in other words, Continue Reading »