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.
I don't write correspondance or proposals; however, I do work on style
guides, programmer's guides, templates, and other in-house documentation.
Most of these projects are done as a group effort with programmers or
other writers on my team. I also work on spreadsheets and forms that I
use for: tracking doc that I have out to programmers, tracking notes
that I need to get into the manuals, addressing questions that I have
about the software, and so on. I like the variety.
I would like to know more about the scope of the tech writer's job.
I address these questions to those on the list who were hired by software
companies to write software documentaion.
What other writing, besides the actual documentation, are you asked to
do?
Are you sometimes expected as the hired pen to draft in-house reports,
correspondence, proposals?
Am I mistaken in thinking that there is a creature called a software
documentation writer (or whatever) who just works with SMEs and the
software to develop documentation?
I appreciate any help you can give!
Thanks,
Chris Stone
kinoko -at- shizuokanet -dot- or -dot- jp