Originally published July 23, 2013
Every job has its challenges. Early in my technical writing career, I had an R&D manager whose idea of reviewing the documentation was to weigh my inch-and-a-half ream of manual in his hand for a moment, and then give it back to me saying, ‘it needs more beef.’
Mind you, in those days, I didn’t yet know how to write short, clear sentences.
Now I do.
There are those who think that all technical writers are publishing fiction. Unfortunately, too many of these people are product users. In defense of technical writers, let me paraphrase the excellent writer and instructor John Brogan who rightly declared that even perfect documentation can never make up for poor product design.
Technical writers usually have more to start with than fiction writers. For example, technical writers have a product to write about and a target audience to write for. Fiction writers don’t necessarily have that same advantage. As a consequence, some writers of fiction have a tough time getting started.
As I continued to write technical documentation, I learned a lot of productive tips and tricks that I’ve been able to carry into writing fiction. You may even recognize some of these.
The first draft of anything is shit. (Ernest Hemingway)
Every job has its challenges. Early in my technical writing career, I had an R&D manager whose idea of reviewing the documentation was to weigh my inch-and-a-half ream of manual in his hand for a moment, and then give it back to me saying, ‘it needs more beef.’
Mind you, in those days, I didn’t yet know how to write short, clear sentences.
Now I do.
There are those who think that all technical writers are publishing fiction. Unfortunately, too many of these people are product users. In defense of technical writers, let me paraphrase the excellent writer and instructor John Brogan who rightly declared that even perfect documentation can never make up for poor product design.
Technical writers usually have more to start with than fiction writers. For example, technical writers have a product to write about and a target audience to write for. Fiction writers don’t necessarily have that same advantage. As a consequence, some writers of fiction have a tough time getting started.
As I continued to write technical documentation, I learned a lot of productive tips and tricks that I’ve been able to carry into writing fiction. You may even recognize some of these.
- There’s no such thing as writer’s block. Few technical writers are inspired by their subject. Their secret to success (and a paycheck) is to put their butt in their chair, place fingers on the keyboard, and make words appear on the screen. Creation is the first step in having something to edit.
- Work to a schedule. Your story is your project and deserves some time and attention throughout the week. Put it on your to do list and give yourself a deadline to have a first draft, even if it’s a first draft of a chapter. Remember, a first draft is just that – a draft. When writing instructions, I like to finish a first draft of a task before I go back and edit it for accuracy and clarity. Similarly, when writing fiction, I like to get through a first draft of a story before I go back and edit anything. There are many ways to approach a story; that’s mine.
- Don’t be boring. It’s a cardinal sin for any writing, even technical writing. Years after that ridiculous R&D manager at my first job, I realized that part of my job was to get out of my user’s way and not be noticed. Likewise, your readers shouldn’t notice you, they should be turning pages. You get them to do that and they will learn your name.
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