Crafting a Guide is interesting work. It's both complex and simple. It involves artistry to some degree, in layout as well as in prose. It's got to speak to the majority of the users, but presumably cannot be pedantic. It has to be timely, focused, and in-depth. To create a book, as I did with a co-author in 2001, was to have endless discussions on order, significance, and language. We also had considerable flux about whether we wanted to license the artwork or create our own, use screen captures or line drawings, and even what art to include.

It's a work of heart, and yet it can be done scientifically. It can be a labor of months or years, or it can come together, crystallizing seemingly out of nothing into something substantive. One's subconscious has a lot to do with the latter, and one's sense of order with the former. In essence, unless you're doing it often, within a certain framework, you don't know which way it will go. And there's one more thing about user guides, particularly in this day of rapidly-changing computer applications: it is never, truly, "finished."

The unfinished aspect can drive people crazy - some of us just want to get the thing done and off our desk, thankyouverymuch. Others, however, adore making the very latest changes to be sure that every possible thing is perfect, even if that means tweaking daily. There's a place for each type of writer, and everyone in between. For myself, I hope for crystallization moments and strive for regular focus. And I want to update the documents when it makes sense to do so. In essence, moderation, even in writing, is a good thing to have.

Back to work!