Becoming a freelance Technical Author

In this episode of the Cherryleaf Podcast, we take a look at becoming a freelance Technical Author. We’ll cover: Why do companies hire freelancers? The benefits The downsides Working from home Working abroad The legal and tax considerations Finding work What to do in the quiet periods Links: Become a better technical and business communicator by subscribing… Read more »

What does the future hold for technical communication?

This autumn, Communicator will be celebrating 50 years. We’ve been asked to write an article for a special supplement for the Autumn issue on what the future holds for technical communication. We’ll be looking at what technical communication will be like in ten or twenty years into the future. We’d like feedback on the draft article, to… Read more »

The risks with Technical Author certification

As part of the attempt to make technical writing similar to other professions, there have been a number of moves by different technical communication societies to introduce certification. This can be a good thing, but there are some dangers with it as well. Certification usually involves some training and a test. Students can be accredited… Read more »

Don’t say “simply”

At this month’s WriteTheDocs London meetup, Jim Fisher of Pusher presented a talk called “Don’t say Simply“.  He talked about words, such as “simply”, that can seem innocuous when written in user documentation, but which show a lack of sympathy when read. He showed how popular “simply” is with developer documentation writers, by showing the number… Read more »

The Carol Johnston Memorial Award

This October, Cherryleaf celebrates 15 years in the technical authoring business. Over the years we have had many exciting challenges and worked with some wonderful inspirational people: none more so than our friend and co-founder, Carol Johnston, who sadly died of a brain tumour in 2012. Carol was enormously talented: a brilliant pianist and singer,… Read more »