Technical Writing 101: Getting Started with Technical Writing.

N.B: This is an attempt to document my progress as a participant in the first non-tech boot camp organized by Empowerher community and NontechinTech.

For the first week of learning, we were taught the basics of technical writing.

What is Technical Writing?

Technical writing is a type of writing where the author is writing about a particular subject that requires direction, instruction, or explanation.

Documenting technical information through manuals, tutorials, videos, how-to guides, etc.

Why Write?

• We are life-long learners. Writing will help us better understand the concepts and terms associated with a particular subject.

• Documentation is really useful as it helps us store vital information we would likely use in the future. It also serves as a reliable source of information for those that need to learn about the concepts.

• Your sense of empathy is sharpened. When you write things down, it sticks to your memory better.

• Sharing knowledge: people can be helped by the documented articles.

• A career can also be made out of it as there are open roles in companies for technical writers, whose main job is to document.

Areas of Technical Writing

Technical writing spans different fields, and so it needs professional skills and an understanding of the field you intend to be specialized in. Some sectors that need the expertise of technical writers are finance, engineering, medical services, products, consultancy, and software development.

Since our focus is on software development, we would look at the various available areas. They include but are not limited to web3, cloud/DevOps engineering, front-end development, back-end development, machine learning, artificial intelligence, data science, analytics, and other tracks that make up the vast tech space.

Various Forms of Technical Writing

There are various forms of technical writing. They include:

• Blog posts and how-to guides
• User guides
• API Documentation
• SDK documentation (software development kit)
• White paper
• Onboarding guides
• RFPS and proposals
• Case studies
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Test Schedules
• Business Standards (legal/Security/ Privacy policies)
• Product Requirement Documentation
• Market Requirements Documentation
• Release notes

Technical Writing Skills

To carry out technical writing effectively, a person needs to be able to have these skills.

1. Writing: one must know how to write- string words together to form meaningful sentences and convey the right information without confusing the reader.
2. Be able to break down complex terms and concepts, by explaining things simply and cleverly. Things like terms associated with a concept are explained, and abbreviations are broken down.
3. Technical skills: this refers to being able to understand, explain and teach the meaning of the concepts associated with the particular subject that is being discussed.
4. Ability to carry out research: as a technical writer, your job is to understand what is to be taught through your writing. This means that you will have to carry out research, read materials and watch videos that are affiliated with your search, and implement your newfound knowledge to the work you are to share with people. Research is a vital skill because you cannot simply lift the work of others, whatever medium it may be, and label it as yours. This is considered plagiarism.
5. Avoiding plagiarism is essential because when a written article is published, the web server would automatically check for its originality. This helps with the ranking during web searches. The less unique an article is, the lower it would rank and web users are less likely to see it and read it.

Technical Writing Resources

If you are new to technical writing and in need of resources to help, make your journey easier, these will help ease the pressure and anxiety that comes with knowing so much in very little time.

Some of these resources are blogs that have been published by established technical writers, based on their experience and the requirements of companies.

The links below can help you kickstart your journey in technical writing.

• Getting Started in Technical Writing, written by Segun Olumide Light.
• Technical Writing: What and How?, written by Edidiong Asikpo.
• Technical Documentations Simplified, written by Blessing Ene Anyebe
• Technical Writing for Beginners: an A-Z Guide to Tech Blogging Basics, by Amarachi Emmanuella Azubuike.
• Technical Writing for Beginners, sourced from FreeCodeCamp.
• Documenting APIs: A Guide for Technical Writers and Engineers, sourced from I'd Rather Be Writing.
• GitLab Technical Writing Fundamentals Slide Deck, sourced from GitLab.
• Google Technical Writing Course, sourced from Google Developers.

Examples of Technical Writing Articles

Earlier on, we talked about the different types of technical writing, and the sectors it can be applied to. This article provides a detailed explanation of the different ways technical documentation can be done.

The following listed below are articles based on those areas.

1. Daily Dev Tips, sourced from Daily Dev Tips. It is a blog curated by Chris Bongers, a full-stack remote web developer, with 15+ years of experience. He has published over 800 articles.

2. What is Medical Technical Writing?, sourced from Technical Writing is Easy, a blog curated by Kesi Parker.

3. UI Design Principles, sourced from The Fragile-Ace's Blog, a blog curated by Adekunle Abdul-Roqeeb.

4. API Documentation website for Paystack, sourced from Paystack.

5. An example of a white paper,
   sourced from Metafrika.

This wraps up the lessons gotten from the first week of learning. Look out for my next post here for the rest of my lessons.
Thank you for reading!