🚀 go-pugleaf

rchao@netcom.com (Robert Chao) wrote:

>Some people have suggested that I take a tech writing course. My question is,
>what does one learn in a tech writing course besides:
>1) how to write well in general, which I already know;
>2) how to use an advanced word processor like FrameMaker ?
>Any answers would be appreciated.

I am taking a tech writing course via correspondance through the
University of California.  I just completed lesson two.
Syllabus:
Lesson One: The Technical Writing Profession - Involved identifying
technical writing documents that we use and write every day.
Lesson Two: Planning and Outlining the Technical Publication - Very
useful, as I was in the process of writing a book chapter from an
outline.
Lesson Three: The Qualities of Good Technical Writing
Lesson Four: Sentence Construction and Analysis
Lesson Five: The Paragraph
Lesson Six: Chapter Organization
Lesson Seven: Publications Organization and Layout
Lesson Eight: Going to Press

There are 8 written assignments, plus a final project (a short
technical document).  Books are Effective Writing for Engineers,
Managers, Scientists (by H.J. Tichy) and Revising Business Prose (by
richard A. Lanham).  The instructor for the course is John Tabor.

This doesn't involve learning how to use FrameMaker or any word
processor program.  It talks about how to write technical documents
well.  If you feel you already know how to communicate technical
information clearly and coherently, then skip classes like these.  I
consider myself to be a good, clear writer, but I am already finding
value in the class.

By the way, my starting salary, full time, straight out of college
with no technical degree was $30,000 a year.  But I am also writing
fewer "technical" documents, and more marketing materials right now.
Tech writers do make more, depending on the area and the level of
technical expertise (if you have a degree in CS, for example), and
whether or not you know FrameMaker and on-line help authoring.

Regards,
S. Cottrell