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Tech Writers A Necessary Evil
New to tech-writing, or thinking about starting? The key to success is recognising that tech-writers are a necessary evil.
Tech-writers are necessary because someone has to write the user doco. The programmers and managers sure as hell dont want to. This is actually part of the reason that youre evil, too. In my experience, most programmers and managers think that they could write the manuals if they wanted to they just dont want to. They might not write all flowery like the tech-writers, but what they write is correct.
Unfortunately, thats quite often all thats important to programmers and managers. There is a feeling within the software environment that accuracy = quality. Audience analysis, doco readability, consistency, usability, active and passive voice, commas in a list of three or more items All of these things are relatively unimportant to everyone but the tech-writer. Oh and the user.
In a world where accuracy is all important, a lot goes over the head of the dummy. I dont know if its intellectual snobbery, but programmers and managers seem to think that if they understand it, so should the user. It doesnt matter whether or not they do they SHOULD! Stupid users! Maybe its the geeks ultimate revenge
Your document can be 100% accurate, but if the audience cant read it, youve wasted your time.
So why doesnt anyone acknowledge this? They do! Thats the weird part. In theory, everyone agrees with you, its just in practice that you find yourself out in the cold. I dont know why this happens. Maybe its because most of these guys have never done tech-writing.
So tech-writers spend too long worrying about unimportant things. And they bother programmers and managers with unimportant things. But theyre necessary things. Otherwise why would you be employed. Maybe the absence of simple logic short circuits their brains. Who knows?
What we can get out of this is that theres a feeling that tech-writers waste time, and as a result, theyre pretty much at the bottom of the heap in the software world. I think a good analogy is the way some rich see the poor. Dirty little creatures if only we could do without them
But there is an up-side. I dont want you thinking its all bad.
Being at the bottom of the heap has its advantages. You can go unnoticed for years if you want. If you havent seen the movie, Office Space, you should hire it. Theres a little ferrety bloke in that who was let go years ago. Problem is, no one ever told him, and because of a glitch in payroll he still got paid. No one ever noticed.
Being a tech-writers a bit like that.
When I was managing doco teams, my favourite saying was All we have to do is manage their expectations and our commitments. Because programmers and managers resign themselves to the fact that they dont know whats going on in the doco team, theres sometimes a temptation to slacken off. Dont give in to this temptation!!! If you ever get caught, doing it, itll be like the boy who cried wolf theyll never believe your estimates again!
The other risk is that youll lose your sense of urgency. And thats a big part of what makes a good worker. You should be very strict about managing your commitments. This requires discipline, because sometimes it seems youre the only one that cares, but you have to do it.
One thing you should be aware of though, is that your average tech-writer in software spends only about 50% of his or her time writing. The rest of your time is spent planning, problem solving, fixing your computer, researching, interviewing the programmers, writing work pracs
I always found it was a good balance, though.
It was when I started managing teams that the bottom really fell out. Then the percentage dropped to about 10-20%. There were times when Id go months without writing any help at all. That can be very frustrating, especially if you dont particularly like managing.
Now managing tech-writers in software is an interesting thing. As with most technology management positions, you kinda fall into it, because youre the most senior/experienced person in the company. Unfortunately, that doesnt qualify you to be a manager. Software companies are renowned for dumping people into management roles without any real training or support.
I dont really have any advice for you here. If its gonna happen, itll happen. Just be aware of it, and know that if you fall into a management role, its gonna be difficult. (Thats not to say that it cant be rewarding though )
The ironic thing is that the most difficult aspect of it is that your staff are screaming at you to change the system. The programmers dont answer our questions! None of my work has been reviewed for the last 2 months! The project manager just told me to forget about quality!
Unfortunately, the inexperienced tech-writer is often naïve enough to think they can change the system. Once you become a manager, you know you cant. Hold on a minute Maybe apathy is what qualifies you to be a manager Hmmmm.
In any case, my advice is not to push too hard. Youll make life hard for your manager, and give yourself a bad reputation. Recognise youre a necessary evil, and work within those constraints.
Tech-writing can be a lot of fun. And dont let anyone tell you its not creative. Trying to think of a way to describe what goes in the Name field without just saying Enter the name is a real mind-boggler!
BONUS : Ten More Powerful Secrets To Make Your Brain Get The Write Idea (part 2 Of 3)!
This is the second in a series of articles providing you with specific strategies for putting your brain to work for you so you can author your first book, and your second, and your third, etc. You get the idea.
Remember, authoring your book is the most important business decision you can make. Your book will position you as the expert in you field. The media will clamor to interview you providing you with massive exposure. Your book, if positioned well, will provide an un-ending source of leads for your business. This means ultimately more money for you.
Here are more powerful secrets to make your brain get the write idea:
1. Set specific, measurable goals regarding time. Schedule two 1.5 hour blocks of writing time each week, for example, after considering the impact on others and accommodating your schedule. Writing daily for 15 minutes may be a reasonable and attainable goal.
