Technical writers are being educated and trained at the start of their careers. A typical project for a technical writer starts by gathering as much information as possible, either from written sources or by interviewing. Much like a newspaper reporter, the writer then produces a first draft to circulate for review. That draft is read by engineers, managers, technical support, and others. Their input is crafted into a second draft, which is re-circulated for review.
Some projects require multiple reviews-especially if the product starts to change.
According to a November 1995 article in the STC journal Intercom, technical communicators used a variety of skills to complete a surrender leaflet that was to be dropped by airplane into enemy lines. After dropping limited quantities of early versions of the leaflet, technical writers revised their work, based on information gathered from captured prisoners. They removed the color red after learning it was a signal for danger in Iraq. The writers also learned that bananas, a delicacy in Iraq, would be a nice addition to the bowl of fruit pictured. Almost 87,000 enemy soldiers defected without firing a shot.