TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
>I was trying to give myself some kind of benchmark. Since I >am fairly new to the technical writing field, I wanted to know >if the amount of projects I am trying to juggle is comparable >to what other competent writers are able to accommodate.
Barbara:
Might as well factor me into your average.
On Christmas Eve, I lucked into a full-time present position. It was
totally unexpected, and I had taken on several small contracts expecting
to live on those.
A couple of weeks ago, here's what I was doing:
--a full-time contract
--a half-time contract with another developer
--a flier for a book promotion
--a small (30 page) manual for another company
I have now cut my work load down to the first two (and I'm enjoying a
breather this week while developers with whom I have the half time
contract finish their code).
I figure that, with the four contracts together, I did a couple of weeks
of 80+ hours. That's too much, especially if you have any other concerns
and don't want to present a letter of introduction each time you happen
across your family members.
More recently, I've worked 60+ hours. Again, I don't think anyone should
try this load for any length of time--especially if you want to do a
first-rate job. I have standards for my work, and I won't go below them,
and at times I feel as though I've settled for simply adequate work on
the half-time contract.
Still, I could be wrong. It may be that, in another month, I'll look
back at the work I did for the half-time contract and find that it's no
worse than the rest of my work--that does sometimes happen.
I also think that, when you're contracting, the fear of being unemployed
can lead you to over-commit.
--
Bruce Byfield (bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com)
Technical Writer
Burnaby, BC, Canada
(604) 421-7189
TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send commands
to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/ or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html
