When I began my first job as a tech writer, I was assigned to an office on the edge of the corporate campus, far from the IT department I was supposed to work with. The plan was that IT techs would send me rough drafts of procedures. Then I would tidy them up, work my tech writer magic on them, and turn them into a finished products.
After a week of sitting in that office, I realized, “Nobody’s ever going to turn in a rough draft!” Why should they? The techs all had their own jobs to do. They weren’t going to waste time on me. It was then that I realized that I had better get out and hustle up some business.
Being a tech writer is part writing, part investigation, and part soft sales. Determining documentation needs, getting cooperation from subject experts, and effective interviewing for information are as much a part of the job as writing and punctuation.
STANDARD PROCEDURES 