Odin Game System Manual
The Ayn Odin is a handheld video game emulation device and only includes instructions on basic operation. Emulation and game setup required quite a bit of trial and error to configure properly. I created this manual for my own use, so that I had a way to remember how I set up or added games. This is a solid example of a long-form technical document authored entirely on my own. The general layouts were configured in DITA, with screenshots composed using photoshop, and game lists compiled and pasted from an Access database used to track my game collection.
Instructional Design Project
This document is from a project which required students to design a training/teaching module from the initial project goal diagram to the functional end-product. I used Microsoft Word to create the initial report and layout, Excel Spreadsheets to design the evaluation charts and graphics, and I customized a WordPress learning management system to deliver the module itself.
Feature Story on Artist Rubén Aguirre
This article was written for a WordPress blog created in collaboration with several other technical writers. Our mandate was that we needed to compose two articles discussing art in our respective cities. My instructor indicated that this was a very strong composition, and I feel that it definitely stands with some of my best work.
Electric Shaver Quick-Start Proposal
This document was created as a proposal outlining the resources and considerations necessary to create a quick start guide for an imaginary electric shaver. I’ve included this because I felt that this is a great example of how I use my project management skills, in tandem with target audience demographics, to create a nuanced approach toward problem solving.
Articles Regarding Homelessness in Portland, Oregon
The articles included in this document were the product of an assignment requiring students to rewrite several news stories that were thematically related, and to create a news blog with those materials. At the time, this was a genre which I’d never explored. I feel that this is some of my strongest work: each article makes use of existing information and presents it in a wholly original way, while also staying true to time-honored writing conventions.
Groundworks Internship Portfolio
Just before my relocation to Portland, Oregon, I spent the first half of my summer completing a remote internship with Groundworks Resources, an organization in Georgia which helped not-for-profit entities with applying for various grants. My time with Groundworks helped me to gain some real-world experience, while also supporting some wonderful organizations doing some incredible work. My greatest lesson learned was that marrying insightful research and earnest storytelling can transform an application process into an opportunity to make a lasting impact in ways that really matter.
Rhetorical Usage Report
This report was written to examine the usefulness of rhetorical language in technical writing. My feeling has always been that some form of explanation is necessary in technical writing to truly engage the user, thus ensuring the best possible opportunity for success. I did quite a bit of research for this paper, and I felt that my argument was well presented and supported by information gathered by experts in the field. It is included here as a demonstration of my ability to produce documentation that draws upon objective and empirical evidence, rather than conjecture and theory alone.
Document Editing Example
This is a document I reviewed for another student while at Middle Georgia State University. I have redacted it to preserve the privacy of that individual. This is a great example of my editing skills: it highlights typographical errors, structural problems within sentences, and makes suggestions for the author to consider regarding clarity and cohesion.
Diagramming Examples
For technical writers, being able to compose a diagram or logic map is as important as writing clearly and succinctly. We are often called upon to create visual aides to help explain flows and procedural steps that can be quickly accessed and universally understood. Until recently, I believed that any diagramming tool would suffice. Coming to the realization that Microsoft’s Visio software is one of the most highly regarded, and often used, I made an investment of both time and money to learn to use this powerful program. The two diagrams included here are examples of different applications of the software: one as a logic map for a document I am developing, and the other as an organizational chart for a fictional company (based off of video game characters.)
DITA Document Examples
Creating technical documents in DITA format is both a necessary and powerful tool for a technical writer. To be able to reuse topics across different document outputs increases efficiency while decreasing expenses. It allows for quicker editing across multiple documents, and it allows the author to output that information in any number of widely used formats. When I learned how invaluable this skill was, I went about learning the theory and practice, as well as how to use an XML editor (Oxygen) to author in DITA. The document I’ve included here shows how I have used DITA to create two different types of output from a single project.
Database Manipulation Examples
While database skills are not often associated with technical writing, I have witnessed some smaller businesses utilize them for version tracking purposes. My experiences with database tasks span several proprietary iterations that I am unable to directly share. Here, I have included a document showing some things I have accomplished in an Access database I use to track my movie collection.
Honors Essay Book
As part of my graduate assistantship, I was asked to edit, compile, and design a book of writing culled from various student essays. I used PDF Reader Pro to convert the submissions into plain text and transferred that text to DITA format using Oxygen XML Editor so that I could generate different outputs from the information. The front cover was built using Canva, and the final product was edited as a Microsoft Word Document. I am quite proud of it as a piece of work that highlights my ability to work remotely, collaboratively, and to meet project deadlines.
Middle Georgia State University Fliers
This document is a compilation of various fliers that I created for Middle Georgia State University to promote the 2024 undergraduate writing conference and a poetry recital held at the school. In technical writing, the most important goal is to provide information clearly and consistently. Additionally, a good technical writer must know a bit about graphical layouts to ensure that content is presented in a pleasing and accessible manner. These fliers demonstrate how I approach that medium. They were created using tools from Microsoft Word, Photoshop CS6, and Canva.
GIT & GitHub Setup
GIT is a tool that I recently learned to use for version tracking. Like many, I initially thought this was used more by programmers, before realizing that many technical writers use it to track document versions and to allow for methods of merging, deleting, and restoring. My personal application of the program allows for me to track changes to my academic notes and merge them when I create new notation formats.