Technical Writing

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I'm considering going into the technical writing field but I want to know if I have any hope. I know technical writers have to interview subject matter experts, and I have some mild problems processing verbal communication, especially complex ideas, although I'm great with written material and can do ok with recorded verbal info that I can rewind. I just have an inclination to zone out when people are talking, and I have to put forth effort to pay attention, which can get tiring if I have to listen for a long period of time. I also just plain don't like being around people, but I'm willing to work on that if I don't need to do it too often (meetings or interviews everyday would be too often). Does anyone here know anything about the amount of job opportunities in which I could avoid these issues and still be successful? I'm thinking I could work for a small company, and since I have (and plan to get more) technical skills as well as writing skills, I would already know and understand most of everything that is going on with the projects and wouldn't need to do much interviewing. I could wear multiple hats.

I'd be interested in getting into this myself on a freelance basis, but I am someone who can write, but has no experience in a technical field. Usually they seem to want someone with a background in medicine or the sciences. I've found that I do pretty well with grantwriting, though, and sometimes that can be easier for someone with a liberal arts background to break into.

As far as getting detailed information during interviews or concerns about information processing, I'd suggest using a recorder. It's not like you'd be interviewing politicians or anything, so hopefully you wouldn't run into too many people who'd be uncomfortable with having their interviews recorded. It seems to be a pretty common practice.

I'm a software quality assurance manager for the last 9 months or so, and prior to that i was a software tester for something like 11 years.

I think you will find that people with mild to moderate spectrum disorders are not uncommon in engineering in general and software in particular. You will see a variety of coping mechanisms, and most of them will be more forgiving than unforgiving.

One thing i can say for sure is that the best engineers you will run into - software or otherwise - are without ego. They have achieved enlightenment and no longer feel a need to prove themselves. They are humble in the glory of their accomplishments and wish only for others to find them useful.

The mantra i shall be printing in block letters 6 inches high in my office shortly is "Talented people want to do good work. And we should let them."

At any rate, i recommend taking notes. Take a lot of notes. When you get back to your desk, type up your notes and proofread them, and then email them to the person you talked to and ask if you got it right. I guarantee that unless they are insecure in their abilities - unless they are charlatans - they will not be annoyed by your effort to assure clarity.

Technical writing itself is just a particular vernacular of language intended to be clear and understandable to the reader. Technical writing itself is easy - all you have to do is tell the truth. The hard part is saying it in a way that will be useful to the reader.

If you can take notes, ask questions without worrying about whether your questions are stupid, and explain things in accurate detail, you will be head and shoulders above 80% of technical writers.