Written as an aid for writers of Army narrative training literature, this guidebook emphasizes performance-oriented writing (preparation of literature intended to help someone learn and perform job related tasks). The eight chapters contain extensive examples and illustrations. An introductory chapter discusses why and how the guidebook was developed, what it does, and how to use it. Chapter 2 treats the difference between topic-oriented and performance-oriented writing and gives a number of examples of both. Chapter 3 deals with preparing to write performance-oriented training literature and includes sections on determining who the primary user of the materials is and how to select and organize content. Chapter 4 concentrates on estimating the primary user's reading level and estimating the reading gap between the writer and the reader. The chapter also includes a section on what makes writing difficult to read. Chapter 5 includes examples of materials that have been revised, with the "before" on the left hand page and the "after" on the right hand page for comparison. Chapter 6 discusses why, when, and how illustrations should be used and gives "before" and "after" examples. Chapter 7 discusses information retrieval aids for the user and gives examples. Chapter 8 provides a "sampler" of several effective methods of presenting information. The three appendixes include a readability formula and lists of reference materials for the technical writer. (LMS)