2. Take 15 minutes a day as reflective time or I.G.A. time (Idea Generating Activity Time). Think about what you are working on and record all ideas that come to you during this time. In this situation you are writing ideas not content but the content will come later.
3. Invite your friends to have coffee and treats with you. Tell them in advance you want their input on some ideas you have for your book. Pay for their coffee and harvest their thoughts. This motivates you to write and enhances your commitment to the process. Remember that reflection and I.G.A. activities are an integral part of the writing process.
4. Write when you need to! Drop everything and write when the time is right or the situation demands it. Don't feel guilty! You can forgo other jobs and responsibilities you should have been doing and do them later. If others can do this then why can't you?
5. Use your time more efficiently by having all the materials you need for writing in one location so you can just sit down at any time and write. Whenever you end one authoring session you should automatically prepare the catalyst material to begin the next. This includes being very specific about the topic and key words to begin writing immediately upon sitting down. You will save 10 to 15 or more minutes per session when you prepare in advance. Take 5 minutes to get ready at the end of each session to prepare for the next one, and save writing time for the next session.
6. Treat the time you take for writing as recreational time. It's writing time that energizes you and makes your life more worthwhile. Tell others how important writing time is for you. They will help you find time to write.
7. Make a pact with your spouse or significant other to trade large blocks of time so each of you can pursue your individual interests. This removes any conflicts and any guilt feelings about using large amounts of time for writing.
8. Prioritizing is a key to successfully reaching your goals in life. Making writing one of your priorities and advertising that plan of yours will open up possibilities to write more. Others respect what you value if they value your friendship.
9. Think Big Picture. Your daily to-do list cannot govern your life. Authoring a book is a Big Picture item. Taking time out just to think and reflect and plan is okay. It will motivate you to write. Go for a bike ride or a walk in the woods to help you keep focused on the Big Picture. Remember that writing is the doing part of thinking. Give yourself time to think and reflect.
The best advice is simply to start putting one or two of these strategies into practice, then add another one or two. Do the ones that are the most powerful for you in your life first.
This is the second in a series of articles providing you with specific strategies for putting your brain to work for you so you can author your first book, and your second, and your third, etc. You get the idea.
Remember, authoring your book is the most important business decision you can make. Your book will position you as the expert in you field. The media will clamor to interview you providing you with massive exposure. Your book, if positioned well, will provide an un-ending source of leads for your business. This means ultimately more money for you.
Here are more powerful secrets to make your brain get the write idea:
1. Set specific, measurable goals regarding time. Schedule two 1.5 hour blocks of writing time each week, for example, after considering the impact on others and accommodating your schedule. Writing daily for 15 minutes may be a reasonable and attainable goal.
2. Take 15 minutes a day as reflective time or I.G.A. time (Idea Generating Activity Time). Think about what you are working on and record all ideas that come to you during this time. In this situation you are writing ideas not content but the content will come later.
3. Invite your friends to have coffee and treats with you. Tell them in advance you want their input on some ideas you have for your book. Pay for their coffee and harvest their thoughts. This motivates you to write and enhances your commitment to the process. Remember that reflection and I.G.A. activities are an integral part of the writing process.
4. Write when you need to! Drop everything and write when the time is right or the situation demands it. Don't feel guilty! You can forgo other jobs and responsibilities you should have been doing and do them later. If others can do this then why can't you?
5. Use your time more efficiently by having all the materials you need for writing in one location so you can just sit down at any time and write. Whenever you end one authoring session you should automatically prepare the catalyst material to begin the next. This includes being very specific about the topic and key words to begin writing immediately upon sitting down. You will save 10 to 15 or more minutes per session when you prepare in advance. Take 5 minutes to get ready at the end of each session to prepare for the next one, and save writing time for the next session.
6. Treat the time you take for writing as recreational time. It's writing time that energizes you and makes your life more worthwhile. Tell others how important writing time is for you. They will help you find time to write.
7. Make a pact with your spouse or significant other to trade large blocks of time so each of you can pursue your individual interests. This removes any conflicts and any guilt feelings about using large amounts of time for writing.
8. Prioritizing is a key to successfully reaching your goals in life. Making writing one of your priorities and advertising that plan of yours will open up possibilities to write more. Others respect what you value if they value your friendship.
9. Think Big Picture. Your daily to-do list cannot govern your life. Authoring a book is a Big Picture item. Taking time out just to think and reflect and plan is okay. It will motivate you to write. Go for a bike ride or a walk in the woods to help you keep focused on the Big Picture. Remember that writing is the doing part of thinking. Give yourself time to think and reflect.
The best advice is simply to start putting one or two of these strategies into practice, then add another one or two. Do the ones that are the most powerful for you in your life first.
