Technical writing
I’ll spare you the lengthy description of my skills. Instead, I’ve picked out a few examples of the challenges that crop up time and again in technical writing, to show you how I tackle them. My approach is simple: it’s not about what I want to say; it’s about what the reader needs to know. Get that right, and the job’s done. Want to see what I could do for you? Drop me an email, hello@helenthewriter.com.
When I first begin writing for a company I set up a review process to ensure my copy is both technically and editorially accurate. I do my background research, interview a subject matter expert, write the first draft, send it back to the expert for feedback, make the requested changes, then send it to a line manager for final sign off. From an editorial viewpoint I edit, proof and proof again.
This is about more than just spelling and grammar. It's about interrogating the copy from every angle; is it doing what it's meant to, for the intended audience? For example, organisations or experts often assume their audience knows as much about their subject as they do, which can lead to lack of clarity. This is a paragraph I wrote for the Low Carbon Contracts Company that explains what they do, in words anyone can understand.
COPYWRITING
Take a look at my copywriting examples, or even one of my editorial pieces, for papers like the Guardian, The Times or The Telegraph.
I knew nothing about the energy industry when I started writing about it in March 2022. Knowing nothing can be a brilliant place to write from. I interrogate everything, assume nothing, and continuously ask ‘why?’. I check with experts. I ask the stupid questions. I know I understand something well enough to write about it when I can condense it into a sentence a ten-year would understand.
DOCUMENT STANDARDISATION
I wrote over 150 job descriptions for National Grid, a very complex, technical organisation. After a lot of research and feedback I standardised job advert and job description formats and developed an Excel system for reviewing the progress of each document.
Click here to see a snippet from a job advert which led to 20 high quality applications in a few hours for a role that had previously attracted only a couple of applicants over a period of weeks.
EDITING AND PROOFING
Working at a senior copywriting level I am responsible for proofing and editing my own work, and hopefully the examples on this website will demonstrate that I can do this well. If you'd like three quick editing tips, here's one on grammar and punctuation, one on clarity and one on rage editing.
INTERVIEWING AND RESEARCH
Take a look at the interview questionnaire I designed for subject matter experts at National Grid.
TONE OF VOICE
Again, hopefully the examples of work on this website will show you how I can adopt various tones. This link to a tone of voice workshop will give you a bit more insight into how I approach the topic.