Slides from our presentation to Year 11 children on writing as career in IT. We looked at the different writing postions in companies such as Apple, and then looked at the role of the Technical Author/Writer. The class had to write an instruction manual for a new eco-messaging product (aka a typewriter).

1. Writing as a career
Ellis Pratt
cherryleaf.com

2. Overview
1. Writing careers in IT
2. Do words matter in an age of video?
3. Being a Technical Author/Writer

3. 1

4. Exercise:
Name some of the best
companies to work for

5. Two of the best
companies to work for

6. Do these companies
employ writers?

9. Types of writing jobs in
IT
Technical Writer Process/Procedures
writer
Copywriter
Instructional Designer
UI Writer
Information Architect
Editor
Web Content Manager
Content Developer

10. Exercise:

11. Kipling’s questions
I keep six honest serving
men
(They taught me all I
knew);
Their names are What
and Why and When
And How and Where and
Who.

12. Match Kipling’s questions
to the job roles
Copywriter
What Why Content Developer
When How Information Architect
Where or Who? UI Writer
Technical Writer
Instructional Designer

13. Copywriter

14. Copywriter
Why?
What?

15. Content Developer
Web Content Writer

16. Content Developer
Web Content Writer
Why?
What?

17. Information Architect

18. Information Architect
Where?

19. UI Writer

20. UI Writer
What?
How?

21. Technical Writer

22. Technical Writer
How?
What?
Where?
When?

23. Instructional Designer

24. Instructional Designer
What?
How?
When?
Why?

25. 2

26. Why do they hire
professional writers?
Do worms matter?

27. Who visits:

28. YouTube without words

29. Who buys from:

30. Source: Acrolinx

31. 3

32. What do Technical
Writers/Authors do?

33. Explain how to use a product
Using words, mostly

34. Exercise:
you will write a user guide...

35. ....for one of these

36. There are five stages
1. Researching the product & audience
2. Planning the project
3. Writing the Table of Contents
4. Writing the topics
5. Review and amend

37. There are five stages
We’ll do three of them
1. Researching the product & audience
2. Planning the project
3. Writing the Table of Contents
4. Writing the topics
5. Review and amend

38. 1. Researching the
product

39. You talk to the
“Subject Matter Expert”

40. You use the product

41. You use images, diagrams
and/or screenshots

42. 2. Planning

43. Planning

44. Planning
Who is the audience?
What do you want them to be able to do?
What is the scope?
What is the level of detail?
How will it be delivered?

45. To save time...
Create a user guide on paper
for teachers in Matthew Arnold,
that enables them to send
typewritten messages to other
teachers.

46. 3. Writing the
Table of Contents

47. Exercise: Create a Table
of Contents

48. Tip: Kipling’s questions
I keep six honest
serving men
(They taught me all I
knew);
Their names are What
and Why and When
And How and Where
and Who.

49. So let’s research the
product

50. Table of Contents:
How did you get on?

51. Tip: Use Gerunds

52. Tip: Use Gerunds
-ing words
Opening, Saving

53. 4. Writing the topics

54. Exercise: Write a topic

55. Topics you could write
Loading the paper
Writing the message
Making more than one copy
Sending the message

56. Tip: Use the crib sheet

57. Tip: Use the crib sheet
It explains how to present
different types of information

58. Tip: The Active Voice

59. Tip: The Active Voice
“Open the door”

60. Tip: The Active Voice
“Open the door”
Not “The door was opened”

61. Tip: Commas matter

62. Review & Reflect