Considering the way digital technology is penetrating every field, it appears that a large part of the world's population will need to learn to use computers if they haven't already, and those who are using them need to constantly upgrade their knowledge and skills. People who work with computers or are learning to work with them turn to technical publications appropriate to their interest for reference and help.

And this is where you come in if you want to be a technical writer. Technical publications are usually eager to work with writers who can communicate technical information effectively.

Writing for technical publications is not very different from writing for non-technical ones--clear language, good spelling and grammar, and the ability to write in an organized manner are the main ingredients of a well-written article.

Here are some tips to keep in mind while constructing articles for the beginner to intermediate user of computing technology:

1. Title and leader. Study the magazine and observe the titles. Are they witty and light, or serious and direct? Write your title and leaders in keeping with the style of the magazine. The leader is a sentence or two written below the title, before the actual article begins, and sums up what the article is trying to say. By browsing this, readers can decide whether or not to read the complete article.

2. First paragraph. This is the attention grabber. It has to call out from the page, flutter its eyelashes at the reader, and when he begins to read, hold him. From there, gently lead him to continue to the next paragraph and the rest of the article.

3. Keep the target in mind. Think of the reader and write accordingly. Don't bore the average reader with lengthy descriptions of basics, and don't put in things that are too technical for the target reader to make yourself look like a whiz. If the editor doesn't know what you're talking about, she may either chop it or let it be. If she chops it, there goes your tech-talk. If she leaves it, you could end up with either few takers for your article, or a set of confused, dissatisfied readers, some of whom will take the time to write to the editor.

4. Watch your tone. Just because the reader is new to the software or topic you're writing about, it doesn't mean he is stupid. The tone that you use is important--let the learning and instruction be a journey you make together. Show the readers how to do things by explaining clearly, but don't talk down to them. Write to an intelligent person who is new to your subject.

5. Take organized steps. When we're helping somebody out with a technical concept or a new software program in person, many of us tend to go from one thing to another, realize there's something we should have explained earlier--explain it, go back to where we left off, break for a joke, and continue.

Writing a tutorial or explaining a concept in an article form is a little different. It should be easy to read, and flow uninterrupted. Organize what you have to say into steps. Write a draft of the points you want to cover. Go over it, looking for repetitions as well as things left unsaid. If there's a step that's much longer than the others, break it into two points or paragraphs. It's easier to read that way.

6. Use sub-heads. An editor once told me, "You must write the leader, sub-heads and captions so that a busy reader can look just at these and understand what the article is trying to say." Always read recent issues of the publication you're writing for and study the style. One publication may use direct phrases for sub-heads like "Create textures" while another may prefer a clever, pun-based one.

7. Explain the big words. Several technical magazine editors are so exasperated with unexplained jargon in writers' submissions that they mention it in their writer's guidelines. For example, Smart Computing Magazine says, "We stress the use of plain English over techno-speak. In your article, explain ALL acronyms and abbreviations. Some terms appear numerous times in each issue, so the editors will probably remove some of the definitions in your article--but leave those decisions to the editors."

Don't give in to the temptation of trying to impress the editor or readers with your knowledge. Instead, convey the information simply and clearly--that will make a better impact.

8. Cut out the small talk You can find an inundation of technical tutorials on the Internet with a real friendly voice--so friendly that at times you forget just what it is the writer is trying to say about the software.

There's a difference between being friendly and being chatty. A chatty writer talks irrelevant things by trying to be friendly: "You know, like when you go to the supermarket and see your old classmate from high school, you meet and chat, and she wants to give you her number but neither of you has a pen or a sheet of paper on you. That's when an Organizer comes in handy."

Instead, you could say, "An Organizer lets you jot down addresses, telephone numbers, birthdays, and helps you organize your schedule. It comes in especially handy when you bump into a friend when you're out, and want to exchange telephone numbers."

Avoid making irrelevant jokes, sounds (Ahhh, umm) and using too many exclamations--it gets noisy. The best voice is one that sticks to the topic.

9. Say everything We've heard that chefs don't give away special touches in their recipes--such as using mint leaves instead of mint essence--that make the dish exactly so. In the same way, some tech people don't like to give out everything for fear of creating competition.

Remember that you're not a stationary, full-to-the-brim barrel. As people learn and move ahead, so do you. Students or readers always remember who taught them--they will not only respect you for giving away your tips, they'll also be sure that you know much more than they do (even if this isn't true!).

10. Stop when you're done Some people, on the other hand, love teaching and giving away their knowledge so much and so generously that they don't know when to stop. If your article is about 3D animation, the subject is a wide one. Don't take off from 3D animation and then go on and on right into video editing and post-production. Say all that you have to say to the target audience about pure 3D animation, at a comfortable pace, then stop. A beginner cannot digest more than that, and the intermediate person may not be interested in video editing at all. Besides, if you talked about so many extra topics within the allotted word limit, maybe you forgot or left out some important basics?

11. Snip off the extras After you've gone over the article for technical errors and grammatical or spelling mistakes, and made certain you've explained any necessary terms, check once more for fluff. See what you can cut out and still convey the message. This makes for crisper writing--and reading.

12. Illustrate Pictures do speak louder than words. If one good illustration can explain something better than a whole paragraph, use the illustration. At the same time, don't overdo the pictures by giving one for every tool you use unless it has been specifically asked for in the magazine guidelines. Keep with the magazine's requirements and style.

While creating the illustrations, keep in mind the format the publication prefers. If they are for Web use, they may need 72 dpi images in JPG or GIF format, while print publications may need 300 or 600 dpi images in TIF format. Provide captions for them. These captions shouldn't state the obvious like "Select the Paint tool" for a picture showing the toolbar with the Paint tool selected. Use an illustration highlighting the Paint tool and showing an unfinished drawing on the canvas, and say: "Using the Paint tool you can fill a selection or the area you click in."

13. Margin material If there is any information that doesn't quite fit into the article but is relevant and useful, send it in as a sidebar or margin material. Sidebars are not long--check with the magazine's guidelines for the acceptable length. This is a good place to put in links to related Web sites, explain jargon, or Did-you-knows.

When you've finished writing the article and going over the text for organizational and grammatical glitches, put the work aside for a few days. Then try and read it as your target reader would; you're sure to pick up points you can improve further and make the piece clearer and more readable.

If you're wondering now whether you're really qualified to write for technical publications, relax. You don't have to hold a post-graduate degree in the subject to write for magazines targeting beginner and intermediate users. Being a writer, perhaps you're an expert at using Microsoft Word. You are then "qualified" to offer an article or tips on using the software. If you enjoy playing online games, you could offer to write reviews of them, or report on online gaming trends. If you use multimedia CD-ROMs to educate your children, you could write on the way they help children, or review such CDs for a publication. Whatever area of digital technology you're interested, you can be sure that there's a publication interested in using articles about it.

If, on the other hand, you're technically qualified but are not very confident about your writing skills, don't despair. A large number of technical publications, especially those for the professional or advanced user, say that you don't have to be a great writer--you just need to know your stuff, and they will edit and shape your work to fit their requirements. Still, if you keep the above tips in mind when you write, the editorial department won't have to work too hard!