Technical Writing, a form of technical communication, is a style of formal writing and business communication, used in fields as diverse as computer hardware and software, chemistry, the aerospace industry, robotics, finance, consumer electronics, and biotechnology. Good technical writing clarifies technical jargon; that is, it presents useful information that is clear and easy to understand for the intended audience.
#12934
Extending Your Tech Writing Skills: Pitching a Newspaper Column Idea 
Before pitching a column idea to your local newspaper editor, take time to examine whether becoming a columnist is right for you. In taking on a newspaper column, you not only take on a long-term commitment, but you also establish a responsibility to people in your own community. So, to begin, you might read Extending Your Tech Writing Skills: Becoming a Columnist, which identifies considerations for becoming a columnist. If you decide that becoming a columnist does suit your interests and goals, then the following tips and ideas can help you land a column with your local newspaper. As you'll see, examining and refining the topic, overcoming the competition, using a creative approach, and following up appropriately can help.
Ray, Deborah S. TECHWR-L (2001). Articles>Writing>Collaboration
#19081
The Extension of Technical Writing into Performance Consulting 
Perhaps the trouble for academic programs that teach workplace writing begins with the term 'technical communications.' Perhaps the trouble grows with those programs’ focus on the teaching of writing rather than on the development of professionals who bring complex, strategic writing/thinking processes into work communities.
Hile, Julie. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Academic>Education>Writing>Technical Writing
#20375
No one has found a way to really help writers create readable prose. Robert Gunning developed a method for calculating the 'Fog Index' and Rudolph Flesch worked out more than one formula for measuring the simplicity of writing. By one of Flesch's formulas (the one without personal pronouns), Ronald S. Lemos in the February, 1985 issue of Communications of the ACM (CACM) was able to prove that CACM required two less years of school to read than Datamation. Statistics can prove anything. I have no idea what Sophomore in High School could read the CACM cover to cover and even understand most of it. Flesch's book 'The Art of Plain Talk' was given to me at a Yourdon Systems Analysis course. The Instructor handed it to each of us, saying something like 'read this and you'll be a manager in no time' (supposedly, management is handed to the least efficient person who can also write well). The book is full of examples, mostly journalistic, showing how good writers evoke human interest. Of course, these writers had human events, thoughts and feelings as their focal points, not software, I doubt whether any of the graduates of that week ever used Flesch as a reference for grading their own documentation. How would Bernard Shaw have documented software? Or Mingus played it? This paper addresses these burning issues.
Hallgren, Chris. SIGDOC Proceedings (1986). Articles>Writing>Assessment>Formulas
#25537
A Fairy, a Low-Fat Bagel, and a Sack of Hammers
One bright, sunny day, the Bad Internet Fairy closed down every company and organization site on the web. But even though all those company and organization sites had closed down, the internet was still ablaze with activity.
Usborne, Nick. List Apart, A (2003). Articles>Web Design>Writing
#20260
When did weblogs stop filtering the web and begin cluttering it instead? Rich Robinson on digital glut and creative solutions.
Robinson, Richard. List Apart, A (2000). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#18151
We’re inundated with terminology indicating leanness: light, low fat, fat free. Most of the time, you would associate terms like this with food. In this case, I’m associating them with writing -- technical writing to be exact. As a technical writer, your job is to use words to show, describe, instruct, define, persuade, or inform. Your goal should be to communicate only useful information clearly.
Taylor, Vicki M. Suite101 (2000). Articles>Writing
#24197
I labeled wordiness the most obvious fault in technical writing. In retrospect, I think I was wrong. I believe the greatest fault our writing can have is vacuity, or lack of substance. We too often write words that say nothing.
Bush, Donald W. Intercom (2004). Articles>Editing>Technical Editing>Technical Writing
#27365
Everyone fears the long sentence. Editors fear it. Readers fear it. Most of all, writers fear it. Even I fear it. But...
Clark, Roy Peter. Poynter Online (2004). Articles>Writing>Grammar>Rhetoric
#13924
Feminizing the Professional: The Government Reports of Flora Annie Steel 
Despite being raised in a culture that denied her access to formal education and employment, Flora Annie Steel became an Inspector of Female Schools in the Punjab, India, in 1884. Her inspection reports for the occupying British government of India are the focus of this study, which examines texts within the context of British imperialism and late-nineteenth century report conventions. The study concludes 1) that cultural expectations for women in imperialism influenced Steel's response to the genre and 2) that the report genre may have been fluid within imperialism, crossing boundaries between professional and government writing pertaining today. The study suggests that, historically, we need to study these genres of writing from the perspective of economic and political expansion as genres of imperialism.
Sutcliffe, Rebecca J. Technical Communication Quarterly (1998). Articles>Writing>Government>Reports
#19638
A Field Guide to Technical SMEs
Although not rare birds in urban high-tech environments, technical subject matter experts (SMEs) are a fascinating species to observe—and a challenging breed for corporate communicators to manage. This tongue-in-cheek field guide identifies four common sub-species, and explains how to spot each by its distinctive markings and how to cope with its behaviors for companionable nesting.
