TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
First, let me say how happy I am to find this group. Quite an active
group of participants, and lots of information.
I am a physicist/astronomer who would like to break into the field of
technical writing as a career. I have experience writing scientific
articles, proposals, and software documentation. What I would like to
do is to spend more time explaining scientific and technical concepts to
the public. I assume this qualifies as subspecialty in technical
writing. I have been told (and I believe) that I am good at explaining
things to people. I have also been told that the papers and proposals I
have written are well written (though some of my best proposals have
been turned down!).
I would like some advice and opinions about where to look for scientific
writing work. One person I talked with suggested that places like the
National Academy of Sciences might be a good place to look. They always
are trying to explain science to the general public. Other suggestions
would be greatly appreciated.
I believe I have the ability to understand complex topics and explain
them in a manner that can be understood by people without a strong
scientific background. I also feel that I have shown that I can do
research into new topical areas and summarize the information in a
useful manner, a technique I have used in proposal writing.
I would also like to hear what suggestions people have for marketing my
skills. For example, does the publication of articles in peer reviewed
scientific journals qualify as technical writing? The only people who
read the articles are other scientists with similar interests and
background, so making the articles intelligible to a lay audience is not
important. On the other hand, proposals on cross disciplinary topics,
as some of mine have been, are often reviewed by people not directly in
the field. Therefore, making them understandable to a broader
readership is important.
I am especially interested in hearing about the experiences of people
with similar backgrounds. I read the article "Getting Started in
Technical Writing" which had information from people entering tech
writing from different fields. Physics was not one of them.
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