Contributed by Michael Harvey, Technical Writer, Publications
In my previous post, I wrote that being successful as a technical writer meant being “technical” and a “writer.” I elaborated on what it meant to be “technical.” In this post, I say more about what it means to be a “writer.”
As I said, being a “writer” requires that you can communicate clearly to others. The habits that you must develop to communicate clearly are simple:
- Write every day. Whether it is an e-mail message, a plan, a report, a chapter, or an exegesis, commit words to paper (or a file) every day. Strive to make every sentence clear. Make sentences in a paragraph hang together, and make paragraphs lead to a clear point. I find that if I start with a clear sentence as the main point of a paragraph or a page, supporting sentences are much easier to compose. If I do not have a clear idea of what I am trying to say, clear sentences elude me.
- Read what you write. After you commit words to paper, read them carefully. I think it is a good idea to read aloud what you have written, because it can help you more quickly discover passages that need revision. In my experience, it also leads to my writing more conversational prose. Nothing helps me find an awkward sentence more quickly than reading it aloud.
- Revise what you write. After you read what you write, review it and rewrite to omit needless words. Passages ripe for pruning often appear in a first draft. Recently I wrote an article for a local newsletter about how the role of technical writing was changing. I had written a long paragraph about employment statistics that I thought underscored my primary point. The more I reviewed my article, the more I realized that the paragraph was tangential to, rather than supporting, the point. Even though it was hard for me to trash something that I had spent an hour developing, I did, because it brought the main point into sharper focus.
- Ask for feedback. Ask others to review your writing and explain what they understood and what they found confusing. You have to have a thick skin to be a writer. Over the years, I have detached “me” from my writing, so that when someone takes issue with or criticizes my writing, I do not take it personally. Conversely, I try not to let it go to my head when someone praises my work.
- Read what others write. Find an author whose style you admire and read as much of their material as you can. Analyze the style to determine what elements you can use in your own writing. Does the writer vary sentence length? Do they use strong hooks to get you interested in what they have to say? Do they use a varied and colorful vocabulary? After you have identified what it is you like about their writing, try to emulate it in your own.
Technical writers must be sensitive to the needs of their audience. With the same set of facts, they have to be able to write different texts for different readers. Unlike writers of fiction, who explore the boundaries of their own imagination, technical writers create and manage practical information so that others can get their work done. The information must be clear, accurate, and to the point.
If you want to know more about the field of technical communication, check out the Society for Technical Communication. Or just ask one of us. We enjoy communicating.
7 Comments
A company I worked for made me write a technical document to explain a very complex process. The company was trying to implement Standard Operating Procedures SOP. So the goal was to write down every process so it wasn't dependent on a person. For example, I wrote this technical document explaining the payment process for the company. If I were hit by a truck, the company would be in trouble since I was the only person that knew what was going on. I would recommend you make your technical writing as detailed as possible. Write it as if you are a complete newbie. Also have someone that has no idea what you are talking about read it. If they understand it, then you have written a very good technical document!
Good Luck
An informative and well-written post, thank you for taking the time to write it. I think all of us in the business world have to consider ourselves writers now since so much of our communication takes place via e-mail. If everyone took a minute to read their e-mail replys outloud before hitting "Send", it might alleviate some frustration or confusion on the receiver's end.
This is a great article. As a contributor to a money-saving blog, I sometimes find myself at a loss for words.
To keep the ideas coming, I attend weekend workshops. The brainstorming sessions help me form connections and build bridges to new ideas. I also belong to a few book clubs. Apart from reading quite a bit, discussing material with others helps keep the creative juices flowing.
I think it takes a special kind of writer to be a technical writer!
I also believe that reading more and more plays a big help to a writer. It is very important for us to know more for us to elaborate and explain a certain topic well.
Re-writing also is an important factor in writing. It s for us to review and corrrect such mistakes and errors about the topic.
Great tips. I think your tip about reading your writing aloud is the best thing we can do. It's very much true that reading aloud uncovers awkward phrasing and makes our writing more conversational.
Great information. I find it useful to focus much of my time to reading what others write, just as you said in your article. You can learn a lot and improve your own writing by doing this. It has helped me greatly.
As I can resume your post that I need write, read, revise, ask others opinion after they read. (and re-write again). Also read what others write.
But, I still find some step to be repeated again and again and sometime take lots of time.