Comments on: Technical Writing 101: What do technical writers do?

By: John Hewitt

John Hewitt — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:50:57 +0000

Hi Richard, It really depends on the audience. Not all documentation is aimed at the beginner. Some technical documents are made only for other highly technical people. In this case, a decent writer with great technical skill has an advantage. .-= John Hewitt´s last blog ..A Guide to the Freelance Writing Lifestyle (Part One) =-.

By: Richard Cummings

Richard Cummings — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:15:30 +0000

All of these things that you mention are why hardcore technical people are often not very good technical writers. That cannot envision "not knowing" something and to be a good technical writer, you have to consider the audience! .-= Richard Cummings´s last blog ..Technical Training: How To Engage the Class from Day 1 =-.

By: John Hewitt

John Hewitt — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:24:38 +0000

@ SpikeTheLobster
Creativity has a place in technical writing, but it certainly isn’t one of the first things an employer looks for.

@ Phil
Yes, writing articles about technology and especially discussing new products from a third-party perspective is a whole different ball game.

@ Chris Anderson
Yes, a tutorial is basically the same thing as a user guide, only it is generally more training oriented. People who write training guides and other training materials such as online training (otherwise known as courseware) are in the technical writing field, but they have their own designation, instructional designers. I have worked closely with instructional designers, but I do not consider myself to be one.

@ Shevonne
It certainly is. At some points the line between business writing and technical writing get blurred, and project management documents are one of those areas where it can fall into either category.

By: Shevonne

Shevonne — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:11:47 +0000

Definitely sounds like the things I have done. Other documentation are project management documents, requirements documentation, gap analysis, design documents, etc. Yes, technical writing is a wide-open area.

By: Chris Anderson

Chris Anderson — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:45:27 +0000

I was kind of wondering about technical writing. Thanks for clearing that up. So if you were to write a tutorial on how to use some software or something would that be technical writing?

I like that kind of writing. May be something to look into. Thanks.

By: Phil

Phil — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:45:02 +0000

I write a lot about techonology. So many people don’t understand that techonology writing and technical writing (of which I have done very little) are two completely different areas.

By: SpikeTheLobster

SpikeTheLobster — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:52:17 +0000

Thank you, John, for that piece. I’ve often seen requests for technical writers and wondered exactly what that meant – and whether I was right in assuming it was the thing I do well (guess it’s the overdose of logical and lack of creative that helps there, for once!!). Wonderful clarification of the job description.