1. Technical Writing demands genuine interest. Learning takes place when we are interested on the subject matter so knowing that Technical Writing will help us in our future job, we have to enkindle our interest again and again.
2. Writing requires reading; effective reading demands critical thinking; and critical thinking usually devours precious time. The more we become familiar with the jargon of our field (which, of course, happens only when we keep on reading materials related to our discipline), the more we would become good technical writers.
3. Writing is a process-oriented activity. For example, we can’t simply produce a refined, publishable project assignment essay in one sitting, especially that we are deemed novice writers. We need to read on our topic, plan, draft and revise [and keep revising] our work until we would feel that we have come up with a presentable and refined output.
4. Participating actively in dyadic and group activities enhances assimilation. The more we articulate and share our insights or understanding on a subject matter, the more we master it.
5. Revisiting our goals in attending our Technical Writing class helps us concentrate in our class. It reminds us that we are “learning for the here and now” so we need to do our best as often as possible.
6. Let us enjoy doing the writing tasks. The more we find delight in doing willingly all the writing tasks, the more we’ll be motivated to “write” with patience and the more our creative juices would ooze out.
7. Let us listen carefully to instructions before starting a writing task. If there’s anything that we don’t fully understand, let us feel free to raise our queries politely. That way, our instructor would willingly address our questions, while we would be guided accordingly in doing our writing tasks.
8. Technical Writing is a skills-based course. We assimilate and master the skills by doing (scribbling on our own, or writing with our partner/ group mates).