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Who is a Technical Writer? Technical writers write

technical and software manuals handbooks technical guides application notes tutorials data sheets technical and product briefs

Technical writers also create online help. Essentially anyone who writes about technology for other people is typically referred to as a technical writer.

All professionals require some technical writing skills. In the information technology realm, project managers and analysts write a large number of technical documents that must be clear and concise. A technical writer is still looked upon as someone who explains the product to the end user.☺

Uniquely in the IT industry, women make up the majority of technical writers. Pay is good [1] and working conditions are quite agreeable. It is a mentally stimulating creative work, which requires someone who is both sociable and well read. It is not necessary that technical writers should be programmers or have more than a general understanding of the technology. But technical writers must have the ability to learn about a new product and then explain it to others. So people with training in journalism, teaching, and writing along with technical savvy can grow to be the best technical writers. Today, both technical adaptability and writing/communication skills are essential for technical writers to succeed. Recently, more companies are requiring degrees for technical writers.

Technical writers enjoy learning and reading. They find writing comfortable, though they aren’t perfect; typically revising their work many times. They are both creative and orderly. Moreover, they put themselves in the end user’s position.

As an introductory course, only the most universal and important concepts are covered here. Later courses deal in depth with areas such as business analysis, documentation management, and other advanced topics.

What do technical writers do? [edit]When technical writers approach a new piece of technology, it is their own lack of knowledge that they inwardly observe. As they interact with and learn the software, they identify the information needs of the software users. They must be able to communicate well with programmers and customers, and extract information from them in a professional and personable manner.

A technical writer's primary tool is the English language. Secondarily, they use proprietary software like Microsoft Word, FrameMaker, and RoboHelp; or—increasingly—free and open source documentation software such as DocBook and Wiki. In the course of their careers, technical writers learn dozens of other software packages and tools, and then teach them to others.

Worldwide, there is a strong demand for technical writers. Overwhelmingly, they use the English language. Software companies require technical and user documentation for their products, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

For aspiring technical writers, it’s difficult to get “a foot in the door”. Most employers are looking for technical knowledge and demonstrated experience. Completing this course, and creating a project portfolio of completed work, opens doors so you can begin a career in technical communications.

back to Technical Writing Level 1

Technical Writing at Wikiversity Professional and personable. The Essential Skills of a Technical Writer [edit]There are five skills or characteristics which are "musts" for the technical writer:

1. Facility with technology

You must have the potential to grasp technology. You may have a bent towards one of the sciences, and can understand the inner workings of cells or atoms. Or you may be web savvy and know how to interpret code. Or maybe you’re just curious about how things work. You can learn technologies you don’t understand, if you have the motivation. I personally enjoy learning about complicated systems. This understanding brings a sense of achievement and knowledge that is rewarding at the end of the day.

2. Ability to write clearly

The essential skill of any technical communicator is to disambiguate. Your core job will consist of studying complicated things and explaining them in easy-to-understand ways. You can’t just pass off an explanation that even you only half understand. Writing about something, as opposed to talking about it, requires that you understand it thoroughly. Avoid passive sentences and long constructions. Define acronyms and avoid assumptions about what the user knows.

3. Talent in showing ideas graphically

Any time you can show an idea graphically, you score a hundred points with the reader. People understand better when you can communicate your ideas visually. These images go a long way toward making your writing clear.

4. Patience in problem-solving/troubleshooting

Unless you have patience, you’ll never make it. Much of the IT work consists of problem solving. It’s amazing how a seemingly impossible problem can be solved with a little patience and persistence.

5. Ability to interact with Cross-Functional Teams (CFTs)

Interacting with CFTs is one of the most overlooked skills in technical writing. You have to be part investigative reporter, part journalist. You can’t be shy about going after certain people to extract information. And you can’t be too proud to ask the “dumb technical questions” that make engineers do double-takes. A lot of this interaction can come about if you’re lucky enough to simply sit near the CFT members.

Thanks to Tom Johnson for permission to use this material. [Edited once for clarity in context.] For more, see his website I'd Rather Be Writing -Five Skills Every Technical Writer Needs

Technical Writing Basics [edit]Wikipedia defines Technical Communication as:

To create online content, you may use a proprietary program like RoboHelp for help files, or a web authoring tool for making web pages. You may also use Javadoc, Docomatic, and XML with DocBook to create online help. We recommend that you also explore how platforms such as Wiki can be used for delivering user-oriented instructions.

Technical Communication is a conversation [edit]Lindsey Robbins of Blackbaud describes technical communication as a conversation between the user and the technical writer - in the sense that the technical writer must anticipate the questions a user would ask about the software. Robbins states that:

"Sometimes, your users or constituents won't know the correct question to ask. In those situations, try to think out the questions for them and answer them in advance. Provide them with the conversation starter and they're more likely to be engaged.

And remember, people don't have an infinite amount of time. They really will only participate in the conversation long enough to get their answer. Therefore, all your communication whether it's real time or not needs to be concise, clear, and efficient. Don't provide lots of and lots of text that users will balk at when they see."

Re-published with the kind permission of Lindsey Robbins, from her article "Be Part of the Conversation"

Technical Writing Myths [edit]In a recent article on his blog, Tom Johnson explored several common myths about technical writing and the skills needed to be a technical writer. The most common myths are as follows

Technical writers spend most of their time writing. You can’t get a job in technical writing unless you have technical writing samples; but you won’t have samples until you have a job in technical writing.

A technical writer who has years of experience is more knowledgeable than one with fewer years of experience. The tools you know are more important than your industry knowledge. Be careful about having a blog, because all employers google you and will find it. Technical writing academics are disconnected with the profession and only have a tenuous idea about the actual practice of technical writing. You can’t have voice or style in technical writing. It has to be objective. And the fewer contractions, the better. Technical writers aren’t allowed to contact users directly. They should get their information through the product manager, customer support, and marketing.

You can single source your material into all the formats your audience needs, if you just learn the right tool or technology. You have to be quite tech-savvy to be a good technical writer. For Tom's full treatment of these myths, and several others, see his article "14 Widespread Myths about Technical Writing."

This material has been re-published here in an edited form, thanks to Tom Johnson for allowing us to use his articles here.

A great future [edit]Technical Writers communicate ideas. They design information, participate in the product development process, and manage complex documentation projects. Beginning software technical writers are often responsible for communications between the developers and the end-users of the software.

Business writing skills are useful for technical writers. All technical writers must write clearly, and communicate well with specialists. In fact, the field of Technical Writing is so vast it can be hard to define exactly what it is. This is why this set of lessons concentrates mostly on technical writing for the software industry.

Beginning Technical Writers produce the following types of documents:

Product brochures, web sites, and other marketing tools that explain the benefits of the software to buyers. User Guides, manuals, tutorials, and step-by-step task lists that guide new users learning the software. Installation and maintenance guides that show the administrator and experienced user how to configure and troubleshoot the software.

As you advance in your career you may find yourself writing more advanced documents:

• Requirement Specifications that document the needs, goals, and environment of the users of the software.

• Design documents that describe the workings and interactions of the system.

• Control documents that communicate project standards, configuration, schedule and work tasks.

• Test cases that detail the required functionality so the software conforms to the specifications.

Documentation management includes:

• Cost and schedule estimating.

• Complex documentation project administration.

• Setting standards and procedures.

• Information management.

As you can see, there is a lot of room to learn and grow in the profession of technical writing.

References [edit]↑ Salary Survey Report for Job: Technical Writer.