Re: Neophyte - impostor looking for advice on contract tech-doc job

[jsokohl -at- mac -dot- com]

> How does one become
> a tech writer, if not by doing? 

Certainly by knowing. So read Developing Quality Technical Information by
Hargis et al.; How to Communicate Technical Information by Price & Korman;
and The Elements of User Experience by Jesse James Garrett. Read articles
on TECHWR-L. Become a member of STC so you can read back issues of
Intercom. Read Line by Line by Claire Kehrwald Cook to improve your
writing. Just because you speak English and write English doesn't mean
you're an English-language technical writer. In addition, you need empathy
to be a (good) technical writer. See
http://www.jnd.org/TurnSignals/TS-WritingAsDesign.html by Don Norman.

HTH,

joe

PS How does one become a programmer, if not by doing?

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