technical writer - technical definition

The person responsible for writing hardware and software documentation, online help, technical definitions and technical product descriptions on Web sites. Quite often, the technical writer is given the task of documenting an application at the last minute, allowing very little time for a thorough understanding of all the options, let alone time for others to read and edit the material before it is published.

A Necessary Evil
Although technical writing is a skill that takes years to learn, and while some companies do appreciate it, most do not. Technical writers are often given less attention than other professionals in the field. In many enterprises, technical writing is considered a necessary evil. As a result, almost all of the documentation we read could be better, and much of it is downright indecipherable. It is no wonder that users and even technical people avoid reading manuals at all costs (see RTFM).

A Note from the Author

Describing technical material is as difficult a job as some of the most complex programming. I know because I have done both for nearly 50 years. However, poor programming is invisible. As long as the program seems to work, you have no idea how many resources are being wasted behind the scenes or how buggy it really is. In fact, people are so used to the computer locking up (crashing), they take it in stride. You also can't know that the application will take five times longer than it should to make a change because it is not well designed.

But, poor writing is visible. It's up front, staring you in the face. And, everyone is an expert in judging its quality. You either comprehend it or you don't. If you have to reread a paragraph over and over, it is poorly written. If written well, the most complicated material can be brought down to bite-sized chunks that are understandable.