3 posts tagged with "tech_writing"

I was assigned to a new project and felt an immediate rush of excitement and pressure. It was my chance to create something truly impactful—documentation that would not only be useful but interesting. The need for a tech writer was clear, and I was expected to set up all the processes from scratch. I was waiting for the day 1, hoping to pop in and make it all nice and organized.

But then, Day 1 hit me. And it hit hard…

Technical writers often write about topics they don’t deeply understand. This is both a plus and a challenging curse of our job.

A plus, because it allows us to get acquainted with a multitude of new concepts, try out innovative products, and explore the tech world extensively. Being there when new things in IT are being created — that's what I personally love the most about tech writing.

And why the curse? It's because this approach involves a constant feeling of uncertainty and the nagging realization that "I don't understand anything at all, omg!".

You always need to ask a lot of questions, place yourself in the learner's mindset, and continuously feel the pressure to keep up and figure everything out. And deadlines often demand that you do this really quickly.

I occasionally dip my toes into the interview pool. For me, it’s like a temperature check for the industry - assessing what people are searching for, spotting the shifting tides of the market, and getting a peek into how the collective mindset around technical writing is evolving.

So, Recently, during an interview, I was hit with this question: “How can technical writers create accurate documentation if they didn’t develop the product themselves?”

This question struck a chord with me because it touches on a core aspect of our craft. But if you peel back the layers, it really asks, “What makes a great technical writer?”

With that in mind, I'd like to share some of my own insights on the topic.