My Technical Writing Resolutions for 2019
New Year is coming and it’s time to think about what I will do in 2019 to become better professionally. So, here are my technical writing resolutions for 2019.
Read More Books
In 2018 I was a little bit lazy, I usually played video games after my working hours (especially, it was the Witcher 3 because I really liked it). So, in 2019 I want to read more technical writing books to learn more about new trends in this sphere, improve my knowledge and to get new ideas for future projects.
Take a Technical Writing Course
Although I have been working in the technical writing sphere for a long time, there’s always room for improvement. In 2019 I’m going to take a course to improve my writing skills. I’ll take one from this list: Best Courses/Books/Resources for Technical Writers.
Be More Creative
In this year my projects and documentation were not as creative as I wanted — I didn’t create much visual content such as videos or photos. However, visual content makes documentation interesting, which makes users keep reading, and my main goal is to make my documents more readable and easy-to-interpret. That’s why I really need to upgrade my skill on making tutorials and don’t be lazy.
Moreover, I want to write the way people talk, not the way robots talk. As technical writing sometimes requires to describe obvious things, I want to make my language more vivid, maybe, add some jokes to make my documentation more interesting.
Become Better User Advocate
Technical writers develop documentation for users, not for the sake of appearance, that’s why, as a technical writer, I need to become a better user advocate. This idea came to my mind after watching how Atlassian makes user personas and how much focus they put on them. Maybe, this video will inspire you too.
Update Your Software
I was chatting with some technical writers on Facebook and some of them still use MS Word for tech writing. So, this recommendation is for such kind of writers — update your software in 2019. I know new things sometimes may scare but start using something unusual for you in the new year. Online documentation tools are really worth it, believe me. There are so my features that will make your life easier and save your time. If you don’t know which one to choose, here is a list of software tools for technical writing.
As for me, I use ClickHelp — its UI is easy, you don’t need to install anything (it’s a web-based tool), you don’t need experience of working with HATs, just create your portal and start working. If you want to learn more about ClickHelp features, you can see them here.
Final Thoughts
And my main resolution is to write more interesting and helpful articles on technical writing for you ;)
What are your resolutions? Please, share in comments!
