Getting started in tech writing...

[Katherin King <kking -at- BROOKTROUT -dot- COM>]

Since I sort of started this thread, I guess I'll throw my story into
the mix.

I grew up totally hating math, science, anything technical. Had to
repeat 9th grade algebra. Graduated high school longer ago than I care
to admit, went to college with no idea what I wanted to do. Dropped out
three days into my second year and went to work for a tiny semiconductor
company. Fell in love with the technology, learned all I could, then
went back to school for a degree in ceramic engineering, which is kind
of a subset of materials engineering (remember, this is the kid who
hated math/science; imagine five chemistry courses in my first
semester). Loved school, graduated, got a job with a well-known company
and hated every minute of it. Got fired. Fell off the face of the earth
for ten years (meaning I got married, had kids, played domestic
engineer). Got bored, started writing children's stories. Got published.
From then on, I could no more stop writing than I could stop breathing.
Did a lot of different kinds of writing-features articles for the
Providence Journal (RI), creative writing (published), freelance
software documentation and editing, press releases and marketing
materials, etc.

It has taken me a long time to find my niche, the type of writing that
I'm best at and that I find the most challenging/interesting. No matter
what other kinds of writing I may have done, I always came back to
technical writing. To me, it's the ideal combination of my background in
engineering, my fascination with technology, my overwhelming desire to
keep learning and growing, and my desire to teach others what I know by
acting as translator. Nothing is more challenging to me than trying to
figure out how to express a complex topic in understandable terms, how
to integrate text and graphics in a way that makes the information
accessible to the reader. I love what I do, and I still find it hard to
believe people pay me to do what I love. It doesn't get any better than
this!


Kathy Stanzler
Technical Writer
Brooktrout Technology Inc.
Southborough, MA
(508) 786-9182
kking -at- brooktrout -dot- com


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