The Hallmarks of a Technical Writer

Technical writers are ubiquitous in the Information Technology industry. Having been into the profession for over a decade, sometimes I want to reflect on the qualities that an ideal Technical Writer should possess. I have been pondering on the topic of late and thought of listing out the attributes in a LinkedIn post. It may be noted that the attributes outlined here are in line with my thought process. Other eminent professionals in this field are likely to have their own views.    

• A Technical Writer is a writer first. The ability to express a topic flawlessly and with a high degree of linguistic excellence (I mean highly readable, grammatically and syntactically correct piece of writing) should be a prerequisite. Many qualified Technical Writers are found to be Majors in English, but, according to me, such an academic qualification need not be a prerequisite. A person with a natural & flawless writing ability should fit the bill. 
• A Technical Writer should love technology. He/she should have an inquisitive mind and love to operate software and uncover its features. He/she should also be intuitive enough to understand the logical flow of a software application. Needless to say, the bonding between a Technical Writer and the software he/she is expected to document increases over time. 
• A Technical Writer has a clear edge if he/she is technically qualified. A diploma/degree in Computer Applications equips the writer with the necessary technical background. The writer finds himself/herself in a better position when consulting with Developers and QA guys. The understanding of the underlying technology equips the writer to understand the logical flows and subtleties of a software application much better. The writer gets a clear idea of the macro-environment (the Software Development Life Cycle) in which he/she is expected to play an auxiliary, yet key role.
• A Technical Writer should have a grasp over the behavioral patterns of average software users. He/she should be able to foresee how people interact with software, what mistakes they might make, what important things they are likely to forget etc. These nuances should mould his/her writing to a substantial extent.
• A Technical Writer should not find himself/herself in a relegated position in the organization. Taking pride in his/her role, he/she should try to uncover design and usability flaws and try to highlight them. After all, Technical Writers are very much like Bridge engineers. They bridge the gap between the users' shaky hands on one side and the mighty application on the other. And this is no mean a task. By empowering novice users to derive maximum benefits from a software application they have purchased, a Technical Writer can help the clients achieve Return-on-Investments (RoI) in a relatively short timespan. A Technical Writer should not merely handhold a user to use the application fruitfully, he/she should aim at making the user a master of the application. Confident users eventually become evangelists of the application and end up as happy clients. 
• A Technical Writer has a clear edge if he/she has an inclination towards image-processing. As every writer knows, capturing screenshots and presenting them well falls within the daily chore of a writer. If the writer is adept in image processing and vector graphics, he/she should have a winning edge. 
• A deep penchant towards learning and experimenting with new authoring tools should be another attribute of a Technical Writer. Whenever the opportunity comes, a Technical Writer should be able to master a new authoring tool within a reasonable time. He/she should be ready to embrace technological advancements in his/her domain with open arms.  
• A Technical Writer should be on the continued path of learning. Technologies evolve, writing styles evolve, and so do challenges. Continued reading of technolgy books (they are authored by geniuses I should say), blogs, and writers' forums should keep the writer busy at least for a part of his/her leisure time. Evolving with the ever-evolving technological landscape will undoubtedly help the writer stay afloat.