Lange, Penny L. Intercom (2003). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing>SMEs
#10867
Fight the Fog: How to Write Clearly
This guide is intended for all writers of English at large, bureaucratic institutions. Our example here is the European Commission! Whether your job is drafting or translating, here are some hints - not rules - that will help you to write clearly and make sure your message ends up in your readers' brains, not in their bins.
#19557
Fighting for the Ultimate Desktop
Lately, articles have been appearing in some computer magazines expressing disappointment at the failure of electronic technology to produce a paperless office. What is the problem? Why are offices using more paper than ever before?
Vasdi, Peter. Writer's Block (1995). Articles>Writing>Communication
#30311
Fighting the Non-Sexist Language Battle
Sexist language consists of various words and terms that foster stereotypes of social roles based on gender. Professional writers must keep abreast of significant changes in our language, and the issue of sexism is an integral change. Sexist language has become offensive. Sexist language is confusing.
Bourns, Tracy. Boston Broadside (1991). Articles>Writing>Diction>Gender
#31226
Final Check: Dotting Those i’s and Crossing Those t’s
You’ve worked long and hard on your article, newsletter, press release, promo brochure or report. Now it’s time to move your baby off your screen and into the world. Not so long ago your baby would have gone either onto a printed page or onto the Web. These days, your words will probably head for both. Even materials such as newsletters, white papers, reports and advertorials that are first published on paper are quite likely to be reprinted, archived or otherwise reused on the Web, perhaps even as an audio file or podcast. People may even blog about your content. What does this mean for you as a business communicator?
Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz. Communication World Bulletin (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Editing>Writing
#14374
Find It Quickly: Creating Effective Indexes
Although an index is one of the most important sections of a document, it's also one of the most misunderstood. Many people don kknow what an index is or mistake itfor the table of contents. For those casons, companies often don ‘tinclude indexes in their documentation. Will-written indexes increase productivity by helping employees$nd information faster This workshop provides the basic techniques of cteating an index your audience can use to find the information they need. lbu ’11have time to prepatv an index fmm a section of a document cun-ently in use by a major corporation.
Landes, Cheryl A. STC Proceedings (1997). Presentations>Indexing>Writing
#23707
Tens of thousands of magazines and non-magazine freelance markets exist.
Yudkin, Marcia. Yudkin.com (2001). Careers>Writing>Journalism
#24696
Finding Out Who Likes What: A Research Tool Kit for Technical Communicators
As new technologies revolutionize our communication options, technical communicators must be increasingly accountable for the outcomes of our products and messages. Research in the behavioral and cognitive sciences has provided many data tools that can be very useful to technical communicators. Techniques such as simple descriptive statistics, the Delphi method, trained observers, chi-square analysis, and aptitude/treatment interaction analysis can help technical communicators discover and document the impact of your messages by revealing what you did right, who says so, and who disagrees.
Ausburn, Lynna J. and Floyd B. Ausburn. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Research>Writing>Technical Writing
#28865
Finding Technical Writing Jobs
Technical writing as a field covers a variety of different skills and positions. Many people, when they think of technical writers, think of user guides and installation instructions. That is certainly one area a technical writer might work in, but it is far from the only area.
Finding Technical Writing Jobs. Careers>Writing>Technical Writing>Blogs
#31076
Finding the Right Technical Writer
A no-nonsense approach to finding a great tech writer, even when you don't know what to look for.
Springsteen, JoAnna. CIO Magazine (2008). Careers>Management>Interviewing>Technical Writing
#19571
Finding the Time: When Deadlines Are Looming, Prioritizing Your Work Gets the Job Done
Professional people today work longer and harder than ever before. Find out how to make the most of a scarce resource—time.
Holland, Anton. Writer's Block (1997). Articles>Writing
#22029
Job search websites for technical writers.
#31727
Customer support costs account for as much as 60 percent of a high-tech company’s total costs. Documentation is the first line of support for most customers, and customers usually use documentation to find the answer to a problem they’re having. The inevitable result of poor or nonexistent documentation is that more people try calling the customer support lines for help.
Butow, Eric. Software Development Times (2006). Articles>Documentation>Software>Technical Writing
#22229
Five Aims and Purposes of Technical Communication
An outline about the the Processes and the Results of Technical Communication.
#25785
Five FAQs About Business Writing
A few style guide tips for novice business writers.
ULiveandLearn.com (2005). Articles>Writing>Style Guides>Business Communication
#24137
The Five Most Important Words on Your Web Site
Some words really can make a difference on your site. They are not 'powerful' in isolation but, in the right context, can make an important difference.
ClickZ (2001). Design>Web Design>Writing
