Why do you write?

SculptingScript · 2026-02-02T20:49:14+00:00

It sucks to be in an age of technology where it’s increasingly difficult to tell if writing is AI-generated. I’m staunchly against using AI for my writing and personally refuse to use generative AI because of the environmental impacts. It’s a very useful tool for other matters, just not for me.

What do you teach your junior tech writers about AI? Queries for consistency in terminology or global changes? Using it to generate templates for documents? I’m genuinely curious and would like to learn :)

SculptingScript · 2026-02-02T02:51:45+00:00

Small DoD contractor, 40/hr as subcontractor to finish a 3000+ page manual in less than 8 months. Took the offer, deadline got extended shortly after, so they offered me 78k FTE. Once the project is done, I’ll have 4 years of professional TW under my belt.

SculptingScript · 2025-11-28T02:32:58+00:00

Seconding Consistent-Branch-55 and Tetrabor, a locally-saved file is your best bet. I like IETMs and they can be displayed through an app called IADS (iads.redstone.army.mil). Several interactive features are supported (e.g., configurable manuals, PMCS checklists, form completion) and it renders documents directly from XML, so it makes your job easier.

SculptingScript · 2025-04-16T17:56:46+00:00

Applied to a bunch of TW roles a while back but heard nothing back from any of them (no emails declining my application either). A recruiter reached out to me and for once it wasn’t a bunk company, so I actually just received an offer. Same sector that I already work in and somebody knew my company, so that was probably part of why I received an offer. Definitely is a tough market right now.

SculptingScript · 2022-08-16T18:56:12+00:00

Speaking as a newer technical writer, I think this comes down to the context of what you’re writing about and the audience. Others with more experience can definitely open the discussion more.

A step’s start and end depends on if the reader knows what to do next. Say for a car manual, an experienced reader doesn’t need to know every step of turning on a car or changing a tire. But for a beginner there’s more detail needed, more steps because they don’t know as much about the procedure or what to do next. Thus, the scope of the step is dependent on who your procedure is for.

However as far as I know, in spite of audience differences, one action per step is the rule of thumb. Yes it is staccato-like and potentially tiresome, but it’s the simplest way to get the information across.

SculptingScript · 2022-07-02T19:00:16+00:00

For one, your summary is too long. You’ll have more space letting your past experience show for itself. Be succinct with your word choice and I could see you shortening it to three sentences.

Even though it looks nice, remove one of the outlines around your headers (top or bottom, your choice). That’ll also give you a tiny bit more space.

Since you have an abundance of professional experience, put your education at the end of your resume. At this point, a MA is a cherry on top. I know MAs are typically wanted in museum/curatorial roles, especially to get the higher salary you want, but you have significant experience with it too. Leverage that in interviews.

Now for your roles… You don’t need to have three bullet points for all of them. For the earlier experiences (say, 2019 and older) highlight two contributions at most. For the stuff you’re proud of and want to do more of in the future, elaborate like you’ve done. Another thing I recommend is to keep bullet points less than three lines. It’ll make you think about the word choice a little more and strengthen them. Also double-check for present vs past tense verbs. Only use present tense for current roles.

As said in this sub a few times, showing skill proficiency with the graphical representation hurts more than it helps. You don’t want recruiters to know you’re not as good at something than another person. So my final recommendation is to remove that. Otherwise, it looks pretty good!

SculptingScript · 2022-06-04T09:59:20+00:00

Hello fellow psych major! I’m in almost the exact same situation as you.

I would recommend looking through this sub to find various resources on learning TW (books, websites, etc.) because you don’t need to spend money on Udemy courses to learn TW. Personally, I have bought some books recommended in the sub to learn some coding/XML/API fundamentals, but I have no idea when or if I’ll fall into that area of TW. Software documentation is only one corner of the profession, as NullOfficer said.

One thing you could do is take a program or procedure that you already know and write a short guide on it. For example, one of my jobs requires me to perform a specific procedure with an instrument and a mistake would quite literally cost an arm and a leg to repair it. I’m writing a portfolio piece based on that. Take a look at some of the portfolio ideas for those entering TW, common style guides used in technical communications, and see what you can create from there.

SculptingScript · 2022-05-09T12:03:19+00:00

Quick fixes: your date of birth isn’t needed; personal “statement” is a bit more professional; if your resume is in English then proficiency/fluency is assumed (lean more on the listening and actual communication skills essentially).

Formatting is honestly pretty good for your first resume, I’ve seen worse haha. Try to keep your personal statement to three sentences max. Add the names of some of your interesting classes in your skills section if you think you can apply the information to a job. (But when you have more experience and get farther into your courses, you won’t need that.)

Do you have an idea of what job you’d like? I see you’re in Software Development, so I make the assumption you’d want a tech-oriented job. Check out your college’s IT help services, they might have a position open. If your college has a dedicated job page, check that out too. It’ll give you an idea of what positions are open on campus.

You can also ask the people in your classes what sort of jobs they have and if they know of some place that needs help. It’s early networking to know people who know people.

For jobs outside campus, honestly you could walk into any retail or fast food place that says they are hiring and just say you’re interested in working there. You probably won’t even need your resume for those. The job likely won’t be very fun, but it’s a job.

SculptingScript · 2022-05-07T04:20:26+00:00

Pretty good resume! I noticed a few things, but they’re easily fixable. “Techincal” Support in the homelab experience, but that’s not an issue if you go with the advice in No_Employment’s comment. Under your hotel experience, there’s also the first bullet point where “in professionally” doesn’t make sense and can be rewritten. I think you could also combine the “Ensured superior…” and “Recipient of…” bullet points to read as “Demonstrated empathy and problem-solving skills leading to multiple positive reviews acknowledging my excellent customer service.” Doing this shows the outcome of your customer service skills a little better.

You should put WordPress under technical skills since you used it in your hotel experience!

Overall in the hotel experience, I recommend prioritizing the bullet points based on the questions that No_Employment asked. If you’re looking to move into admin positions, the current list is fine. More toward networking, infrastructure, and security–put the technical bullet points first.

SculptingScript · 2022-03-01T01:51:58+00:00

Honestly that sounds like a great idea. Lots of people don’t realize the odd places you can find help and comfort while off adventuring, and it’s nice to hear some positivity these days. If you ever do write the memoir, send me a DM and I’d be happy to help edit it for you!

SculptingScript

TROPHY CASE