This is a reading and practice group, not a course. Each post covers one topic — craft, tools, process, career, etc. — and ends with an exercise you can work through. As articles are added, you can work through them in any order.
The articles aren’t exhaustive. They’re designed and written to give you a starting point.
I’m also including references for further exploration with the articles.
Two posts per week (sometimes three), starting Monday, July 6. New and working writers both welcome.
I am posting the articles to my “The Way We Write Now” Substack. It’s free; there is no subscription or pledge fee.
Lessons begin Monday, July 6. Follow along using the button here, and bookmark this page for the link to each lesson as they go live.
Follow Along →NOTE! On the Subscription page, please click “No Pledge” if you see it!
Phase 1: Foundation Weeks 1–3
Week 1: What the Job Is
- 1A: What Technical Writers Actually Do (July 6)
- 1B: Mastering Audience Analysis (July 9)
Week 2: Writing Craft
- 2A: Writing for the F-Pattern (coming July 12)
- 2B: Plain Language Is Not Dumbing Down (coming July 16)
Week 3: Editing
- 3A: The Three Tiers of Editing (coming July 20)
- 3B: The Passive Voice Myth (coming July 23)
Phase 2: Working with People & Structure Weeks 4–5
Week 4: Working with People
- 4A: The Psychology of the SME (coming July 27)
- 4B: Review and Approval Workflows (coming July 30)
Week 5: Content Structure
- 5A: Documentation Frameworks: A Field Guide (coming August 3)
- 5B: Stop the Sprawl: Information Architecture (coming August 7)
- 5C: Metadata and Taxonomy (coming August 10)
Phase 3: The Modern Toolchain Weeks 6–7
Week 6: Authoring Environments
- 6A: The Shift to Docs-as-Code (coming August 13)
- 6B: Choosing Your Authoring Environment (coming August 17)
Week 7: Style & Automation
- 7A: Enforcing Style Guides Without Being a Cop (coming August 20)
- 7B: Automated Linting and Consistency Checking (coming August 24)
Phase 4: AI Week 8
Week 8: AI as Tool and Subject
- 8A: The Writer as Context Owner (coming August 27)
- 8B: Prompt Engineering for Tech Writers (coming August 31)
- 8C: Documenting AI and Non-Deterministic Software (coming September 3)
Phase 5: Process Weeks 9–10
Week 9: Agile & Task Management
- 9A: Surviving the Two-Week Sprint (coming September 7)
- 9B: Task Management and Ticket Systems (coming September 10)
Week 10: Metrics & Maintenance
- 10A: Proving Your Worth: Documentation Metrics (coming September 14)
- 10B: The Art of Deleting: Content Audits (coming September 17)
Phase 6: Content Types Weeks 11–12
Week 11: API Documentation
- 11A: API Docs 101: Demystifying REST (coming September 21)
- 11B: Beyond REST: OpenAPI and Swagger (coming September 24)
Week 12: Developer Documentation
- 12A: From Git Commits to Release Notes (coming September 28)
- 12B: Code Samples and Code Comments (coming October 1)
Phase 7: Writer Craft Weeks 13–14
Week 13: UX Writing & Accessibility
- 13A: Words in the Machine: Intro to UX Writing (coming October 5)
- 13B: Writing for Everyone: Accessibility (coming October 8)
Week 14: Visual Communication
- 14A: Visuals That Work (and Don’t) (coming October 12)
- 14B: Diagrams as Code: Mermaid & Draw.io (coming October 15)
Phase 8: Scale & Strategy Weeks 15–16
Week 15: Scalable Documentation
- 15A: Write Once, Publish Everywhere (coming October 19)
- 15B: Modular Docs and the Philosophy of DITA (coming October 22)
Week 16: Global Strategy
- 16A: Writing for Translation and Localization (coming October 26)
- 16B: The Technical Writer as Strategist (coming October 29)
Phase 9: Career Week 17
Week 17: Career Development
- 17A: Building the NDA-Proof Portfolio (coming November 2)
- 17B: Contracting vs. Full-Time (coming November 5)