Advice about Technical Writing

Technical writing doesn't always mean 'computers.' Many companies hire technical writers to document policies and procedures for auditors. This means you would actually sit with someone and write down the steps they follow to do a function. Technical writers must be excellent communicators. Verbal and written skills must be of the highest caliber. A technical writer must be methodical, organized, and succinct.

Taylor, Vicki M. Suite101 (2001). Careers>Advice>Writing>Technical Writing

Advice for the Novice Tech Writer: Be Like an Empty Cup

Technical writing is one of those jobs in which you're constantly learning. New tools, new techniques, new methodologies. No one knows it all. That's especially true for the new technical communicator. If you've graduated from a writing and rhetoric course or a technical writing course, you have a pretty good grounding in craft. But you're really only at the base of the mountain. There's still a lot to learn, and if you keep your eyes and ears and mind open then you can quickly pick up what you need to know.

DMN Communications (2008). Careers>Advice>Technical Writing

Advice for the Novice Tech Writer: Hold on to Your Passion

Passion, though, is a funny thing. It's easy to become passionate about something. But the fire of that passion can also be easily dimmed or extinguished, often due to circumstances that are beyond your control. Throughout your career, you'll definitely find your passion waxing and waning. But holding on to that passion and nurturing it will make you a better technical communicator.

DMN Communications (2008). Careers>Advice>Technical Writing

Advice for the Novice Tech Writer: Think Long-Term

So you've just started out as a technical communicator, or you've been on the job for a year or two. And you've decided that maybe, just maybe, technical communication is the career for you and you're in it for the long haul. Now what? Think about the future and how you want your career to develop.

DMN Communications (2008). Careers>Advice>Technical Writing>Blogs

Advice to Technical Writers

A friend asked the going rate for author's royalties on a technical or trade paperback, so I asked some people what they received. A few wrote back with extremely enlightening and fascinating comments. I passed these notes on to other authors, and received yet more interesting reading back. I have now edited all these comments down a bit, mostly taking out the names of authors and publishers and removing publisher specific comments.

Ray Tracing News (1996). Careers>Writing>Pricing>Technical Writing

Are Pune Technical Writers the Highest Paid?

Are Pune technical writers the highest paid of the breed in India? The word on the street doesn't say so. As a hiring manager, I don't believe so. But, the salary survey suggests so.

Menezes, Frederick. Indus (2005). Careers>Writing>Regional>India

Are You a Technical Writer?

I started by saying that I wish to make everyone a technical writer. But I think I have taken the easy way out and am saying everyone is a technical writer. Welcome to technical writing!

Kamath, Gurudutt R. ITpeople (2000). Careers>TC>Writing>Technical Writing

Are You Ready for Multimedia?  

Lights! Action! Sound! There's a certain mystique associated with the design and development of multimedia. A multimedia developer is not quite a movie director, but.... If you're a technical writer, you may already have considered multimedia as a career option, but you may not know what's involved or how to get started. Having the information you need always makes a change easier, so perhaps this information will help you make that career move!

Currie, Cynthia C., Carmie Boutin and Linda Mandra. STC Proceedings (1999). Careers>Multimedia>Technical Writing

Avoiding Developer's Anguish  

Technical writers live in a state of anxiety. They are charged with creating a work within a specific time period, but they depend on the cooperation of subject-matter experts (SMEs) over whom they have no control.

McKelvey, Paul S. Intercom (2003). Careers>Writing>Collaboration>SMEs

Avoiding the Drone Syndrome: How to Keep Your Technical Writing Job Interesting in an Age of Automated Publishing  

Information development organizations are under increasing pressure to implement single-sourcing or other automated and highly structured document development processes. Forces driving this trend include translation requirements, niche marketing, the convergence of software and documentation, and shrinking cycle times and budgets. Initially, these changes threaten to remove everything that is challenging and interesting about the technical writer’s work. However, technical writers who successfully adapt to this new environment will find more opportunity than ever to use their analysis and writing skills and to develop additional negotiation and process management capabilities.

Guthrie, Melissa L. STC Proceedings (2000). Careers>Content Management>Single Sourcing>Technical Writing

Be Word Perfect!

There has been a tremendous growth in the software industry and some growth in technical writing. Most of my columns ten years ago were rants about the poor state of our manuals and our software. Today, I think the humblest of companies is producing great stuff. The reason for it is simple--globalisation and the Internet.

