I've looked through the threads some, but "technical" is too normal a word for me to find what I want, maybe. Mods, feel free to move if this in the wrong place.
I'm looking for some book recommendations that would be a good resource for a person with a pretty non-technical background (me, it's me) to maybe feel half-way competent at trying to pick up technical writing. I found a used one a while back, which I bought on a whim, but it was published in 1990, so it is super basic, and not much beyond what seems like common sense stuff for me, someone who theoretically already understands the concepts of basic writing and organization. Of course, since 1990, all sorts of computer/tech things have happened, and so all the recent things about "learn to be a technical writer" that I saw on Barnes and Noble.com seemed to assume you already know html or XML or some other language, which I do not. I'm willing to learn, I just can't figure out the best place to start. When I look at job postings, none of them seem to mention XML, for example, but they often reference a ridiculous variety of software, almost none of which I've ever heard of. Sometimes it seems like none of the jobs use the same software at all, if the postings are any guide, so I'm not sure how big of a deal the software is to start with.
Personally, I'm good with all things Microsoft Office; as well as Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Premiere; and the probably antiquated Quark, though I haven't used it in over 15 years. I do not "code" at all, but I've built a few sites through WordPress, which I realize is not the same at all, but I mention it in case it helps anyone understand where I'm coming from.
Any and all suggestions, book-wise or otherwise, much appreciated. Thanks!
I'm looking for some book recommendations that would be a good resource for a person with a pretty non-technical background (me, it's me) to maybe feel half-way competent at trying to pick up technical writing. I found a used one a while back, which I bought on a whim, but it was published in 1990, so it is super basic, and not much beyond what seems like common sense stuff for me, someone who theoretically already understands the concepts of basic writing and organization. Of course, since 1990, all sorts of computer/tech things have happened, and so all the recent things about "learn to be a technical writer" that I saw on Barnes and Noble.com seemed to assume you already know html or XML or some other language, which I do not. I'm willing to learn, I just can't figure out the best place to start. When I look at job postings, none of them seem to mention XML, for example, but they often reference a ridiculous variety of software, almost none of which I've ever heard of. Sometimes it seems like none of the jobs use the same software at all, if the postings are any guide, so I'm not sure how big of a deal the software is to start with.
Personally, I'm good with all things Microsoft Office; as well as Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Premiere; and the probably antiquated Quark, though I haven't used it in over 15 years. I do not "code" at all, but I've built a few sites through WordPress, which I realize is not the same at all, but I mention it in case it helps anyone understand where I'm coming from.
Any and all suggestions, book-wise or otherwise, much appreciated. Thanks!