Technical Writing is a vast domain of writing where various subdomains reside in different parts of the organization. Based on the type of organization, the specialized writing type and genre keep changing, and so the professional writers and their content. In this chapter, you will learn about the different types and genres of technical writers in the market.
Categories of Technical Writers
Here is a significant class of technical writers which has some collective subcategories listed below:
- Industry oriented: Based on the type of industry, the categories of specialized writing types vary. Since our private and public sectors are functioning in a vast domain, the technical writing requirement also changes as per domain specification. Here is the list of sub-categories of specialized writing type:
- Tutorial Content.
- Financing and Investment +Banking.
- Educational and Academia.
- Politics and Lawmaking (private, public, or individual).
- Software or Hardware products as well as networking based.
- Manufacturing plant-based.
- Government products and services.
- Pharmaceuticals and Medical apparatus based.
- Sports and games based.
- Transportation companies.
- Gambling (online and offline).
- Entertainment and filmmaking.
- Press + Publishing.
- Communications and Broadcasting.
- Telecommunications and ISP company based.
- Security, Access, and Protection.
- Health and healthcare.
- Tourism.
- Personal Training.
- Project Type: Based on the type of project acquired, technical writing can be categorized into some distinct subcategories:
- Self-employed individuals are grabbing freelance projects.
- Service agency employing self-regulating contractual schemes.
- Paid employees in industries and firms taking iterative and company official projects.
- Technical writing skill level: There are typically two broad spectrums of skills that professional writers required. Either of them is enough to make the technical writers work in such a domain. These subcategories are:
- Business-writing skills: These types of tech writers understand and write on business or commercial writing or involves scripting business letters, press releases, grants, etc.
- Hi-tech skills: These types of tech writers are specialized in technical areas that revolve around hardcore in-depth concepts in domains like electronics, biotech, IT, finance, pharmaceuticals, or the telecommunications industry.
In brief, it can be said that technical writers work in all manufacturing industries and every domain. It would be challenging to come across a single sector where professional document creators and writers are not working.
Types of Writing Mechanisms Technical Writers Should Know
- Technical Content: These types of content are entirely functional and are meant for professional, mechanical, or educational purposes, and specialized technical writing experts are hired who have in-depth knowledge of its facts and concepts.
- Technical MCQ with explanation: These writing types come under academia or educational writing, where professional writers have to design multiple choice questions along with their answers and explanations.
- Policy and procedure writing: Policy and procedure manual writing may involve all kinds of public, religious, government, Human Resources, or other non-profits content usually. Gathering and compiling such data and putting them in a written format is the work of such technical writers.
- Financial Writing: All the insurance, accounts, fiscal, sales, and purchase details of private and public organizations are documented to either file it as a backup or send to higher authorities or act as taxation; financial, technical writers also manage such documents.
- Medical Writing: As the name suggests, technical writers need specific medical knowledge and technical writing abilities.
- Software and hardware Design Documentation: Every software or hardware designing and developing companies have technical writers as their end product or service documentation maker. They usually make manuals, user guides, and supports in creating various procedures drafting the document.