The Insider's Guide to Technical Writing

by Krista Van Laan

Every complex product needs to be explained to its users, and technical writers, also known as technical communicators, are the ones who do that job. A growing field, technical writing requires multiple skills, including an understanding of technology, writing ability, and great people skills.

Whether you're thinking of becoming a technical writer, just starting out, or you've been working for a while and feel the need to take your skills to the next level, The Insider's Guide to Technical Writing can help you be a successful technical writer and build a satisfying career.

Inside the Book

Is This Job for Me? What does it take to be a technical writer? Building the Foundation: What skills and tools do you need to get started? The Best Laid Plans: How do you create a schedule that won’t make you go crazy? How do you manage different development processes, including Agile methodologies? On the Job: What does it take to walk into a job and be productive right away? The Tech Writer Toolkit: How do you create style guides, indexes, templates and layouts? How do you manage localization and translation and all the other non-writing parts of the job? I Love My Job: How do you handle the ups and downs of being a technical writer? Appendixes: References to websites, books, and other resources to keep you learning. Index

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Technology

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2012

Reviews

[T.A. Uner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just glanced through this for work. Most of it I won't be using now, but you never know what the future holds.

[Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am NOT a technical writer but I recently hired one. I needed something to educate me on the topic of technical writing and I think that this book did it. I'm not an expert after reading this, but I feel that I can now at least speak knowledgeably about technical writing.

[Jam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Krista Van Lann did a wonderful job writing this book, and I deeply appreciate the advice offered within it. I’m new to technical writing, and this book has helped me get more comfortable with my entry level tech writer position. Highly recommend!!!

[Tina H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource

Lots of great insights, tips, and advice for beginning technical writers or those who have been on the job for years.

[Nick]

Still need to read more, spent a lot of time with it. Autoreturned to the library deep into it. Might buy a copy to return to.

[Lupin V · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping to learn more about technical writing in this book. But I learn more about working in tech companies instead. I am on the look for another technical writing book.

[Ioana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book for junior technical writers or people who are considering the profession. Everything is explained clearly, without jargon or corporate speak, the structure makes sense and the book does not shy away from talking about the negative parts of the job, either. I will definitely be recommending this one.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to say if this is a good book or not. I don't have a job as a technical communicator, so I can't say how accurately this describes the profession. The author certainly seems like she's knowledgeable, and she provides a lot of great (or at least seemingly great) tips for breaking into the field. If I could fault the book, it would be that I was expecting a little more discussion on XML. It's hard to find literature about the exact sort of XML knowledge a person needs to know to work in technical communication, and it's something I'm currently trying to find out. I suppose I won't quite know the value of this book until I'm done with school, job hunting, and ultimately employed. We'll see.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is both about the profession and technical writing. If you've already done some technical writing, worked with subject matter experts, and was responsible for documentation deliverables, skip the first half of the book (which provided guidance on becoming a technical writer). Start with Part 5: The Tech Writer Toolkit. There is some guidance that is obviously basic; the book is thorough in that respect. It is useful as a reference. For example, if your documentation needs to be translated and you've never done it before, the book provides a list of questions to ask the translation service company and items to consider, such as localization (making the content appear as if it was developed in that locale) and display numbers (40,000 or 40.000).

[Dalia]

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[Richard Millsap · Rating 5 out of 5]

An especially useful resource for inexperienced or junior technical writers. Quite excellent!