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chipotleStory ideas are accumulating but not managing to get out.
I'm behind on assembling the story collection for Sofawolf; there's still a lot left to scan, everything left to edit and--in theory--one story left to write. That story exists as about a thousand words of notes; the working title is "Endless Circle," although I don't think that's going to stick. Of course, right now I'm not sure it's going to even get written.
Meanwhile, In Our Image remains stuck on Chapter 4. I feel like I need to take a day (or two or three) off to beat my head against this wall. Somewhere outside of the apartment. The apartment's too distracting, both from having lots of other obvious distractions and for--still, I know--being just too damn cluttered. I feel like I need to take time off to address that, too, particularly as I more seriously consider moving. I am not nearly ruthless enough in throwing out crap, and I've got crap--broken furniture--that technically I'm not supposed to put in my apartment's dumpster anyway.
Really, what I want to do is take a "long weekend" off--no, a full week. Head out somewhere pretty and isolated, just me and the computer, and just hole up and write.
Well, me and the computer and the stories I haven't scanned in. After I scan them in. Otherwise it'd be me and the computer and the scanner and a box of assorted fanzines and manuscript pages.
On the work front, I've decided to pursue technical writing more seriously. This will probably mean trying to find some company that has open tech writing positions in the local area unless I can convince someone in another area to take the chance on me--always possible, but probably a long shot. I may need to be more open to moving to places that aren't in my "top five places to be" list, too. (For the record, those would be Seattle, the Napa/Marin area, San Diego, Santa Fe and maybe Portland, Oregon.) It'll probably also mean being willing to take a pay cut, although there's a practical limit to how much reduction in pay I can handle.
Since I don't have a degree and I've never held a job whose title was "technical writer," I'm considering getting some kind of training/certification in the field. If anyone has any thoughts on whether that makes sense--or advice on where to go (or where not to go)--I'd be interested in hearing them.
I'm behind on assembling the story collection for Sofawolf; there's still a lot left to scan, everything left to edit and--in theory--one story left to write. That story exists as about a thousand words of notes; the working title is "Endless Circle," although I don't think that's going to stick. Of course, right now I'm not sure it's going to even get written.
Meanwhile, In Our Image remains stuck on Chapter 4. I feel like I need to take a day (or two or three) off to beat my head against this wall. Somewhere outside of the apartment. The apartment's too distracting, both from having lots of other obvious distractions and for--still, I know--being just too damn cluttered. I feel like I need to take time off to address that, too, particularly as I more seriously consider moving. I am not nearly ruthless enough in throwing out crap, and I've got crap--broken furniture--that technically I'm not supposed to put in my apartment's dumpster anyway.
Really, what I want to do is take a "long weekend" off--no, a full week. Head out somewhere pretty and isolated, just me and the computer, and just hole up and write.
Well, me and the computer and the stories I haven't scanned in. After I scan them in. Otherwise it'd be me and the computer and the scanner and a box of assorted fanzines and manuscript pages.
On the work front, I've decided to pursue technical writing more seriously. This will probably mean trying to find some company that has open tech writing positions in the local area unless I can convince someone in another area to take the chance on me--always possible, but probably a long shot. I may need to be more open to moving to places that aren't in my "top five places to be" list, too. (For the record, those would be Seattle, the Napa/Marin area, San Diego, Santa Fe and maybe Portland, Oregon.) It'll probably also mean being willing to take a pay cut, although there's a practical limit to how much reduction in pay I can handle.
Since I don't have a degree and I've never held a job whose title was "technical writer," I'm considering getting some kind of training/certification in the field. If anyone has any thoughts on whether that makes sense--or advice on where to go (or where not to go)--I'd be interested in hearing them.
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no subject
Date: 2002-03-21 10:59 (UTC)Very few colleges actually have degrees in 'technical writing'. However I *have* taken a technical writing class at night school, and it can be summarized in a few sentences: write using active constructs, not passive; avoid using 'You' and 'I' or 'We' and prefer the imperative, and outline your work. Beyond that, the rest is gained from work experience. You've had fanzine layout experience, haven't you?
no subject
Date: 2002-03-21 11:15 (UTC)The portfolio is somewhat easier said than done; I don't have copies of things I've done for past employers, and they'd be confidential even if I did have them. I had a published technical article, accepted for a print magazine by SSC and then published on a website after SSC cancelled the magazine before publication. Now the website is gone, too. Yay. I also have the non-fiction article I wrote on kitsune for "Fuzzy Logic," but I have no idea if that's particularly useful in this context. :)
The thought about certification was more from the thought that my current, and most of my past, positions aren't ones that make it obvious I can do technical writing. They may make it obvious that I know how to do development, and the combination of engineering experience and writing talent is relatively unusual (and hopefully valuable)--but since they are engineering positions, they're not ones that dealt with tools like FrameMaker and RoboHelp.
no subject
Date: 2002-03-21 13:57 (UTC)There are days when I just don't want to and days when everything gets sidetracked. Some days, I'd love to move to ... oh... I dunno... Bali for about a month and just think and write and draw.
no subject
Date: 2002-03-21 18:40 (UTC)Point out published work, whether articles or stories, regardless of how technical they may or may not be because that gives them the "writing" part. That you know development and engineering gives them the "technical" part.
Learning the tools, on the other hand, or pointing to experience with the tools, will be the part you'll have to talk around. If you know Microsoft Word, you'll be able to use Robohelp up through their most recent version (which I haven't seen, but have been told is different) -- Robohelp was just a wrapper around a Microsoft Word sort of thing. FrameMaker is more complicated, but relatively easy to pick up once you're using it. But it can be frustrating convincing them that while you know a bunch of other things, and things that are close enough, that you can pick up other tools given a bit of time.