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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 don’t want to. This is actually part of the reason that you’re evil, too. In my experience, most programmers and managers think that they could write the manuals if they wanted to… they just don’t want to. They might not write all “flowery” like the tech-writers, but what they write is correct.
Unfortunately, thatÂ’s quite often all thatÂ’s 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 itemsÂ… All of these things are relatively unimportant to everyone but the tech-writer. OhÂ… and the user.
In a world where accuracy is all important, a lot goes over the head of the dummy. I donÂ’t know if itÂ’s intellectual snobbery, but programmers and managers seem to think that if they understand it, so should the user. It doesnÂ’t matter whether or not they doÂ… they SHOULD! Stupid users! Maybe itÂ’s the geekÂ’s ultimate revengeÂ…
Your document can be 100% accurate, but if the audience canÂ’t read it, youÂ’ve wasted your time.
So why doesnÂ’t anyone acknowledge this? They do! ThatÂ’s the weird part. In theory, everyone agrees with you, itÂ’s just in practice that you find yourself out in the cold. I donÂ’t know why this happens. Maybe itÂ’s 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 theyÂ’re 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 thereÂ’s a feeling that tech-writers waste time, and as a result, theyÂ’re 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 creaturesÂ… if only we could do without themÂ…
But there is an up-side. I donÂ’t want you thinking itÂ’s all bad.
Being at the bottom of the heap has its advantages. You can go unnoticed for years if you want. If you haven’t seen the movie, Office Space, you should hire it. There’s 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-writerÂ’s 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 don’t know what’s going on in the doco team, there’s sometimes a temptation to slacken off. Don’t give in to this temptation!!! If you ever get caught, doing it, it’ll be like the boy who cried wolf – they’ll never believe your estimates again!
The other risk is that youÂ’ll lose your sense of urgency. And thatÂ’s 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 youÂ’re 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 pracsÂ…
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 IÂ’d go months without writing any help at all. That can be very frustrating, especially if you donÂ’t 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 youÂ’re the most senior/experienced person in the company. Unfortunately, that doesnÂ’t qualify you to be a manager. Software companies are renowned for dumping people into management roles without any real training or support.
I donÂ’t really have any advice for you here. If itÂ’s gonna happen, itÂ’ll happen. Just be aware of it, and know that if you fall into a management role, itÂ’s gonna be difficult. (ThatÂ’s not to say that it canÂ’t be rewarding thoughÂ…)
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 don’t 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 naĂŻve enough to think they can change the system. Once you become a manager, you know you canÂ’t. Hold on a minuteÂ… Maybe apathy is what qualifies you to be a managerÂ… Hmmmm.
In any case, my advice is not to push too hard. YouÂ’ll make life hard for your manager, and give yourself a bad reputation. Recognise youÂ’re a necessary evil, and work within those constraints.
Tech-writing can be a lot of fun. And don’t let anyone tell you it’s 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.
