Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

So much in this technical writing course has been new to me; or rather, I’m learning to approach writing differently. In part, I think it’s an indication of how much things have changed since I was last in an academic setting. It’s challenging to re-think, and rollback, deeply ingrained habits. But, it’s been a valuable experience.

Stand-out new skills included giving/receiving peer review, and writing with “You” attitude; with each placing emphasis on the audience. I’ve begun to write with “You” attitude in my professional life; in donor relations, we always consider the interests, preferences, and sensitivities of a supporter.

My writing has always been “wordy”. The tools learned for self-editing, for example, removing unnecessary words, passive voice, etc., are helpful. There is still work to, but I’m coming away with a sharper eye on the editing process, and a deeper understanding of the economy of words.

I’m still not 100% satisfied with the design of my web folio. I attempted (again) to play around with different templates, widgets, images, and colors. But, I’m not sure that I’ll ever be 100% satisfied, because I’m not sure we ever get to completion.

One of the things that I’ve valued about returning to university, is the ability to collaborate with a younger generation. It’s interesting to explore their work, and for them to explore mine. They’ve been exposed to a technical skill set that wasn’t around when I first entered university; I’ve learned so much from observing them.

The challenge with writing is that it’s often difficult to know when to a piece is complete. But, I believe, we never really reach completion. We can always do more revising, self-editing, learning, and attempt new things.

This is approaching completion.

This website was initially developed for UBC’s technical writing course. The idea was to design a website where I could reflect on the course material. Technical writing is precise; words are used thoughtfully, and sparingly. In contrast, reflection involves a ‘restrained free-flow of words’, of a sort. Recently, I realized that my website would evolve into the highly anticipated web folio.

I reconsidered my website’s design. I love the photo of the flowering almond tree against the clean, blue sky backdrop. It’s colorful, uplifting, and evokes feelings of renewal. It was a great centerpiece for reflecting on my writing. But, now with the approaching completion of the web folio, I wondered if it represents where I am going, professionally. I checked out several examples of web folios online, and tried out a few other WordPress templates.

I love getting rapt up in creative projects. In my work life, I have had many opportunities to craft compelling content that is also visually appealing. However, my experiences have taught me that it’s very easy to get caught up in the small things. For me, the small things are often the visual components.

The web folio is the endgame of this technical communications course; a tremendous effort has gone into writing technical definitions, peer reviews, proposals, formal reports, letters and memos, and an application package. Although I revised my work along the way, now that I am approaching the course conclusion, I feel that there was still so much more to review. Plus, my natural writing style tends to be quite “wordy”; so, self-editing is imperative. I decided that polished content is my prime objective; any time I have leftover can be dedicated to design.

Plus, I really do like my flowering almond tree.