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One thing seems to remain unmentioned, perhaps because it is understood
to be true or maybe because it was missed.
That is the ability to quickly absorb unfamiliar but basic operational
concepts, and then build on them to gain an even deeper understanding of
the how's and why's of the product being documented.
There are lots of very talented subjectmatter experts out there who
simply can't write. I know of at least two who are great guys, but are,
for lack of a more charitable term, "functional illiterates". One
wonders how they even made it through school; both are respected and
work fairly productive lives (with families and all the middle class
attachments). Neither one is a ditchdigger, but instead nowhere near the
bottom of their respective professions. (No, they are not tech writers.)
And there are lots of super-good (?) writers out there who have a hard
time figuring out even the most basic operation of anything they're
shown.
I'd venture to say that the most successful tech writers are those who
are not only good with explanatory prose (and the tools required to
present it artfully), but who also have an intuitive knack to pick up on
new product/software operational characteristics very quickly, thus
requiring less of a learning curve and training time in new jobs.
Or not.
-- Kenpo in Atlanta
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+poshedlyk=polysius -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+poshedlyk=polysius -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Karen Murri
Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 1:34 PM
To: 'elizabeth j allen'; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: The Tech in Tech Writer
I'm one of those without a tech background. For me, getting to the
understanding of the technical stuff is one of the major joys of tech
writing. The second major joy is crafting text that makes the technical
gibberish understandable to the audience.
I love to learn new stuff and I love to pass it on to others.
Do I pass?
-Karen
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+kmurri=comcast -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+kmurri=comcast -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of elizabeth j allen
Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 11:52 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: The Tech in Tech Writer
In light of the recent discussion surrounding breaking into the tech
writing field, allow me to share the following:
I recently started a new job with a multi-national semiconductor
company.
I was introducing myself to yet another coworker today when he asked me
if I had a technical background.
"We've had several tech writers here who didn't have a technical
background, and, oh man, they just couldn't catch on." The shake of his
head, slump of his shoulders, and expression on his face told the story.
These writers were unable to grasp the technical dimensions of the
material they were supposed to be writing about. As a result, the
company suffered and the reputation of technical writers as a whole
suffered.
Plus, I get the joyous task of convincing skeptical professionals that
all tech writers are not useless.
For those of you trying to get into technical writing, please take a
moment and ask yourself why. "Because I can make more money in tech
writing" is
*not* a good enough answer.
If your answer is along the lines of "Because my friends are
nerds/geeks/engineers/techies and I love to hang with them and play
around with new technology, plus I love to read and write and play with
words,"
chances are you are in the right place. If not, do yourself and us a
favour and consider another career direction.
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