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WHAT IS FREELANCE TECHNICAL WRITING?
by Brian Scott
Technical
writing requires the ability to write clearly, plainly, and accurately about
extremely complicated material. If you can do that -- and quickly -- then
becoming a successful technical writer is well within your grasp.
The
most common clients for freelance technical writers are educational firms,
training companies and manufacturing/electronics/software companies. All of
these demand a high volume of documentation-style writing, and thus a high
volume of technical writers to produce that writing. However, the nature of
technical writing indicates there aren't many opportunities outside these
industries. Tech writing is only warranted when there's something sufficiently
complex to explain in a standardized way, and a mom n' pop software company may
not have the money or the need to hire even an entry-level tech writer. So if
you want to freelance as a tech writer, you'll almost certainly wind up working
on contract for one of the bigger companies.
As with copy editing and
journalism, a high degree of familiarity with as many style guides as possible
is mandatory for any good freelance technical writer. Technical reports are
frequently only a small part of a company's wider technical literature. Writing
all of a company's documentation in the same style is a good way to ensure
consistent quality and readability over a long company lifespan. The most
commonly used style guides are AP (Associated Press), MLA (Modern Language
Association), and Chicago. Strunck and White, although older, is still a
classic, and commonly in use with certain firms. Pick up a copy of each and
familiarize yourself with them. Knowing the popular style guides will improve
your technical writing and you'll become more marketable to a wide variety of
clients as well.
Once you know which style guide your client works
with (and once your own style is clear enough to write effectively), you'll
need to start thinking about how to approach your material. Contacting and
interviewing SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) is often a huge part of effective
technical writing. Without good technical information supporting your work, you
won't know what you're writing about. Engineers, technicians and professionals
who have to use the work you create won't know what you're writing about
either. This leads to a severe loss of productivity and of money, and probably
to the loss of your reputation at the company as well. So make sure you have
enough data to write your report, and make sure you understand it as thoroughly
as possible before you start planning your articles. No one expects you to know
as much about, let's say, a supercollider as a nuclear physicist (especially
not on a deadline), but knowing the basic theory and how to use most of the
technical vocabulary is beneficial.
The one principal rule of good
writing in any field is "know your audience." This statement is truer of
technical writing than any other form of freelance writing. Your audience, in
technical writing, is going to use the processes, machines, and equipment you
write about. If your audience can't understand what you're saying or follow the
flow of your argument, you've failed as a tech writer. Clients likely won't
hire you for future contracts.
Think carefully about whom you're
writing for. Do the users have a background in the theory behind the machine,
or do they just need to know how to pull the levers and push the buttons in the
right order? Will the users have ready access to troubleshooting facilities
(i.e. assembly line workers with a machine shop on the factory premises); or
will they have to go to some lengths to fix any mistakes they might make in
operation (i.e. people who've bought a new operating system and have to drive
an hour to whenever their computer needs service)?
Take some time to
think about your end users, their likely qualifications, their questions, and
their overall needs. Structure your articles to follow their probable concerns
in the order they'll come up. If you need to, talk to some of your prospective
end users and ask them questions about what they find problematic in their
jobs. It'll help you think of their problems more when you're structuring your
work, and that'll make your work that much better.
Once you have your
basic structure and some idea of the logical flow of your report, all that's
left is the description. Be as clear as possible while still keeping a readable
style, and be as accurate as possible. Don't be afraid of footnotes and
additional information-unless it's specifically prohibited by your client's
style policy. As long as you're thinking of your audience, and you've done the
appropriate research and structuring work, this part should be straightforward.
If you can synthesize information from SMEs, keep your audience well
in mind, and describe complicated processes clearly and simply, then you have
everything it takes to be a successful freelance tech writer.
Watch
the classifieds and make inquiries at engineering and training companies. You
have a skill that's in high demand. If you keep yourself in the marketplace
(and are willing to accept a "trial period" with lower pay, in some cases),
it's only a matter of time before you establish yourself as a tech writer. Over
time you can develop a reputation that'll win you contract after contract and
keep your technical writing career alive and thriving.
© B.
Scott
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brian Scott has been
a professional freelance writer for more than a decade. He is an active forum moderator at Writing Answers, a vibrant community of writers helping writers.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
1)
Technical Writing 101: A Real-World Guide to Planning and
Writing Technical Documentation, Second Edition by Alan S. Pringle
2)
Writing for the Technical Professions (3rd Edition) by
Kristin R. Woolever l
3)
Reporting Technical Information by Kenneth W.
Houp
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