TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Re: How did you get started in tech writing? (sue Jones)
Subject:Re: How did you get started in tech writing? (sue Jones) From:Sue Jones <suej_be -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Sun, 17 Aug 2008 04:18:03 -0700 (PDT)
Hello all,
As for me, I always had my head in a book when I was young. My mother bought me the 13-volume set of Encyclopaedia Brittanica when I was about 12 and I read through the whole thing...twice...including the index to make sure I hadn't missed anything! I remember being fascinated by the stories of the Greeks and Romans. I also used to write simple poetry and short stories.
My mother was a traffic warden and I also used to write up her traffic reports in that really very legal sounding wording, as in "At approximately 14:00 on Wednesday 23 April 1996, I was proceding in a northerly direction...bla, bla, bla.
Anyway, you see the trend.
I was that kid in school you hated, I skated the whole year and then studied hard for a week before the test and got a B.
I went into engineering on a dare. I told my step-father I could do what he did better than de did it...as you do when your 16.
I studied all the arms of the field and decided on technical drafting. After a while I slid into the newly-formed CAD group and was given the task of training the other draughtsmen how to use the system. As a part of that, wrote my first short user guide and and loved it. Been writing ever since...for more than 20 years.
Have recently moved into product support. By the way, thanks to everyone who responded to my recent post about bosses leveraging your writing skills. I've been in the new job about two weeks and so far I'm loving it. As a writer I really liked the aspect of getting into everyone's business etc. Now I'm actually paid to do just that AND I managed to keep my contractor's salary.
Best of all, I really get along with my new boss.
Now, what more does a girl need...
Sue.
"To achieve greatness...start where you are, use what you have, do what you can." Arthur Ashe.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
ComponentOne Doc-To-Help gives you everything you need to author and
publish quality Help, Web, and print content. Perfect for technical
authors, developers, and policy writers. Download a FREE trial. http://www.componentone.com/DocToHelp/
True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
