Whether you’re an aspiring technical writer or an experienced documentation developer, there’s always something new to learn in the exciting field of technical writing.
To help you on your way, we’ve compiled a list of ten blogs written by and for technical writers that will help you hone your skills and stay on top of all the new trends.
Have a look at our recommended blogs and start following the ones that best fit your needs.
I’d Rather Be Writing
We love to see blogs that are based on experience and an obvious affinity for all things related to technical communication. This is one of those blogs.
I’d Rather Be Writing is run by Tom Johnson, an experienced technical writer who works for Google and has worked for Amazon in the past.
Johnson’s blog is full of great advice on document management processes and the art of simplifying the complex (which is the most basic job of technical writers).
He also writes a lot about the news and trends from his profession, so if you want to stay current with the world of technical writing, we definitely recommend subscribing to this blog.
One of the most popular features of this blog is the course on documenting APIs, which offers a complete guide on this subject for technical writers and engineers.
The course is absolutely free and works as a kind of online textbook. You don’t need any programming knowledge to complete it and should be able to document APIs independently once you’re done.
All in all, this is an easily-accessible resource for people interested in technical writing—of all technical backgrounds and experience levels. Visit it often to follow the latest trends and learn new skills that will help advance your career.
TechWhirl
Unlike I’d Rather Be Writing, which is a comprehensive, sometimes almost philosophical blog, TechWhirl has a much more practical character. It focuses on actionable tips and advice that helps writers hone their skills.
This blog is excellent for finding step-by-step guides for creating all kinds of technical documents from scratch.
Even better, it also offers complete templates writers can instantly use to make their jobs easier. For these reasons, TechWhirl is a great resource for visitors who need quick solutions and ways to accelerate their work.
TechWhirl works as a quick reference because it boasts exceptional navigability and a huge archive of articles visitors won’t have any trouble searching.
The entire base is divided by topic, which makes it easy for content managers, technical communicators, and technical writers to browse and find articles related to their field of work.
But that’s not all—this blog also contains columns and interviews with tech writing experts that are full of professional wisdom. You can read them to pick up some great practices and learn from the greats of technical writing.
So, whether you’re looking for a quick solution or some expert advice from experienced tech writers, TechWhirl has you covered.
ClickHelp Blog
ClickHelp is a software provider in the technical documentation space. As such, it only makes sense that ClickHelp’s blog is full of expert-level content on technical writing topics.
The particular niche for this blog is online documentation, which means technical writers but also web developers and designers. All of them will find plenty of educational content to satisfy their needs.
If online documentation, internal knowledge bases, and corporate wikis are your thing, we definitely recommend checking out ClickHelp’s articles.
One feature of the blog that stands out is the beautiful format of the articles. Every post is broken down into subsections with a heading, which makes this blog easily scannable—and a joy to read.
ClickHelp offers documentation software, and it’s no surprise that the authors who write for the blog are experts in their field. You can expect accurate information and content that has real educational value on a variety of subjects.
Therefore, if you’re looking for a resource that will help you create excellent online documentation for employees and end-users alike, don’t forget to consult the ClickHelps blog.
Cherryleaf Blog
Cherryleaf provides excellent technical writing services for hire. You’ll rarely find a service provider with such a comprehensive offer, with training courses, consultancy, and recruitment, on top of content writing services.
The Cherryleaf blog is equally rich with expert-level content on a variety of topics related to technical writing.
A great feature of this blog is that visitors can choose whether they want their content to be in textual form or in that of an interesting podcast.
Even if you’re not a fan of the format, we recommend giving this podcast a try because it contains more than thirty hours of educational material, as well as some fascinating interviews.
Some past guests of the podcast included technical writers from Amazon, Cisco, Google and VMWare.
The blog and podcast also have something of a collaborative nature, as interested parties have the option to send their questions and propose topics to the Cherryleaf team, who formulate their pieces based on audience requests.
That might explain why the blog is so rich with employment advice and career opportunities, which makes it an excellent resource for aspiring technical writers, as well as those looking for new opportunities.
Give this multifaceted blog a visit and explore the content within using the easy navigation options that allow you to browse by month, category, and tag.
Draft.dev
This is a blog run by a technical content agency that provides IT startups with expert-level developer blog content. It’s a very interesting niche that combines the marketing purposes of blog content with the complexity of writing technical documentation.
Their blog is equally fascinating. It offers advice on creating technical documentation written for optimal user experience and even SEO, as this agency has a deep understanding of the business benefits technical documentation can have besides teaching existing customers how to use a product.
A cool feature of the blog we should note is the clean layout and the on-brand visuals that make reading the content a very enjoyable experience.
