How To Get Into Technical Writing

how to get into technical writing_2"how to get into technical writing"

Technical writing---

Technical writers gather information from existing documentation and from subject matter experts. A subject matter expert is any expert on the topic that the writer is working on. Technical writers are often not smes themselves. Workers at many levels, and in many different fields, have a role in producing technical communications. A good technical writer needs strong language and teaching skills and must understand the many conventions of modern technical communications.

 

Technical writing teams or departments are often referred to as Information Development, User Assistance, Technical Documentation, or Technical Publications. Technical writers themselves may be called API Writers, information developers, documentation specialists, documentation engineers, or technical content developers. Advanced technical writers often move into specialized areas such as API writing, information architecture or document management.

 

For technical documents to be useful, readers must be able to understand and employ them without having to decode wordy and ambiguous prose. Good technical writing clarifies technical jargon; that is, it presents useful information that is clear and easy to understand for the intended audience. Poor technical writing may increase confusion by creating unnecessary technical jargon, or failing to explain unavoidable technical terms that reader would not be expected to be familiar with.

 

Consider a technical writer writing a cake recipe:

 

* Audience: Is the audience composed of people in home kitchens or highly trained chefs in professional kitchens?

* Source: Is there existing documentation—a rough draft? Who is the subject matter expert ?

* Deliverable: Is the deliverable simple text for inclusion in a book, or formatted to final form? Is the target a paper, a Web page, or something else?

 

The 3 C's of good technical writing are:

 

* Clear

* Concise

* Complete

 

Clear, concise and complete writing helps the reader to grasp the meaning quickly.

 

Though these procedures are not new, their categorization under the term "Technical Writing" is quite recent. The latest entrant in the software field is not a whiz kid from IIT, but might be a journalist or an English literature graduate. This option is here to stay, what with India slowly accepting the prospect of technical writing as a full-fledged career at par with more popular contenders.

 

Now, the Indian technical writing scenario would seem very bleak for an onlooker who doesn't delve deeper into the layers. This field was practically unknown till the 1990s.

For more information Technical writing you can visit http://www.sapware.net

 

About the Author

Hi, I like to write articles for data warehousing, There is a company called sapware.net Based in Bangalore, they offer <A href="http://www.sapware.net">training on data warehousing</A>  software testing

Technical Writing Skills : How to Apply for a Grant


how to get into technical writing
how to get into technical writing