Technical Writing is a concept everybody is familiar with, but may not be aware of. If you ever read an automobile Owner's Manual, you've read a document put together by a technical writer. Every piece of literature concerning an object (coffee maker, television, radio, just to name a few) was created by a technical writer. How good that literature is, is another story.

Businesses need someone to write various pieces of literature for their product. To fill this need these businesses hire a technical writer to create the documents for them. However this is where the situation can get "interesting". Anyone can write something for a product and fill the need the business is looking for. I know that you have seen documents and told yourself "I can write better than that." We all have and here is where we separate the "wheat from the chaff".

First let us define a couple of terms:

• Desktop Publisher: An individual who gathers information already written and formats it in the desired format. The Desktop Publisher does not write any additional data for the project.
• Technical Writer: An individual who gathers and assembles information from various sources and creates documents from this raw data.

A Desktop Publisher only works with the data provided by others. They organize this data in the desired form, often brochures, data sheets, or some other desired format. Desktop Publishers work with a variety of software to create these documents, creating great looking layouts, but they do not write the information themselves.

A technical writer, on the other hand, must take raw data and create the documents themselves. This includes reading blueprints, obtaining information from other manuals/literature, talking with engineers, investigating how the product works, perhaps even field testing the product if necessary. The technical writer assembles all this raw data then must either put the information in an approved format or create the format from scratch. A technical writer must have mechanical, investigative, and organizational skills. The technical writer must be able to write clearly and in terms the end user can understand. In short the technical writer must make the complex simple. A technical writer must know and use a variety of software to create these documents. Some Technical Writers are proficient with AutoCAD and can create the illustrations for the document. However most Technical Writers are not AutoCad specialist but those that are, demand a high salary for their services.

Many businesses need the expertise of a good technical writer but cannot afford to hire the individual, and if they do it is at substandard wages. Be that as it may, it still boils down to the fact that many businesses need a technical writer, especially small businesses. This is where I come in.

I am a technical writer and I'm very good at my job. I have the mechanical background, good organizational skills and understand the meaning of meeting a deadline. I also have some drafting experience and can read blueprints. And while I am not an expert, I can use AutoCAD to make some simple but decent drawings. I am also employed full time and not looking for a new job. I am however looking to supplement my income with freelance work.

I know that small businesses need technical documentation so I offer my skills at a rate which won't break the bank of a small business. As a freelance technical writer I offer numerous advantages to a small business:

• I'm not an employee. You don't pay me benefits. Most of my jobs are a flat rate project fee (my preference). I can work on a per hour basis if desired.
• I work out of my home since I have all, or most of the software necessary to create great documentation. No cubical for you to worry about.
• I can do almost any type of work from simple brochures to complex multi-volume manuals (software restricted).
• I have and maintain an active security clearance (I work with military equipment in my regular job). I keep propriety information secret and will sign a non-disclosure agreement if desired.
• I am retired Military and have been doing technical writing since my retirement from the Navy in 1992.
• I have numerous projects under my belt (see my resume for a listing).
• I know how to meet deadlines. (When flexible becomes too rigid I become fluid, when fluid becomes too rigid I become gaseous.)
• I am not afraid to ask questions and if necessary pester the engineers and other individuals when and if necessary for answers.
• I write with the goal, "If I can understand it, anybody can."

I demand a fair price for my services but not so high as to make it uncomfortable for you. My price depends upon the project you want me to do. For example I can format a simple monthly newsletter for $25 a month flat fee, figuring a maximum of 10 pages or less. You, of course, have to provide the raw articles, logos, photos, and so forth. When I am finished I provide you with a master PDF and you print the number of copies you want. Of course if you want me to print it then calculate printing cost (example Kinko's) plus 15%.

A freelance technical writer can give a business a lot of flexibility and be more economically feasible than hiring a full time person. As as freelancer I chose to focus on small businesses with less than fifty (50) employees and individual entrepreneurs. There are numerous reason I chose this direction, the most notable being I currently work in a large company and we have more technical writers than a beach has sand pebbles. I've been down that road and while I like the work I am doing I feel that as a freelancer I need to expand and offer my skills to those entities that cannot afford a full time, or even part time, technical writer.

I am proficient or very knowledgeable in a variety of software programs including, but not limited to: FrameMaker, MS Office 2007/2010, Visio, Project, AutoCAD, and Web Expression. I own these programs which allow me to work from home in the evening and on weekends.

So what type of projects have I worked on? Quite a few actually. I will list them in a moment but first one of my main goals is to learn new things. I enjoy taking concepts I have absolutely no knowledge about, learn it, then write about it. I'm not afraid to tackle new concepts/work and spend the time necessary to learn it. If I have never done the type of documentation you need, I'll tell you up front. I don't sugar coat my experience. I pride myself on learning new concepts rapidly, I may make a pain of myself in the process but I will always find the answers I seek. My question is are you willing to have me ride your back seeking answers? Most of the engineers I work with (or have worked with) would turn and (not walk) run the opposite direction when they saw me coming. My philosophy is if the engineer doesn't run away when they see me coming, I'm not doing my job (in the most figurative sense of the word).

So how exactly do I work? Well that could be a loaded question but I discovered a site called Elance. It's a freelance site for people like me. In fact as I write this I am in the final stages of completing a freelance project I have been working on for the last couple of months. I enjoy Elance because they have the processes in place to protect both you (the client) and me (the provider). By using their system both of us are protected from abuse. Now they charge a few dollars (a percentage) for the project, but it is money well spent for the peace of mind they provide. Hence I request all my freelance work go through them. If you are interested in providing work to a needy freelance worker than I suggest you check Elance out. Beside if you don't want to hire me you may find someone else on the site to fill your document needs.

Now back to what type of projects I have worked on, just to name a few (but not limited to):

• User Guides
• Owner's Manuals
• Installation Manuals
• Training Documents/Lesson Plans
• Datasheets
• Environmental Manuals
• Repair Manuals

To recap I have years of experience creating the type of documentation you seek, having worked on a variety of projects as indicated in my resume. I understand the concept of a deadline, the importance of milestones, and the need for flexibility. I have been doing technical writing for a long time (since my Naval retirement in 1992). I understand how important your needs are and how critical your deadline can be.