Writers who are interested in blogging, content writing, as well as all forms of technical writing will definitely find the broad scope of this blog very useful. There are also articles covering content strategy, meaning this blog is perfect for content managers as well.
Leading Technical Communication
This is another blog run by a veteran of technical communication. It is authored by Larry Kunz, a technical communication professional with over thirty years of experience in the field.
Larry Kunz has done it all, from technical writing and design to content management and planning. He has even taught a course on technical communication at Duke University. His blog is where he shares the advice and wisdom he has picked up along the way.
This blog is so much more than just a set of templates and how-to articles. It’s an archive of pieces detailing what it’s really like to work in technical documentation with sound career advice, best practices for carrying out work, and even recommendations on courses, books and other resources.
Larry Kunz’s professional advice will help you navigate the world of technical writing and help you become a top expert in the field. So, if you consider yourself an ambitious writer, we suggest giving this blog a follow so that you can learn from a master in the craft.
As you’re reading the blog, don’t forget to also check out Kunz’s portfolio, where you can find a couple of lectures on Slideshare and a particularly interesting example of his work: Larry Kunz’s custom-made style guide for technical writers.
Learning about technical writing from online sources works best when you consume content from real experts in the field. Therefore, this blog is a must for anyone building a career in technical writing.
Archbee Blog
Here at Archbee we offer a platform for product documentation needs. Our documentation tool can satisfy the needs of all kinds of documentation users, be it internal employees, end-users, or developers.
So far, we’ve helped thousands of people write better technical documentation for different purposes and we’ve learned a thing or two along the way.
Our blog is a repository of our knowledge and experience, and it contains articles on a variety of topics related to documentation, such as:
- Onboarding
- Product documentation
- End-user documentation
- API documentation
- Various tips for technical writers
We’re adamant in our effort to offer expert information and actionable tips and advice for writers who want to create better documentation using cutting-edge software, so there’s hardly a question you won’t be able to answer using our blog.
Visitors to our blog can expect a deep dive and a close examination of every topic we cover.
Whether you’re a technical writer, product team lead, or CEO looking to invest in knowledge management, you’ll definitely find value in our content.
Ihearttechnicalwriting
This resource is a little peculiar. It’s run by technical writer Ivan Walsh, an experienced professional who has written documentation and done consulting work for some very impressive clients, such as IBM, Intel, Toshiba, and the US Department of Justice, just to name a few.
The uniqueness of Walsh’s site is that it’s less of a blog and more of a comprehensive database of technical writing templates for practically any sort of document you’ll ever need.
This can be a valuable resource for professionals and companies who need fast solutions for creating technical documentation but can’t invest in a technical writing team.
Each template is beautifully formatted and contains ready-made sections you just need to fill out with the information you already have on hand. The template guides the user through every step of the documentation process, meaning you won’t have to worry about omitting any important information from your documents.
Learning about effective documentation takes time and effort. If you have neither at the moment, this template database will give you a way to create professional documentation quickly and easily.
Heroic Technical Writing
Heroic Technical Writing is a blog run by industry veteran Bart Leahy. Leahy is a freelance technical writing freelancer whose list of clients contains some of the most famous organizations in the world, such as the Walt Disney Company and NASA.
This is the number one blog we’d recommend to aspiring writers who are considering a career in technical communication. Bart Leahy holds a bachelor’s degree in English and has managed to secure a technical writing job at NASA.
He’s written a whole series of articles about this topic, and newbie writers might find it extremely valuable in their own search for jobs in top companies and organizations.
Other than that, this blog has a wealth of wisdom to share on some of the more classical forms of technical writing, such as proposals and correspondence.
Therefore, even if you’re not a technical writer but are interested in crafting proposals for your organization, this blog may hold the key to success.
To sum up, tips for professional technical writers, career advice for newcomers to the industry, and guides for non-technical writers are all subjects of this fascinating blog by an industry insider.
Information Developers Foundation Blog
This blog is a mentoring resource for people who want to pursue a career in technical writing.
Exploring the blog, you’ll find tips, reviews, tools, and trends on virtually every part of a technical writer’s job.
The information, as with any blog, can be found in regular articles, but there are also webinars and video materials you can request to deepen your knowledge about technical writing topics.
A special feature is a complete guide for starting a career in technical writing that will give you an overview of what technical writers do and how to find your first writing gigs.
All in all, there’s a lot of useful information to find here for newbie writers that should help them build an accurate image of what it means to work as a technical writer.
Conclusion
We hope this list of ten blogs about technical writing will satisfy your intellectual curiosity and provide you with enough knowledge to keep you at the top of your game.
Remember, technical writing is an industry that’s always evolving and developing. Staying on top of trends is the best way to keep advancing your career and achieving success with every document you write.
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