Becoming a tech writer?

Start writing procedures/technology stuff on a blog. Do it seriously.

Start reading current tech books of the sort you're interested in writing.

Come up with a book proposal for a book that doesn't exist, and submit it to the publisher you'd most like to write for. (N.B. some don't pay as well as others; some are pretty awful to work for, but heh, it's paying work).

I assume you do have a background in technology?

poetinahat said:

Dear technical writers,

I've been looking at (well, staring in the face of) a career change, and I'm in the IT industry. As it happens, I love to write, and I believe I do it well.

I have no background in technical writing. But I love to write, and I believe I do it well.

What advice would you give to someone like me?

Gratefully,

poetinahat.

Click to expand...

I made the switch from software engineer to technical writer a few years ago. It's not really a huge leap. Depending on the size of your company, you may be able to change roles internally.

The main difference between a software engineer and a tech writer is that the former writes stuff that a computer will understand, the latter tries to understand that stuff and describe it in words a normal mortal will understand.

Be warned though that tech writing is pretty undervalued as a profession in IT, after all, we can all write english, can't we?

Coming from a non-computer-related technical writer field (I first wrote for fire testing and currently write for an industrial/assembly field), it's important that you be willing to get your hands dirty. Not only will this endear you to the "grunts" doing the assembly work, it will give you hands-on instruction as to what it takes to put something, not just a program, together.

In addition to the vocabulary, the ability to write, the ability to communicate knowledge and instructions in a clear and concise format you'll need skills in photography, editing, formatting, and sequencing of documents and documentary language, maybe some skills in film-making, a "director's eye" (for photgraphy and videography), the patience of a Saint, the ability to work with engineers, scientists, and assembly people, the ability to endure criticism, and most importantly, maybe, the ability to accept that your boss will inevitably want things worded his way no matter what you try to do.

In other words, a technical writer often will feel like saying "If you want it worded your way, write it that way and I'll just type it up for you." no matter what you do.

Like I said "the patience of a Saint".

Trust me, I LOVE my job, but there are days...

Yay, you!!!! Nothing like getting your feet wet!!!