When I left academia to become a technical writer in the software industry, I thought I had it all figured out. After all, I’d been a professor, a researcher, someone who could dive deep into complex ideas and explain them to a room full of students. I also had written in tech blogs for over a decade! How different could technical writing be?… (read the rest)
Hiring a technical writer isn’t just about finding someone who can write well. You need someone who can navigate technical complexity, collaborate with engineers, and bring clarity to the chaos of development processes. It’s about finding a curious, resourceful problem-solver who thrives in ambiguity.
Over my career, I’ve conducted more than 70 interviews for technical writing roles. My very first interview?
/Like it or not, a project management mindset can get you to your next level in your technical writing career.
When people think about technical writing, they often imagine someone immersed in markdown files, fiddling with APIs, and even dabbling in a bit of code. (Or maybe that’s how I want people to think about me.)
And while those skills are helpful, there is one under-mentioned superpower of a technical writer that almost no one talks about: project management.… (read the rest)
I’m giving a talk on the upcoming DevFest Munich 2023, organized by the Google Developers Group in Munich. It’s a 1-day tech that will offer tech talks, workshops, and opportunities to meet people in the industry.
In my case, I wanted to talk about documentation in a relatable way. That’s why my talk is called Just document it: Minimum Viable Documentation.… (read the rest)
I started my career as a Tech Writer in my thirties, and I felt I needed to pick up the pace and step up my tech writing game. And I needed to do it fast.
Coming from Academia, I did the only thing I knew was a shortcut to knowledge: studying.
I asked my manager and other experienced technical writers in my team for books about technical writing, specifically technical writing for software and API documentation.… (read the rest)