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Subject:RE: Is tech writing for me? From:"Richard Smith" <richard -dot- smith -at- windriver -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 1 May 2002 15:42:30 -0700
Consider open source projects as an alternative to a sample. The open source
community typically has lots of real need for writers. you can start by
searching the archives here for open source projects, or just pick a
software category and find an open source project that matches your
interests. Sourceforge and osdn may also be good places to start.
As with commercial projects, open source projects have deadlines,
milestones, etc. There are many exciting projects. One unique challenge
you'll get to quickly is working with a distributed team. Plus your work
will be real documentation for a real product. You can use it as a portfolio
piece, etc.
Your engineering, coding, consulting, and db skills should make you an ideal
candidate for many places. Learning the tools of the trade (Frame, Word,
docbook, html, html help, and so on) is usually not too big a deal.
--
Richard
> This leads me to today's query. Have any of you ever given
> someone "sample
> assignments" to work on so that they might get a better feel
> for the work?
> For example: You are going to write a chapter or section in a
> manual, you
> have your notes, you have other information from engineers or
> developers.
> You send this information to your victim.. errr.. aspiring
> techie writer,
> along with a deadline. You and the would-be-writer both work
> independently
> and simultaneously. When the deadline comes, you look at the
> would-be's
> work, and give him a review of sorts, and also send your
> completed work to
> him so he can see how a professional handled the assignment.
> I think even
> without a "review" from the professional writer, the would-be
> could learn a
> lot from this exercise, just forcing himself to write to a
> deadline and
> completing "real" work of the nature that he would if
> employed in the field.
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