Technical Writing is largely a thankless job. Nobody really reads the document that you took six months to write but when they read, the results can sometimes be as devastating as the loss of your job because of all things, they had to look at that sentence on page 243, which contained an erroneous instruction, which in turn screwed their entire HRMS system. Okay, I’m exaggerating but you get the point: you do you’re unnoticed but you don’t and you’re dead. The money might be good but there’s precious little to motivate you to stick to technical writing as a lifelong career.

And so let me offer some sanctimonious advice: don’t take a technical writing job if you don’t enjoy it. If you’re planning a career in technical writing, make sure you do lots of research. If you think you can become a technical writer because you love writing and/or you write well, think again. Or if you do jump in recklessly–which is good in some cases–test the waters for a couple of years, but get out the moment you begin to realize that for a week or slightly longer, you’ve been spending your nights weeping softly into your pillow with the certainty that you’ve to wet your pillow with your tears the following night. And don’t look at your peers in the same company or industry with acid-filled eyes and envious wonderment at how they seem to enjoy it so thoroughly and earn so much (yes!).

What is technical writing

At the very basics, you’re on your way to technical writing superstardom if you possess and sustain these qualities:

• A sense of explorative curiosity that prompts you to investigate how something works. You are compelled to figure out how it works by dismantling and reassembling it if required. You might necessarily not know–or are not interested in–how to actually build it, and that’s perfectly fine.
• A passion to explain this to other people–orally…well, verbally, or in writing.

In a way, a technical writer is like a teacher who doesn’t lecture to a class but disseminates his/her lectures in the written form. For our purposes, we’ll restrict this “something” to technology/software.

It’s actually quite easy to proclaim your “passion for technology” as loudly as possible but look what happens when that translates into a job routine. You need to be constantly abreast of whatever technology you’re in and learn how it is actually applied. What this means is endless reading of complex technical documents. Remember, you’re writing to make others understand. If your own understanding is less than near-perfect, chances are you’ll be hit by that page 243 bomb.

It’s also equally easy to proclaim your “lifelong love affair with writing” and your “exquisite felicity with the written word” but here’s the thing: you primarily write to achieve technical and subject-matter accuracy and clarity. Your readers and/or reviewers’ primarily concern is whether you’ve achieved that and not so much for that wicked turn of phrase that you’ve introduced in the second para in the Overview of the Megaphone Connector for JDBC (Heading 1).

In other words, writing in this case, is subservient to technology/subject matter. The more firmly this is embedded in your consciousness, the less you will crib about or feel distraught at the lack of respect/recognition/appreciation for your amazing literary acrobatics. However, this is not to argue in favour of below-average writing skills. Make sure you have adequate command over your noun/number agreement, subject-object relationships, dangling modifiers, split infinitives, and the rest. Here’s a small trick that usually works: if you think your sentence doesn’t sound right, it probably isn’t. Read it aloud and check how it sounds. You’ll be surprised how quickly you can fix it.

If you are an aspiring technical writer and if all of this sounds sufficiently threatening/boring/intimidating, stop reading now, and if you’re a technical writer who already hates his/her job, look for a different career.

If you want to read, on, here’s the instant-coffee guide to becoming a successful technical writer:

• Be very unafraid of the monotonous drudgery of reading specifications, technical documents, talking to people, fiddling with the product, writing, editing, and writing again.
• Your writing skills can be improved. The Internet is your best friend and I don’t believe in spoonfeeding.
• Prepare. Look at what your competitor has done with a similar product. Read that product’s literature. Play with it if it’s available to you. See how you can apply that knowledge to your own work.
• Read a lot outside your work or domain. You’ll be surprised what all you’ll learn.
• Do your homework before approaching your SME or engineer. Ask questions that make them think. This is the only way to earn respect.
• Approach documentation from a problem-solving perspective. It helps to recall how you solved a complex quadratic equation back in school or college.
• Have a sense of humour. Accept criticism with grace. If your document is erroneous, it’s not because you are inherently evil.
• Observe, and learn how the really good technical writers approach a task or problem. It’s really okay to imitate them–that’s how you learned how to speak in the first place.
• Write. Write. Write. Practice is still the key.

What technical writing is not

• A shortcut for a development/QA or whatever other position, which demands a different skillset.
• A “hobby” or something you do because you’re bored at home.
• Merely documenting procedures is NOT technical writing. Print this line and paste it at your desk or home or car or whatever other place so that you’re constantly reminded of it.
• Process adherence might get you a beer and biryani dinner from your QA/SQM team but your reader will still look for accuracy.
• Ditto for fonts and styles and style guides and templates and XML and DITA and the rest. These are mere aids. A crutch is not a substitute for walking.
• Going through salary surveys is only bound to produce lots of bile.

Like any profession or career, you need to invest the required amount of hard work and seriousness that technical writing demands. Technical writing is thankless. Your only reward is that unexplainable, relaxing satisfaction that you derive after a hearty meal or a good bout between the sheets. It’s not for everyone.

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