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In article <Bvpw5G.IJ@acsu.buffalo.edu>, oispeggy@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Peggy Brown) writes:
|> I've been reading the responses about Technical Writing and hope
|> more technical writers will respond and give me advice on how to
|> get started.  I may wish to be self-employed for awhile, but
|> would like to hear about contract agreements, and how to land a
|> full-time job too.
|>
If you're talking about free-lancing as a technical writer, you may be 
in for more than you bargained for. The first thing you'll need is as 
much equipment as you can afford, or else you'll never be able to bid on 
jobs for clients who cannot make their equipment available to you, or 
those who have equipment that may not produce the kind of documents they 
want (that's why they're hiring a contractor). This can mean big dollars 
to start out.

Beyond hardware, you'll need to sharpen your proposal writing skills. If
you have the opportunity to sell some work to a company, you'll want to
first determine what they need, then develop a proposal that outlines
what you'll provide to meet that need, what it will cost the company,
when they can expect deliverables, and exactly what the deliverables
are. You'll want to spell out as much as you can in the proposal,
including what the clients must provide to you in the way of source
material, access to key personnel, and so on. You should specify a
payment schedule too, indicating the manner of payment. You, of course,
will be responsible for translating a successful proposal into a
contract. I'd see a lawyer about that if I were you.

None of this speaks to the ins and outs of selling work. This is an art
in and of itself. You have to be aware of potential clients, manage to
insinuate yourself into their presence, let them know you are available
for contract work, indicate the kind of work you can do, and strongly
suggest to them that you are reliable, qualified, fast, affordable, and
just what they want in a contractor. How do you do this?  That's the
beauty of it, it's completely up to you. When you work for yourself,
selling work is your lifeblood, so you'd better be good at this part.

Regarding how to find a full time job in this field, there are several 
approaches you can take. Your local chapter of the Society for Technical
Communication may have a job bank. Join the chapter, and find out who 
coordinates it. Otherwise, just go to the meetings. This is an excellent 
way to meet the local technical communication community. And believe me, 
you won't be the only one there cruising for work.

Another approach is to identify a company you'd like to work for, and
find out if they hire technical writers. Then find out what the job
requirements for those positions are, make sure you fill the bill, and
check back with the company to find out when openings occur. Some places
let you keep an application on file, letting you "phone in" when you see
a position that interests you; others make you update a file application
periodically; others make you fill out a new application for every job.

Of course, you can always read the want ads. The drawback here is that 
everyone else reads these too.

If I were you, I'd have a polished and professional portfolio of my work 
available to leave with prospective employers (or clients). Might as 
well show them what you've already done, especially if its good, and its 
similar to what they want from you. 

Don't be afraid to take more coursework in areas where you're weak, 
especially if you think it can land you a job at a company for which you
really want to work. Familiarize yourself with the products and manuals 
of companies that make your short list. Do your homework.
|>
|> I also have a BA in English Literature 

You may want to review some literature, or take some coursework, in
technical communication. It's a good deal different than what they teach
you in English Literature. There's an entire set of principles,
practices, theories, techniques, and rules you need to know about to be
a good technical writer. At the very least, before you solicit contract
work or apply for jobs, you should be able to articulate whether a
particular piece of technical writing is good, and then clearly outline
the reasons why or why not. That's fair, isn't it?

|> Also, with the cost of
|> daycare, being self-employed (if I can get any work done) might
|> work out well.
|>

I can't emphasize enough the time committment involved in working for 
yourself. Don't ignore this as you analyze the financial costs; it may 
be easier to bear the financial costs than to bear the time committment.
And with the way the economy is these days (actually a plus for some 
free-lancers), you may wind up with high time *and* financial costs. 
Think it over. Oh, and congratulations on your new child-to-be. As the 
proud father of two, I commend you on your resolve in tackling a career 
change just as your family is about to expand.

|> Any suggestions?
|>
Take your pick, and good luck to you.

|> - Peggy -
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