writing4c

Goldman Technology

Goldman Technology11/19/2010

Writing, A Catalyst for Thoughtand a Design Tool

11-15-10

Stan GoldmanGoldman Technology

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Eyes Can Be DeceivedWhat you expect to see is what you see.

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Writing Helps Engineering Work

• Helps identify limitations or omissions in the data like the ones shown in the previous slide.

• Constructs an intelligible description of what was done.

• Improves the thinking process by expanding technical ideas.

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Relationship Between Writing and Thinking

• Disciplines the mind by organizing thoughts. • One method of thinking.• Critical probing of engineering work can produce

new patterns of thinking.• The mechanisms of thinking that produce insight

are poorly understood.• Writing helps give insight.

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Theory of Why Writing Helps Thought

• Writing occupies the mind with a conscious activity.

• New ideas and relationships are being generated in the subconscious mind while writing.

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Methods of Writing

• Bulk writing – Write a report at the end of a project.– I won’t have time (Could be several weeks of

concentrated writing effort).– Diminished help in organizing activity.

• Incremental writing– Write 1/2-1 hour every couple of weeks.– Helps organize engineering activity while it is

in progress.

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Incremental Writing Method

• First pass should document your thoughts for your self.

• Write on topics that you will be continuously discussing.

• Separate editing function from creative function.• Do plan to make several passes at writing on the

subject if the material will be read by some one else.

• Save major editing for the end of the project.• Electronically save work to paste into documents.

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Methods for Separating Creative Function

• Write direct thoughts on paper for half an hour to an hour at one time ( uninterrupted).

• Write thoughts one sentence at a time (2 carriage returns between sentences).

• Do not correct spelling.• Do not try to organize material.• Use ? for equation, reference, and figure numbers.• Be as free form as possible.

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Editing Function

• Fill in ? from creative function.• Expand on ideas from creative function.• Use active verbs in sentences ( invent, design, measured,

develop …). • Use the American Heritage Dictionary.• Organize thoughts in to paragraphs and write topic

sentence for the paragraph.• Organize thoughts in to an outline with major headings and

write introductory paragraph in major headings.• Put thoughts that do not fit in to the outline on a leftover

page at the end of the paper.• Write introductory paragraph and conclusions.

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Electronically Save Work

• While printing schematics, save schematics as postscript files.

• While printing plots from spice simulation, save plots as postscript files.

• Postscript files can be converted to TIF files using unix imageview to paste into word document.

• While taking laboratory data, screen capture data and paste into a word document.

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Types of Reports

• Your own documentation, very little editing ( 2 passes).

– 1 pass can take( 2 hrs to several days).

• Internal memo, Web site (5-8 passes).• Published Article ( 12-20 passes).• Chapter in a book (30-40 passes).

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Best Opportunities to Incrementally Write

• After spending a few days in the laboratory, write about the graphed data.

• After spending a few weeks of simulation, write about the plots.

• After explaining the operation of a circuit to another engineer, write the explanation.

• After doing some editing.• Preparing for reviews and presentations.

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List of Active VerbsThey are the key to writing a complete sentence and a complete thought.

achieved acquired acted activated adapted addressed administered adopted advised analyzed appointed appraised approved arbitrated arranged ascertained assembled assessed assisted attained audited averted awarded balanced budgeted built calculated centralized charted checked classified coached collaborated

collected combined communicated compiled completed composed computed conceived conceptualized condensed conducted conferred connected conserved consolidated constructed consulted controlled converted coordinated corrected coralated counseled created decided decreased defined delivered demonstrated designed detailed detected determined developed

devised diagnosed directed discovered dispensed displayed distributed diverted documented doubled drafted dramatized drew edited educated elected eliminated employed enforced engineered enlisted ensured established estimated evaluated examined expanded expedited experimented explained extended extracted

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List of Active Verbs (continued)facilitated finalized financed fired forecast formed formulated fostered found founded furnished generated governed guaranteed guided handled headed helped hired hypothesized identified illustrated implemented improved improvised increased influenced informed initiated innovated inspected installed

instituted instructed integrated interpreted interviewed introduced invented invested investigated judged launched learned lectured led liquidated logged made maintained managed manipulated mapped marketed matched mediated met modeled modernized modified monitored motivated

navigated negotiated nominated observed obtained offered opened operated ordered organized originated oversaw painted participated perceived performed persuaded photographed piloted pinpointed pioneered planned predicted prepared prescribed presented prevented processed procured produced programmed projected promoted proposed

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List of Active Verbs (continued)protected proved provided publicized published purchased qualified quantified questioned raised read realized reasoned received recommended reconciled reconstructed recorded recruited redesigned reduced referred refined rehabilitated reinforced related rendered reorganized reported represented researched resolved responded restored

restructured retr ieved reviewed revised revitalized salvaged satisfied scheduled secured selected separated served shaped shared showed simplified sketched sold solved staffed standardized streamlined structured studied submitted summarized supervised supplemented supplied surveyed symbolized synergized synthesized systematized

tabulated tailored taught tended tested and proved trained transacted transcribed translated traveled treated tutored uncovered undertook unified united updated upgraded used verbalized verified weighed withstood worked wrote

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References

• “How Writing Helps R&D Work”, Herbert B. Michaelson, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, June 1987, 85-86.

• The Elements of Style, Strunk, W. Jr., and White, E.B., Third Edition, Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 1979, 70.

writing4c

Documents

writing helps

leftover page

incremental writing

creative function

separate editing function

major editing

direct thoughts

postscript files