Re: New writer looking for advice

Subject: Re: New writer looking for advice
From: Robert Lauriston <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com>
To: "techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2015 09:08:44 -0700

It depends on the industry and position, but most tech writing jobs
are primarily research, not writing. The fundamental skills required
are;

1. write clear, concise English to spec (style guide, etc.) for a
variety of audiences
2. learn new technologies quickly and easily
3. bridge the gap between the first two by putting what you learn into words

If you have those skills, learning how to use Flare or other tools of
the trade is a relatively minor concern.

Rather than writing instructions for making a cup of coffee, which
doesn't require skill #2 at all, I suggest something more technical,
such as tutorial on using regular expressions in Apache Ant.

> On Mon, Apr 13, 2015 at 8:35 PM, carolyn223 palo <carolynpalo -at- gmail -dot- com>
> wrote:
>
>> Hello Everyone,
>>
>> I am new to this discussion group. I am in the process of getting new
>> skills to get into the technical writing field.
>> I live in Mass. I am a creative writer/playwright, but find a writing job
>> in the technical field is how I would like to
>> earn a living. I am currently applying to a non-credit program for 2
>> classes, one in the fall and one in the spring.
>> Any thoughts as to how I can begin learning or job search prior to the
>> certification program is over? I have a B.A. in English and an M.S. in
>> Communications - but lack the strong tech skills used in today's tech
>> writing field.
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