Sharp Words

This is the first post in a series entitled Technical Writing Tuesdays. The idea is for me to share some of my technical writing knowledge with anyone who’s interested, probably in a set of tips and tricks, but also through general waffling (something I’m fairly good at). I certainly don’t expect these posts to be as precise as the documents I produce as a technical writer, but I’ll try and maintain some standards.

I officially became a technical writer in 2000, and I knew straight away that I was finally in the right job. I’ve worked purely on software manuals and online help since then, but technical writers also work in industries such as engineering and even for supermarkets; anywhere that a procedure needs to be documented, that’s where you need a technical writer.

As a software specialist, good IT skills are invaluable. I’ve been playing with computers for about 25 years. I taught myself BASIC when I was about 11 in order to program my Dragon 32 computer, but I haven’t really progressed beyond that in programming terms. I do have strong general skills though - from the basics of Microsoft Office to more complex system and network administration - thanks to the several years I spent working in IT support before becoming a technical writer.

IT skills are essential no matter what you’re documenting, however, as the tools of the trade these days are mostly computer-based: word-processing and desktop publishing packages, for example.

And of course, no matter your area of expertise, you need a good grasp of English language. A large vocabulary isn’t much use (and can be redundant); you need to know the finer points of grammar and punctuation and to be able to apply them correctly. You don’t need to know them off by heart, of course! That’s where books such as The Oxford Manual of Style or its American counterpart, The Chicago Manual of Style, come in useful… not to mention the old essential favourite: Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style.

If you want some more background about technical writing, I suggest reading my previous posts on the subject:

• Why technical writing? #1 (what technical writers do, and why they’re needed)
• Why technical writing? #2 (what makes a good technical writer)

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If you have any questions or comments about this article, or any suggestions for future posts, please comment on this post or email me via my contact form.
Technical Writing Tuesdays: index of posts