atw: Re: Request advice on transition to Tech Writing
- From: "Hope, Debbie " <Debbie.Hope@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 3 May 2007 09:54:41 +1000
Hi again Don
If you are relatively new to using Microsoft Word the following web
sites are useful as well.
* Allen Wyatt's WordTips - you can subscribe to the weekly
newsletter www.VitalNews.com
* Shauna Kelly - http://www.shaunakelly.com/
* Word MVP Site (Microsoft Most Valuable Professional)
http://word.mvps.org <http://word.mvps.org/>
Cheers
Debbie
To all Austechies - between us we have offered excellent advice and
summarised well how to make a start with technical writing. If I can
find all the emails we have sent I will put them all together and keep.
Would make a useful 'standard' email we can include when we are next
asked for advice from a newbie.
-----Original Message-----
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Don Burch
Sent: Saturday, 28 April 2007 08:41
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Request advice on transition to Tech
Writing
Hi austechwriters,
I've had a read through the last few months archives of
this list, and looked at several websites related to TW, but not found
much advice for people transitioning into Technical Writing. I'm sure
the same question is raised often, and any suggestions will depend a lot
on individual background and goals.
I was a commercial programmer 25 years including 7
website development, but my technical skills have gone down a dead end.
I'm currently doing Tech Support (phone, email, website FAQs) and my
current employer offered me a job as Technical Writer - which got me
thinking about TW as a better career direction. Certainly the manuals
for some of the products I currently support are a complete waste of
money and paper, and I'm sure any 10-year old would do better ! I have
always tried to look at systems from a user perspective, and wrote
several User Manuals which were well received, but many years ago. The
TW job fell through, but my boss has got me writing and editing Press
Releases and brochures - very different style from documentation ... but
still I'm finding writing much easier than it would have been 20 years
ago.
In particular I'm looking for advice on :
(1) which professional organisation (if any) is worth
joining in NSW (I live on Sydney's North Shore), Australia and/or
international. Ones I've looked at don't seem to provide much in the
way of resources for members.
(2) which tools and/or methodologies are common
requirements. I'm pretty familiar with MS Word (i.e. regularly use
Styles and have done a few small Master/slave documents), and did an
Information Mapping course several years back.
(3) other than the obvious (cold calling every business
in the phone book), any recommended strategies for getting into
full-time TW ?
(4) business aspects of finding work, charge rates,
negotiating contracts, etc. There is a fair amount on this for creative
writers, though that's commonly a freelance basis.
I anticipate that writing User and Technical Manuals
would be best career option (leverages my background and interest in
helping users, plus stable income) but I don't have any examples of my
work (they were many years ago). I have considered writing articles for
IT magazines, thinking that I can submit to websites if not accepted by
paying publications - but it's a different style of writing, how
relevant would it be ? The current Press Releases I'm doing are even
further removed from a documentation writing style.
Thanks very much for taking the time to even read this
long posting - I'm sure you must get quite a lot of newbies asking the
same questions. I certainly will appreciate any advice and suggestions
you care to make.
Cheers,
Don Burch
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