Contract technical writer overview
When you bring me in to produce quality documentation, you get an incorporated contract technical writer with more than ten years experience developing user documents, instructional materials, online help and marketing content.
Customers in the...
- IT
- Telecom
- Financial
- Health
...industries contract me project after project when they need specialized technical writing expertise.
Fitting into your team
My contract history includes significant responsibility as sole technical writer or another member of your technical writing group. I work closely with developers, users, managers and senior executives.
My contract technical writer resume is available upon request.
Choosing the right tool for the job
The authoring tools I use as contract technical writer include single-source editors AuthorIT, FrameMaker and Epic Editor, in addition to tools such as RoboHelp, HTML editors, Acrobat, Visio, Photoshop, and Illustrator. I have used MS Office and IBM Lotus Notes for many years.
On becoming a contract technical writer
I started as a writer and client rep at a technical marketing agency in the 1980s, where I produced ad copy and corporate writing for clients like Nortel, Bank of Montreal, TD Bank, and Moore Business Products.
Developing an aptitude for technical communication
My assignments were very technical and demanded a utilitarian set of technical skills from the writer. I found that I really enjoyed the work.
In the late 1980s I started my contract writing business and produced a broad range of technical projects for software developers and high-tech manufacturers.
University technical writer training
In 1992 I read Nuala Beck's book Shifting Gears, and discovered the term contract technical writer. As she explained what a contract technical writer did, I realized that I was doing a lot of the work that a contract technical writer does.
But to be really able to help companies like yours, what I needed was the formal education and certification to make me a more efficient contract technical writer.
So I returned to university and earned my Technical Writing Certificate. Most importantly, I learned the structures, authoring tools and best practices that make great technical documentation a faster and more affordable process.
Helping you now
Today I am a contract technical writer who produces user reference docs, online help, and marketing content for companies such as IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Scientific-Atlanta... and smaller companies who want the same level of professionalism in their documentation.
Thank you
Thanks for taking the time to learn more about me and about what I offer as a contract technical writer. I hope you will look through my contract technical writer portfolio, and ask me any questions about the services I offer as a contract technical writer.
You can contact me by email, or by phone at
(416) 421-4710.
