Introduction

Technical writing, just like many other fields, has been around for quite some time. But many people either don't know what it is or how to start. I get a lot of questions on how to begin and Matej recently asked me this question on Twitter. I hope this article addresses any questions anyone might have.

What is Technical Writing?

Before we dive into the subject, let's see what the term means in general.

There are a lot of definitions for technical writing. Some people think of it as the process of curating user guides for both hardware and software material, or project documentation. A great definition is one that defines the term as the process of writing or a writing discipline that involves splitting down complex concepts into much easier blocks so that others can understand.

Everyone can write, but as a technical writer, it's important that your writing comes across as easy and digestible to your audience.

What do you need to know?

As much as I encourage everyone to take the lead and start writing, there are a few things that you should know if you want your writing to stand out.

Research skills

No one knows everything. There is hardly ever one way to approach something, and even if we know much, we fall short most of the time. That's why it's important to have research skills. Some of what you write will most likely be material that you've gathered during research.

Writing skills

Don't be alarmed. I'm not asking you to be an expert.

To come off as a professional and organized writer, your grammar, vocabulary, and editing skills have to be good. We are surrounded by awesome pieces of software that help us polish our work without much effort on our side. Tools like Hemingway Editor, Grammarly, and many others have made it easy to write clear and organized material.

But remember, it's up to you as a writer to put out your ideas as best as you can. These tools won't do that for you.

Sufficient understanding of a concept

Writers who have paid gigs will attest that the topics they have to write about sometimes are topics they almost have no clue about. This is where the research skills come in again. Along the way, we have to learn bits of new technology and give ourselves time to understand new things.

If you have a sufficient understanding of a concept, all you need is research to add volume to what you already know. Nothing is too small to write about. If it helped you, then it can help somebody else.

Why should you write anyways?

Many people don't see the benefits of technical writing. It's way better when someone else writes about the solution to a bug you have, isn't it?

Learn double and help others

To write, you research. As you research, you learn. You're not only adding knowledge to yourself, you're adding it to whoever is going to read that article.

If you fix a problem in your code and decide to write about it, that same article could be a reference when you come across that problem in the future. It's like having notes.

Opportunities

People are looking for writers every day. An article I published here on Hashnode got me one of my best writing gigs, and all I had to do was write it. Put yourself out there and you will be shocked at the opportunities that come knocking at your door.

$$

Being financially independent is a huge reason to start honing your writing skills. You get paid to learn something new and write about it. Price ranges differ, and are based on the company or person hiring you, or how much experience you have. What you should know, is that some companies are ready to really invest in someone who can write guides, tutorials, and documentation for their products.

Starter Steps

Now that you've seen how amazing the perks are, let's see how to start from zero.

Free courses

To start any craft, you need a head start. How can I make the best out of my writing? How do I manage my tone? How do I use headings? Fortunately, Google has a free course that can help. It gives a general idea of what technical writing is, and provides other helpful resources. You can check it out here.

Free platforms

You can start practicing your skills anywhere. As in an empty MS word document or any text editor of your choice. When you're ready to start publishing your work online, there are also platforms that can help you do so. Hashnode is a very great example! It has a lot of fun perks and a thriving community. There are other online platforms such as dev.to and Medium. Each of these has advantages particular to it. If you can't decide, you can cross-post!

Now that you've taken the course (assuming you took it), how would you approach your first article? Normally, the course should have highlights to help you tackle this. The following steps are listed according to how I approach my articles.

Have a title?

Do you have something in mind? Make it catchy. Assuming you were a random user and saw an article with the topic you chose. Would you click on it? Make the title short.

Know your audience

Are you writing starter guides? Then your audience will most probably be beginners in that technology. Write first for the audience, and then for yourself. If you are an expert in React, you might be tempted to use advanced terminology in an article that is targeted at beginners. Have the audience in mind as you write.

Beginners writing for other beginners usually turns out well because they use terms and concepts that they and the intended audience will understand.

Create an Outline

I give myself too much credit sometimes, and just think that words will flow when I start writing. Unfortunately, this leads to writer's block almost all of the time. An outline gives you a clear understanding of how your article should be structured and what you need to put your research time into. When you know what you have to write, you're going to write it.

DYOR (Do Your Own Research)

A very important step. Find out what you don't know in relation to your topic, and learn new things as you go. The research will make up a great part of your writing, and you are assured that you know what you're talking about.

Let the writing begin...

With the awesome platforms, the helpful tools, and the excited writer that you are, you're on your way to being a superhero (writer).

Edit

As awesome as the above tools are, they aren't perfect. They won't catch every single fault, and proofreading is your best friend at this stage. Read over your work again, and again. Read it out loud. Have your friend read it. You'll see that some things should've been rephrased and some words needed to go!

Publish

This step is self-explanatory :) Let the world see your work!

Conclusion

Practice makes improvement. Write as much as you need to get comfortable. Don't be afraid to take opportunities when they come. And if you feel like you're ready, start looking for writing jobs on LinkedIn, or on freelance platforms like Upwork.