Technical Writing

What is Technical Writing and what does a Technical Writer do? These are questions I have been asked many times.

My usual answer is that Technical writing is simplifying the complex , by communicating complex information in a clear and understandable way. But the truth is that there is no easy answer, especially if you want to understand what this job consists of.

The bright side is that our work makes life easier for others, the down side is that the apparent simplicity has a cost. People just see the arrival point of a long path and usually think this is an easy job, but it is exactly the opposite!

A Technical Writer is like a hybrid creature, half-human, half-octopus because he or she is an intermediary between the technical staff and the end user and needs multiple skills. Here are a few of them, at least for an IT Technical Writer:

Human Skills

Passion for technology (you can never rest on your laurels, but you have to learn something new every day)
Writing ability (you must be able to write directions easy to follow in a correct, concise, accurate and clear way. If you do not believe me, try reading something written by devs…)
Ability to understand complicated concepts and explain them clearly
Ability to adapt your writing according to your audience (end users, developers, support, sales people, executives, prospective customers, etc)
Ability to understand other people's perspectives and needs
Strong organizational skills (you need very good time management skills)
Investigative and testing skills (usually devs have little time to give explanations, so you must be able to understand by yourself everything you can)

Tech Skills

Operating Systems (Windows, Linux, Unix, macOS, Android, iOS, etc)
Microsoft Office
CMS (Wordpress, etc)
Online Document Management Systems (Atlassian Confluence, Sharepoint…)
Webdesign, Web & Markup Languages (HTML, XHTML, CSS, XML, Markdown, etc)
Programming Languages
SQL and DBMS
Lifecycle tools: GitLab, GitHub, Jira
PDF & Other Tools
Photo Editing
Video Editing
Desktop Publishing
Ebook Tools/Online Guides
Information Architecture
Translation Tools
E-learning Management Systems