I don’t have to tell you that topic-based writing is a very popular idea in the world of technical communication. And with good reason: it can help make writing, managing, and assembling documentation a lot easier.
But you can apply topic-based writing to work outside of our profession.
As you may or may not know, I do quite a bit of freelance writing. And sometimes, I have an idea for a non-fiction writing project, but am only able to chip away at it bit by bit? That sometimes feels like it happens a bit too often.
I also find that with projects like that, I write in bits and pieces — a few sentences or paragraphs here and there — and never get anything finished. I have chunks of writing, but can’t really pull them together.
Yes, that’s where topic-based writing comes into play. It can help you pull together all those chunks of content that you’ve been pecking out into something tangible.
Have I got your attention? Then read on.

This one comes under the banner of Getting back to basics …
A warning before we begin: I’m sure that this post is going to cause a bit … well, if not controversy then a bit of contention. That’s OK. I’m used to it. Understand that my definitions and perceptions of many things are filtered through my experiences.
Recently, I ran a
Throughout my career as a technical communicator, I’ve never documented consumer software or devices. My work has always focused on enterprise applications. Even when I did write documentation for PDA software or for the Blackberry, it was in the context of the enterprise.