It’s Thursday, so that means SpecialtyBuzz time has already rolled around again. If you’re new around these parts, SpecialtyBuzz is a weekly segment where I interview a specialist freelance writer about his or her specialty. Today’s SpecialtyBuzz guest is technical writer Ami Spencer. If you are interested in technical writing, be sure to ask Ami lots of questions in the comments section!

What is your specialty and how did you get started in that particular area?

I work full-time as a technical writer for a small information assurance and online training company, so I’ve naturally carried that into my freelance writing, where I take on technical writing projects in the form of user guides, requirements documents, release notes, organizational processes and procedures, and other technical documentation. I kind of fell into tech writing, honestly. I was looking for full-time writing work at a time when I was changing careers and didn’t have much professional writing experience. I happened upon a small company looking for a technical writer, but without the budget to pay someone with a lot of experience. They took a chance on me and allowed me to learn on the job, giving me the opportunity to do a variety of writing and editing work, for which I will always be grateful. As I got more experience, I was able to use the job (although not the proprietary documents I created) as a reference for freelance tech writing work I went after.

What are three things a writer needs to know before choosing to specialize in your area of specialty?

1) As in all writing, knowing how to write well and organize a document effectively is a necessity. Organization is particularly important when you’re creating instructional documents or processes.

2) For technical writing in particular, knowing how to write for a specific audience and modify your style based on that audience is really important. For example, if you’re writing a user guide, you need to be able to write about technical topics so that a non-technical audience can understand. On the other hand, if you’re writing requirements documents for a software programmer, you need to be able to write for a more technical audience.

3) A technical writer also needs to have a strong desire to learn about things that they may not initially understand, a willingness to ask a lot of questions (even to the point of feeling ignorant sometimes), and the ability get along with technically minded people. (If you’re not sure what I mean, spend a day or two hanging around with a computer programmer or systems administrator and you should get the idea.) You also need to be comfortable nagging people endlessly for the information you need. Technical writers (and the documentation they create) can sometimes be pretty low on the technical staff’s priority list.

Does writing in your specialty require any particular training or could a layperson pick it up?

It’s hard for me to answer this question because of how I fell into technical writing. As a layperson myself, my instinct is to say “No training required”. Ideally, though, I think a technical writer would have technical experience of some kind and, depending on the types of technical writing you are doing, some experience with the systems, programs or technical field you will be working with or in. In fact, a lot of companies looking for technical writers prefer to hire former programmers, engineers or other technical personnel who are moving into the technical writing field.

At the very least, it’s important for technical writers to have a general understanding of the systems or programs that you’ll be documenting. I’ve found that if you are comfortable with science and technology and are willing to bug technical professionals for some hands-on training and ask a lot of questions, you can get by with minimal technical experience in an entry-level tech writing position or for basic freelance projects. Once you get some experience and learn more about the different types of technical documentation, you can move on to more advanced positions or projects.

Are there any potential pitfalls associated with specializing in your area?

Technical writing isn’t exactly a glamorous or exciting specialty. If you’re not technically inclined or at least a little interested in the products or processes you’re documenting, boredom or frustration can set in. If you’re not a natural tech geek (and I say that with love for all the tech geeks out there), you’ll want to choose your projects wisely so you don’t get burned out.

What is the current market for writing in your specialty? Who is buying and who is selling?

It seems to me that someone is always hiring technical writers. In particular, government contractors, software and hardware companies, web developers and programmers are often looking for technical writers to add to their teams. Unfortunately, with the current financial climate, I’ve noticed that a lot of full-time tech writer positions are being combined with other technical positions (e.g., database programmer/technical writer). Businesses that are looking to save money and tighten their budgets are also turning to their current employees and giving them additional tech writing responsibilities. On the other hand, smaller companies who already have overworked employees and can’t afford to hire a full-time writer are often looking for freelancers to meet their technical documentation needs.

What do you enjoy most about your specialty?

I get to learn something new almost every day. I also get to interact with really intelligent people who, once you get to know them, are often teachers at heart and really love what they do and want to share it. That makes a topic that could be pretty dull much more exciting if you’re willing to learn about it.

What do you enjoy least about your specialty?

Sometimes the subjects are really dull and there’s just no way around it, no matter how you spin it or who you’re working with. In these cases, it’s nice to have a more interesting project going at the same time.

How would you suggest networking within your specialty?

I subscribe to http://www.gettechnicalwritingjobs.com/, which lists technical writing-job postings from all over the country. I think it’s important to know what tech writing positions companies are hiring for, what skills they want in a writer, and what types of companies are doing the hiring. I’m also a member of the Society for Technical Communication (http://www.stc.org/), which may include local chapters in your area. STC also puts out a great publication, Intercom (http://www.stc.org/intercom/Index.asp), which has some articles available online even if you are not a member of STC.

What advice would you give to freelance writers interested in specializing in your area?

If you’re thinking about getting into technical writing, Intercom is a great place to get an idea for what the specialty entails. When you’re ready to start pursuing tech writing work, you might want to develop a sample user guide, white paper and/or organizational process to submit to potential clients.

If you prefer having creative control over your work or doing all your research online and over email, you probably won’t last long as a tech writer. And that’s OK. Technical writing is not for everyone. On the other hand, if you like order and organization, learning and teaching, and working with teams of technical people, I’d say go for it.

Ami Spencer is always looking for opportunities to be creative and learn about new topics–and writing allows her this pleasure. She has almost a decade of writing and editing experience, with nearly half those years spent creating technical documentation and manuals. Ami’s other specialties include copywriting and editing for print and the web, as well as feature writing and editing for popular and trade publications. She also offers ghostwriting services for the busy professional who needs to write a speech, presentation or article, but just doesn’t have the time. To learn more about Ami or view her portfolio, check out her website and blog at http://amispencer.com.