What's a good book to learn about technical writing?

Question

I just realized that the ability to express ideas in writing is an important skill as a programmer. With a good writing ability, we can write blogs, technical paper, comments, or documentation better. I have poor writing skill, limiting me in expressing my ideas clearly. Is there any book which can help improve my writing skill?

Edit: I think it's better if this question is about writing in general, not only technical writing in diagrams etc

Answer 1

A great resource to improve writing skills is: The elements of Style. From this answer.

Answer 2

Well, Code Complete 2nd Edition helped me better understand the steps and processes in software construction which in turn helped me better convey my ideas, suggestions and improvements to my peers, colleagues and managers. Might be worth considering...

Answer 3

My solution is that I have a good design/artistic skills so I make good diagrams, worth a thousand words. If you naturally lack writing skills you might be able to complement your documentation some other way

Answer 4

Look for books on Plain English as a starting point for any kind of writing. The Oxford Guide To Plain English seems to be a good reference.

Whenever you read something, think about what you are reading in technical terms- how effective is it at getting the message across? Do you understand it? Will other people understand it? Are there ways it could be changed to communicate better. Examine the text critically- reading a boring specification? Why is it boring? Could it have been made interesting?

Practice writing- set up a blog and use it- if you keep writing regularly and do so mindfully you will get better at it, no question.

Answer 5

Donald Knuth's lectures on Mathematical Writing are by far the best resource that I've ever encountered. Two options exist if you'd like to check them out: Amazon (or other vendors, of course) or, if you're TeX-savvy, you can download the sources directly.

Thanks for the question, by the way, as you reminded me that I need to reread them....

Answer 6

William Zinsser's Writing to Learn is very good:

http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Learn-William-K-Zinsser/dp/0062720406

And, it can be bought used for $1.77 at Amazon.