The role of the technical writer, and how my education and experience have prepared me to be one.

            The purpose of any writer is to share a message. For a novel writer, the message is the story the writer has created. For a journalist, it is the story the writer has discovered and researched. For the technical writer, the purpose goes beyond the sharing of a message. A technical writer shares information intended to be used in a concrete way by the reader.

            When I tell people that I am majoring in technical writing, I often get a polite smile and facial expression that tells me the person I am speaking to has no idea what technical writing is, and he or she fully believes that I will be taking up a career after graduation that involves saying “Would you like fries with that?” Sometimes people will come out and ask, “Just what do you do with a degree in technical writing? Can you actually get a job with that?” to which I reply, “Of course! Every company, everywhere, needs technical writers, whether they are large enough to employ someone specifically for that, or small enough that technical writing falls under the job description of an administrator or secretary.” I ask them to think about all of the documents they encounter every day- bills, instruction manuals, tax forms. I explain that these are all examples of technical writing. Someone, somewhere, designed each and every one of those documents, chose a format, style, and font- even thought about details like the type of ink and the weight of the paper!

            The technical writer is often invisible. Users of technical documents are focused on the information conveyed, not how the information came to be in its current form- unless, of course, the document is badly written, in which case the user is likely to exclaim, “What idiot wrote this garbage? These instructions don’t make sense!” There are some key elements the writer should consider to ensure his or her document is well-written and adequately addresses the needs of the user. For one thing, the writer must have a clear idea of who the users are and what they need from the document. This includes being aware of what the user already knows and what their experience level is. Also, the writer needs to think about the context of the document- where it will be used, and what else the user will be doing. This affects elements of the document such as format (i.e. book vs. foldable poster) and style (a poster would use larger fonts and include more pictures, while a book would include elements such as a table of contents and index). Another important aspect to consider is the purpose of the document- for example, the writer needs to know whether instructions will serve as a detailed manual or a quick reference.

            Outside of English classes, material in several of my business courses has helped me prepare to be a better technical writer. Understanding customs within the business world gives me a greater understanding of when it is all right to stray from the norm with document design, and when it is best to follow a traditional format. My work experience has also contributed to how I view technical writing. Having worked as an office manager and purchasing agent, as well as doing freelance office administrative work, I have created, read and worked with many types of technical writing and have seen firsthand the difference between well-written material and material that was put together poorly. (I actually received a résumé once that was written in pencil, on a sheet of paper that had been torn from a spiral-bound notebook- the writer did not bother to remove the tattered bits from the edge of the paper.)

Graves, Heather, and Roger Graves. 2007. A Strategic Guide to Technical Communication. Canada: Broadview Press.