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

Are We Giving Readers What They Want, in the Way They Want and Need It?

With all the talk about Web 2.0 and the attendant technologies, are readers actually being better served by documentation now than they were in the past?

DMN Communications (2008). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing>User Centered Design

Baselining Documentation on a Wiki

The dynamic nature of wikis can cause a few headaches when you need to baseline documentation that's on a wiki to correspond with the release of your product. This blog post looks at some ways in which you can try baselining wiki content.

DMN Communications (2008). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing>Wikis

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

Businesses not as Keen on Blogs and Wikis? We Had a Hunch

Despite all the excitement in the technical communications community over Web 2.0 technologies like wikis and blogs, it looks like companies are still reluctant to tie the knot for a variety of reasons.

DMN Communications (2008). Articles>TC>Wikis>Blogs

Can Lightweight Markup Languages Be Used for Documentation?

A lightweight markup language uses syntax that is similar to wiki syntax -- keyboard characters are used to define formatting. This blog post argues that if your documentation needs are simple, and you have a low or non-existent budget, then a lightweight markup language might be worth investigating.

DMN Communications (2008). Articles>Documentation>Programming>Wikis

Choosing an XML Schema

DocBook and DITA both have their places. They're both excellent for single sourcing. DocBook is better for what I call monolithic single sourcing, while DITA is better suited for discrete single sourcing.

Nesbitt, Scott. DMN Communications (2008). Articles>Information Design>DocBook>DITA

Communications from DMN

A weekly podcast for technical writers by a company called DMN Communications.

Davis, Aaron and Scott Nesbitt. DMN Communications. Resources>TC>Documentation>Podcasts

Using DocBook to Generate WebHelp

A brief tutorial on creating cross-platform WebHelp (similar to that produced by RoboHelp) using DocBook.

Nesbitt, Scott. DMN Communications (2004). Articles>Documentation>Help>DocBook

Developing Knowledge Base Articles

A short article that offers some tips on writing articles for a knowledge base, whether internal or client facing.

DMN Communications (2008). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing

DocBook: An Introduction for Technical Writers  

A set of slides that gives a brief introduction to DocBook and why it is useful for technical writers. Also available in PDF format.

Nesbitt, Scott. DMN Communications (2002). Presentations>Documentation>Standards>DocBook

A Few Thoughts on FOSS Help Authoring Tools

There's a lot of great free and Open Source (FOSS) software out there. But one area in which it's lacking is professional-level help authoring tools. In 2005, Linux.com published an article titled "FOSS help authoring tools falter". And not much seems to have changed in the intervening years.

DMN Communications (2008). Articles>Documentation>Help>Open Source

Going from Word to Wiki: A Few Thoughts

An overview of how one technical communicator moved a Word document to a wiki, and some of the issues involved.

DMN Communications (2008). Articles>TC>Wikis>Microsoft Word

Going Out On Your Own: It's Not All or Nothing

For some, going freelance seems like an all-or-nothing proposition: you either have to jump in with both feet or not try at all. This blog post argues another way: gradually transition to full-time freelancing.

DMN Communications (2008). Careers>Freelance>TC

Helping Users Become Experts

Helping users move from being perpetual novices to experts is a tough task. As this blog post argues, good documentation helps. But you also need to create a product that users can be passionate about.

DMN Communications (2008). Articles>Documentation>User Experience

How Important is the Writing Part of Technical Writing?

Writing documentation isn't merely the act of pounding out dry prose. There is some creativity involved which comes from how you present the information, both textually and visually. The writing, though, needs to be easy to read, complete, concise, and to the point.

DMN Communications (2007). Articles>TC>Writing>Technical Writing

Interviewing Tips for Podcasters

Some advice from one podcaster to others on how to do interviews.

DMN Communications (2008). Articles>Interviewing>Audio>Podcasting

It's Not the Tool, It's the Writer

This blog post ponders whether or not technical communicators are sometimes too enamoured with the tools, and because of that lose sight of what's best for the reader.

DMN Communications (2008). Articles>TC>Technical Writing>Technology

Making Yourself Part of the Team

Thoughts on how a contract technical communicator can become part of a development team, and set the tone for the writers who follow.

DMN Communications (2008). Careers>Advice>Workflow>Collaboration

Musings on Structured, Topic-Oriented Authoring

A blog post that presents a few thoughts on using technologies like DITA to author documentation.

DMN Communications (2008). Articles>Documentation>XML>DITA

Musings on User-Generated Documentation

User-generated documentation is a big issue in technical communication circles. If properly done, tapping into the knowledge of users can improve the quality and breadth of your documentation.

DMN Communications (2008). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing>Wikis

Talking About Wikis with Stewart Mader

An interview done by Scott Nesbitt of DMN Communications. Nesbitt talks with Stewart Mader, author of the book WikiPatterns. In the interview, Nesbitt and Mader discuss adopting wikis, how best to use them in an organization, building communities around wikis, and why Mader is so passionate about wikis.

Nesbitt, Scott and Stewart Mader. DMN Communications (2008). Articles>Interviews>Wikis>Podcasts

The Ears Have It: Podcasting in the Enterprise and Out  

Podcasting is more than a platform for reviews or polemic. It's also a powerful tool within the enterprise for training, for marketing, and for documentation. Imagine being able to carry product information or supplementary material with you and not have to worry about stacks of paper? You can do that with a podcast.

DMN Communications (2008). Articles>Multimedia>Audio>Podcasting