If you are looking for a career in writing and somebody has
suggested that you consider technical writing, ensure that you
completely understand what is involved in this career, It is writing,
but not as you probably know it. Don't get me wrong, it can be a very
interesting and even adventurous career, and there are opportunities to
freelance, contract or work directly for a company, but only the last
will offer you any kind of structure.
Why
is technical writing different to most other forms of writing?, well
there is not much room for creativity, every word is analyzed, short and
simple sentences are a must, and a lot of emphasis is placed on
consistency in structure, formatting and word usage. There is also a lot
of planning involved in technical documentation before a word can be
written. Such things as the audience you are writing for determines the
type of language you can use, as does whether the document is going to
be translated or not, or if the document is going to be read by people
who do not have English, or whatever language the document is being
produced in, as their first language,
Simplicity is the key, always use the same word to describe the same action, do not instruct someone to rotate a knob in one sentence and turn it in the next, and never tell anybody to hit any key to continue; they may take you at your word, and the word "right" should only ever be used as a direction.. Describing how to use software interfaces can bring a multitude of problems. Do you tell them to select, press, or click on a button or option, whichever you do decide to use stick to it. There will usually be a company style guide to follow, if not there are some great style guides on the market.
If you are writing technical marketing documents you will probably get away with writing that a certain piece of equipment or software allows you to perform a certain task, but you should never write that in a user manual, software does not allow you to do anything, it enables you to do it. In the same way a gun enables you to shoot and kill someone; it does not allow you to do it.
Technical writing and word usage can be challenging at first, but it soon becomes second nature. You just have to bear in mind that the instructions have to be simple, straightforward and easy to find. Once you have all the words in place you have to put them into a format that can be followed. Screenshots and graphics are a great way to get your point across, but then you have to ensure that your text matches what is on the screen.
Simplicity is the key, always use the same word to describe the same action, do not instruct someone to rotate a knob in one sentence and turn it in the next, and never tell anybody to hit any key to continue; they may take you at your word, and the word "right" should only ever be used as a direction.. Describing how to use software interfaces can bring a multitude of problems. Do you tell them to select, press, or click on a button or option, whichever you do decide to use stick to it. There will usually be a company style guide to follow, if not there are some great style guides on the market.
If you are writing technical marketing documents you will probably get away with writing that a certain piece of equipment or software allows you to perform a certain task, but you should never write that in a user manual, software does not allow you to do anything, it enables you to do it. In the same way a gun enables you to shoot and kill someone; it does not allow you to do it.
Technical writing and word usage can be challenging at first, but it soon becomes second nature. You just have to bear in mind that the instructions have to be simple, straightforward and easy to find. Once you have all the words in place you have to put them into a format that can be followed. Screenshots and graphics are a great way to get your point across, but then you have to ensure that your text matches what is on the screen.
To get more information on what you can expect from a career in technical writing visit Technical Writing, or you can find more articles on the subject at Technical writing resources.
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