As an individual, writing opens up opportunities for self-discovery and self-expression. In addition, technical writing gives you access to global employment opportunities and an edge in the job market. The interesting thing about technical writing is that it is highly valued in many fields (a technical writer can work in various fields, from medicine to technology). You can venture into technical writing as a career if you enjoy writing and are interested in technological concepts.

This article aims to provide a general overview of technical writing and highlight the steps involved in writing a killer article.

What is Technical Writing?

“Technical writing is a continuous process of learning, carefully gathering, sifting, organizing, and assessing, all while trying to craft something that makes sense for a user.”- Krista Van Laan.

In other words, technical writing involves learning, researching, and breaking complex ideas and topics down into the simplest understandable structure for users. In order to write technical content efficiently, a technical writer must have an understanding of the topic and its concepts. Through a clearly written document with a goal, technical writing informs or directs an audience.

Who is a Technical Writer?

It takes more than just writing skills to be a technical writer. Your job as a technical writer is to break down complex information into smaller pieces so your audience can understand it. Technical writers work with different teams to develop communication channels, acting as intermediaries between technical team members and readers who are less technical.

Steps to Writing a Killer Technical Article

You require more than just typing to write a killer technical article; heeding to these steps will guide you;

Step 1: Define your content

Your content should have a purpose; otherwise, you'll write an article without value to your readers. A clearly defined aim and objectives will give you a clearer direction and focus as you work towards the aim. Create content that your readers will gain from.

Step 2: Know your expected audience

Know the category of readers attracted to your article and their level of expertise (beginner - expert). When writing, you need to consider your audience's expected tone, the level of background information you should include, terminology definition frequency, the scope of the article, and the overall direction of your content.

Step 3: Research

Research the topic you want to write about. You will not be the first person to publish this type of content, so read similar content and structure what your own content will look like. It is advisable to reference an author instead of plagiarising them. Research is a continuous process in writing. To gain perspective, you need to do research, starting from deciding what you want to write about, to defining your target audience, and drafting an outline.

Step 4: Write/ Create a Draft

Once you have gathered some information about your topic and know your target audience, create a draft of your article.
In writing this draft, ensure that you;

• Create an outline consisting of the sub-topics that will be treated in the article.
• Be clear and concise.
• Explain concepts using simple terms.
• Include visuals where you feel that the concept has not been broken down enough.
• Use an active voice and not a passive one.
• Take technical writing style guides into consideration, see resources below for some recommended style guides.
• Add links to resources where necessary.

Step 5: Review

After creating your first draft, read and share it with someone to proofread before publishing. Be open to receiving feedback and being critical. Also, ensure that the article meets its objectives as in Step 1.
Grammarly and the Hemingway app are tools you can use to check for grammatical errors.

Step 6: Rewrite and Publish

When you’re done with the steps listed above, read through the draft of your article and then publish it. There are several platforms for publishing articles, such as Hashnode, Medium, Dev.to, freeCodeCamp, Hackernoon, etc.
After publishing, share your article on all social media platforms for maximum reach.

Technical Writing Resources/ Certifications

This is a list of courses and certifications to get you started and hone your skills in technical writing.

• Microsoft Writing Style Guide
• Google Technical Writing Course
• Google developer documentation style guide
• GitLab Technical Writing Fundamentals Course
• Technical Writing for Beginners
• Technical Writing: A Quick Start To Software Documentation
• W3 School - Technical Writing
• Certified Professional Technical Communicator (CPTC)
• TechWriter Certification
• Certified Technical Writer

Conclusion

Do you want to pursue a career as a technical writer? My advice is that you "get started." Publishing technical content on your blog is a good start; you'll learn more from there. To be successful as a technical writer, you need to be consistent and hardworking. If you put in the effort, the results will speak for themselves. Nothing beats consistency if you plan on making your mark and becoming known for your skills.

I hope this article is helpful; I'm available on Twitter for questions about technical writing.
Cheers!