How to Be a Technical Writer

Technical writing simplifies the complex.

Being a technical writer is not as easy as it might first appear. It takes a lot of work to break down complex information into simple tasks that a reader can understand. It takes more work on the technical writer’s end to make reading a technical document easier for the reader. If you have good writing skills and know how to simplify complex concepts, then being a technical writer might be your calling. Here is how to be a technical writer.

Things You'll Need

• Ability to present complex procedures in a simple way
• Ability to type
• Computer skills
• Good writing skills

Instructions

1. Understand the basics of grammar and punctuation. To work as a technical writer, you will need to master the basics of writing, such as subject-verb agreement and writing complete sentences using proper punctuation.

2. Analyze your audience. The audience for most documents written by a technical writer is a person who has a limited knowledge of technical subjects therefore keep your instructions simple. Make sure that you write your documents in a way that is most useful to the person who will be reading them.

3. Gather your source information. Before you can explain how to do something, you need to understand how to do it yourself. Sit down with an engineer (or whoever is providing you with the source information) and ask questions until you understand how to do the procedure yourself. Be sure to record every single step. For example if you need to remove the battery cover before you remove the batteries, state it. It sounds simple in the context of battery removal, but in a highly technical setting, every step should be outlined.

4. Chunk your information. Break down the information you have to share into small "chunks." Each chunk of information should focus on one thing that your reader needs to know. If a procedure involves more than 7+ steps, consider breaking down the information into smaller subsections.

5. Write from abstract to concrete. Begin each new subject with the broad information that the reader needs to know. Then, become more specific, ending in the step-by-step procedure for how to perform a task.

6. Create a thorough index. The information you provide is no good to your reader if your reader cannot find it.

7. Usability test your writing. Ask a person with no knowledge of the subject matter to follow your instructions. Watch the places where the person struggles. Then, update your instructions in a way that makes them easier for your reader to follow.

Tips & Warnings

• When writing a technical document, think about how a reader generally uses a technical document. Very few readers sit down and read a technical manual from cover to cover. Instead, they try to do a task themselves and then, in frustration, turn to the manual. Write your manual in such a way that your reader can easily find the information he is seeking without having to read the entire technical manual.

• When you meet with an engineer to learn how to do a procedure, ask him to pretend that you are six years old when explaining how to do a procedure. Then, write down every specific task that is involved in doing a procedure. You can make this fun for the engineer and get quality information at the same time.

• Consider taking a course in Information Mapping. Information mapping is a method of identifying and sorting chunks of information in a logical way that is most beneficial to your reader.

Resources

• Information Mapping