I’ve been wanting to write about this for a while and I finally plucked the courage to write a short post about: A day in the life of a Technical writer.
Inspired by a desire to have a ready explanation for every Christmas dinner with the family, when I get asked the question: “What exactly do you do?” and “What is a technical writer?”
So, my elevator speech to a 10-year old.
A technical writer is someone who helps people to understand how to use things like computers, mobile phones, machines, toys, and even medication. After the writer talks to the engineers who built or created the thing they need to write about, a technical writer then imagines they are the person that has to use the machine and finds a way to explain how to use, repair or maintain it in a way that is easy for them to understand.
This way, even if you’re not an expert yourself, you can learn how to use the things you need to use or how and when to take the medicine.
What does a typical day look like for a technical writer?
9:00 a.m.
I start the day checking emails and any instant messages that came in afterhours allowing me to prioritize my tasks for the day/week.
9:30 a.m.
I then attend a daily stand-up meetings to share updates and request input from the rest of the development team.
9:45 a.m.
After the stand-up, I spend some time setting up meetings, to discuss the details needed to allow me to continue or start a draft topic. This leaves me with a couple of hours before lunch when I can get some serious writing done.
10 a.m.
I set my status to “Do not disturb” and focus on the top topics on my priority list. This is my time to create content. One of the biggest challenges that technical writers face is dealing with the ever-changing nature of the information they are working with. Product specifications and design documents are constantly being updated, which means that the documents they are working on are also constantly changing. This can be frustrating and time-consuming, but it is an important part of the job to ensure that the documents they are c
