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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;

You would learn how to write good technical documentation, which
is very different from writing well in general. To be more
specific, the course might teach:

* structure and layout
* use of headings
* style
* graphic presentation techniques
* markup strategies
* project management

just to name a few topics. There are many, many others, and a
single course would not cover them all.


> 2) how to use an advanced word processor like FrameMaker ?

Depending on what kind of course you take, they might teach you
about other document production systems, SGML, information
retrieval systems, archiving systems, etc.

> Also, what is the starting salary for a tech writer for a
mid-size company?
> I have heard it is about $35,000/year. I work as a word
processor and make
> about $31,000/year. This is because I work for a huge
accounting company. I
> have two college degrees and word processing is boring.

Gee, I have MS Word, WordPerfect, and a bunch of other word
processors, but none of them has even a single college degree.
:-)

Your guess about pay rates is better than mine. I live on another
continent, so what I make wouldn't be applicable. Besides, pay
rates vary widely (at least where I live). If you are any good at
DTD design, writing retrieval engines for SGML databases, and
stuff like that, you could get a lot more than the average
technical writer.

> If you took a good tech writing course, what books would be
used?

I do not know, but I do know a few books I would read if I wanted
to learn the ropes on my own:

Effective Writing, by C. Turk and J. Kirkman, ISBN 0-419-14660-1
This one requires some stamina to get through, but contains a lot
of good advice.

How to Write Usable User Documentation, E. H. Weiss, ISBN
0-89774-639-2
This one is good, despite the mistake in the Fog index formula on
page 151. It may get you into trouble though, because most
technical writers haven't heard of the ideas presented in the
book. Try to use them, and you might be considered a bit outr�.

The Elements of Style, W. Strunk and E.B. White, ISBN
0-205-19158-4
You probably know about this one already. If you don't have it,
get it, read it, sleep with it under your pillow. When you wake,
read it again. (It is only 85 pages.)

Those three are a start.


I hope this tells you what you want to know.

/Henrik

Robert Chao wrote:

> Also, what is the starting salary for a tech writer for a mid-size company?
> I have heard it is about $35,000/year. I work as a word processor and make
> about $31,000/year. This is because I work for a huge accounting company. I
> have two college degrees and word processing is boring.

Depends on a lot, including where you live. I have been a technical
writer for 6 years now & I make less than you make now. :-( I do have
*excellent* benefits, though. I currently work in a company of 1200
people. I am in Texas, where the cost of living is a lot cheaper than
California. (We are considered underpaid even in this market, but we're
only a few thousand below average, & I'll take the flextime & fun
environment over salary.)

I suggest you look into the Society of Technical Communication
(http://www.stc-va.org/). They do national and regional salary surveys
every year. Also, a better place to post your questions would be the
tech writing group, bit.listserv.techwr-l. I have a list of tech writing
links at http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/amd/links.htm.

--Alison D.

--Alison D.

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