Kamath, Gurudutt R. IT People (2002). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

Becoming a Freelance Technical Writer

If you're considering a move to the contract side of the fence, you might want to think about the questions in this blog post before making a decision.

DMN Communications (2008). Careers>Freelance>Writing>Technical Writing

The Beginner's Guide to Freelance Writing

You have to stand out from the crowd. You have to sparkle. How do you do this? Simple. It all starts with The Big Idea.

Glatzer, Jenna. Klariti (2005). Careers>Freelance>Writing

Best Jobs in America: Technical Writing

Money Magazine and Salary.com rate careers on salary and job prospects. Technical writing comes in as the thirteenth best career in America.

Money Magazine (2006). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

Breaking the Sound Barrier  

I love my job but don’t feel the managers think it’s important, partly because of the noise. I also sometimes feel that I’m just an ISO requirement. I’ve also heard from techs that customers don’t look at the manuals; they just put them on a shelf. Any thoughts?

Alroy, Faye. Intercom (2003). Careers>Workplace>Writing>Technical Writing

Build Your Writing Inventory

Want a professional writing secret? Build your writing inventory. Unless you have an inventory, you have nothing to sell.

Booth, Angela. Digital-E (2003). Careers>Writing>Business Communication>Blogs

Business Correspondence and Resumes

This chapter focus on business correspondence-general format and style for business letters as well as specific types of business letters.

McMurrey, David A. Io.com. Careers>Resumes>Writing>Business Communication

Business Objectives: A Key Tool for Demonstrating the Value of Technical Communication Products    

Little has been written for technical communicators on how to identify the business goals of the projects we work on, or how to write those goals in observable, measurable terms. When we prepare goals in observable, measurable terms, we call these goals objectives. This article is intended to fill that gap. It first describes the challenges of setting business objectives for a project, next describes the three ways that a performance improvement program can contribute to the business performance of an organization, and then explains how to write a business objective. Finally, this article describes the benefits of writing business objectives.

Carliner, Saul. Technical Communication Online (1998). Careers>Writing>Business Communication

California Labor Market Information System: Technical Writers

Technical Writers compose communication from product developers for users of the products. Users include consumers as well as scientists, engineers, plant executives, line workers, and production managers. Writers must write in a concise and easy-to-read manner for consumer publications or in highly specialized language for experts. With the increased use of desktop publishing, Technical Writers increasingly are responsible for the publication process including graphics, layout, and document design. Technical Writers create product instructions, reference and maintenance manuals, articles, project proposals, training materials, technical reports, catalogs, brochures, online documentation and help systems, Web pages, multimedia presentations, parts lists, assembly instructions, and sales promotion materials.

State of California (2002). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

A Career in Technical Writing: What Can You Expect?  

What can you expect from a career in technical writing? The answer depends on a couple of factors. Specifically, will you be a lone technical writer or part of a technical writing team? Will you be a freelance technical writer or an employee?

Docsymmetry (2003). Careers>TC>Writing>Technical Writing

Career Outlook for Technical Writers and Editors

The U.S. Dept. of Labor’s 'Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2002-03 Edition, Writers and Editors,' is recommended reading for those considering technical writing as a profession. Some of the main points highlighted in the handbook make interesting reading.

Klariti (2003). Careers>TC>Writing>Technical Writing

Career Outlook for Technical Writers to 2010

Most professional writing jobs still require a college degree either in the liberal arts with a preference for Communications, Journalism, and English. Competition is expected to be less for lower paying, entry-level jobs. Writers who fail to gain better paying jobs usually can transfer readily to communications-related jobs in other occupations.

Klariti (2007). Careers>TC>Technical Writing

Careers For English Majors: Where Are They And How Can Departments Help?

The market for English majors is poor; yet with concentration, awareness of skills, strong support, and sufficient information, recent graduates and career changers can find excellent positions. In 1980, after performing two surveys of the career paths of 550 humanities majors and publishing a guide to career options, I resigned my academic post and began a full year of part-time teaching, medical and technical editing, and several other jobs, including career counseling. As a career counselor I collaborated with another former academic to develop a variation on the familiar career seminar for humanities majors.

Trzyna, Thomas. ADE Bulletin (1983). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing