Faye Rivkin: what do you do as a technical writer?

Recently, I talked with two women looking to jumpstart their writing careers. Our conversations were wide-ranging, and I’m looking forward to watching their careers take off. We chatted about all kinds of freelance writing-related stuff, like rates, proposals and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). I’d wager that most of you didn’t know those activities were part of writing.

There are probably more than a few people who aren’t really clear on what it means to be a technical writer. This is the group that looks at me blankly, smiles, nods a few times and says “ah,” when I tell them that’s what I do. Well, it’s time to fix that. 

The short version
I eliminate the pain that comes with creating compelling content, which allows my clients to communicate effectively and with influence.

The details
Every technical writer has his or her areas of expertise. I concentrate on a few industries – hardware and software, science and medicine, education and law – taking highly technical data and turning it into content that’s appropriate for its audience, whether an audience of engineers, scientists, safety technicians or purchasing managers. Purchasing managers, for example, don’t need the level of technical detail required by engineers and scientists, and in some cases, including it can be a detractor and could end a sale. Once I understand the audience and message, I know what to include and what to leave out.

One of my major tasks is to repurpose extremely technical content to explain procedures, define processes and sell products. The resulting documents (see my list of types below) deliver information that allows users to do things like:

• Install and use software applications,
• Understand product specifications,
• Safely operate equipment,
• Comply with a law, and
• Meet a regulation.

Or perhaps, it’s to meet a simpler need, like eliminating the chance of embarrassment by reviewing an article before it’s submitted to a journal. I find errors missed by the author, who may have reviewed the same document 12 times.

Whatever the reason, my work allows my clients to focus on their critical tasks. In some instances, I rewrite and revise existing copy. In others, I write a piece from start to finish. How can I do that, if I’m not an engineer, biologist or lawyer? My background and years of experience, my ability to ask the right questions (working as a recruiter allowed me to develop these skills) and my access to subject matter experts, make the process work.

The types of technical content I produce

• Web copy
• Brochures
• Press releases & other marketing copy
• Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
• Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
• Instructions & training materials
• User manuals
• Journal articles
• Technical reports & data sheets
• White papers

Examples of my work
Much of what I write is covered by NDAs or is ghost-written, and you’d never know I had anything to do with it. But, there are a number of pieces I’m happy to, and allowed to, share. Below are a few. There’s more on my web site, and I’ll share additional samples in the future.   

Recent web sites
SmartLink, LLC
Thornton Service   

Longer form copy
"Delivering Technology Projects on Time, on Budget and On Value,” Tech Trends Journal
“Like It or Not, You Need a BYOD Policy,”Tech Trends Journal
“Additive Marketing Technology and Smart Packaging: A Reality Check,” Industry Market Trends

Make sense?
Some intricacies are specific to each customer, like using style guides and working with designers, but this should give you a good overview. How’d I do? Did you already have a good idea of my job, or was this a useful tutorial? In my next post, I’ll share with you just how I got to this point. That is a story in itself.

Two spaces after a period?? I didn’t know anyone still did that!

I’ve been a copywriter and an editor for close to 15 years. When I started, I had a reputation as “the red pen lady.” Actually, many of my clients probably still call me that, and I don’t mind. It just means I’m doing my job.

 
Considering that some of my first clients weren’t native English speakers, you can imagine the fun I had with that red pen. I tried to school them in AP style, which included eliminating the serial comma, using a lot less capitalization and utilizing a single space after a period. This last change was harder than I had expected. Many had been taught that a double space was correct, and they didn’t want to give it up; since it was early in my writing career, I didn’t push.

That was 2001. Since then, I’ve pushed a lot, and I have been pretty successful at getting clients to change to single spacing. But when asked why, I’ve never been able give a definitive explanation, other than to say it’s because I follow the AP guidelines (page 334 in the edition I have). All of the “big” style manuals, AP, Chicago and MLA, specify one space after a period. And for those academic types, the APA (American Psychological Association), recommends single spacing in published works, even though they allow double spacing in drafts.

An article written in 2011 but updated and reposted last week on Business Insider reignited the “one space versus two” conversation. The author, Farhad Manjoo, is a bit pretentious in a likeable sort of way, and he asserts that a single space is the only way to go. He has a concrete explanation. Apparently the early history of type included a mishmash of everything – spelling, spacing, etc. – everyone did what they wanted, nothing was standard and texts were often difficult to read. Typographers, those who study and design the typewritten word, decided it was time for standards, and they agreed on single spacing, among other best practices. It was that simple. Europe adopted the rule in the early 20^th century, and America followed shortly after.

In the early 1980s, my typing teacher insisted on double spacing, and it made sense for typing on a manual typewriter; the size of typed letters was inconsistent and double spacing clearly indicated the end of a sentence. At some point in college, maybe after my first computer class (Anyone remember DOS?), I switched to single spacing. It must be old age; I have no recollection of the exact timing, or why I switched. I continue to single space because the experts, AP, Chicago etc., tell me to, but now I can say it’s because the experts decided on it a century ago.

I’ve been asking colleagues, friends and clients, including other graduates of my Hopkins MA in Writing program, what they follow. My small, very unscientific survey showed a pretty solid commitment to single spacing:

“Always, always single.”

“I'm a full time tech writer. First thing I do to every document I touch is a Find/Replace to swap two spaces for one. Thesis was single space, too.”

“Two spaces after a period means you are old. That's all. From typewriting class. When I unlearned it (after failing an employment typing test because of it), I felt immeasurably younger.”

“I'm constantly taking them out of other people's writing. It drives me nuts. In grant writing space is at a premium and I need all the character space I can get!”

“I'm a one space guy and don't even remember where I picked that up.”

“I have been reminded, time and time again, for years that there is only one space after a period. Old habits are hard to break. “

If single spacing is the accepted best practice, why do some still not do it? I had dinner this week with three of my favorite people. All of them are double spacers, and none had a real explanation. They said it’s just always what they’ve done. One went so far as to say that when she can, she changes single spacing to double. Another, although she’d heard that single spacing is the accepted way, just can’t bring herself to change.

I honestly think single spacing looks better than double spacing, and it reads better, and I think readers are happier for it. I am a fan of white space, but I also believe too much white in text makes readers pause for too long, and when that happens, their brains wander. To deliver a message appropriately means readers should not stop, even for a millisecond, and consider leaving the page.

Where do you fall? “They” say that it takes 30 days to create a new habit, so it also takes 30 to kill an old one. Start counting the days, as double spacing after a period is one habit I’d like to see you break. In return, I’m willing to consider giving up my disdain for the serial comma.