Dances with Words: My Life as a Technical Writer

Dances with Words:
My Life as a Technical Writer

Martha J. Kolman-Davidson

I have worked in the world of computer software since 1979, as a software engineer, a technical publications manager, and a senior technical writer. When I was a software engineer, what I enjoyed most was user-interface design. As I made the transition to full-time technical writing, I realized that the documentation was a vital link between the software and its users, and therefore became the ultimate user interface.

Background

For the traditional description, see my résumé: HTML format / PDF format
For a historical perspective: How I fell into tech writing

Other résumé formats: FrameMaker 6 source / ASCII text / MS Word 2000

Note: The FrameMaker 6 source includes conditional text from which I can generate a two-page abbreviated version, as well as the three-page PDF and HTML versions linked above (HTML generated using WebWorks Standard on the Macintosh). The FrameMaker source uses the font Adobe Garamond for the Macintosh; if you do not have this font, FrameMaker will make an appropriate substitution when you open the file. To view the FrameMaker source, save the file to a local disk and then open it.

Read what colleagues have said about working with me

Samples

These samples show how I approach technical topics and present information to software developers. All samples, including pre-release documents, posted with permission from previous employers.

Writing Samples from Modulant Solutions (5/01 to 11/02)
Writing Samples from Persistence Software (12/99 to 4/01)
Writing Samples from Sterling Software/Synon (1/96 to 11/99)

Additional projects

Maxine's Résumé Service - Since a layoff in 1989, I've written résumés for a number of people. It's an informal sideline that I really enjoy. If you're interested, write to me.
New Equations: Discovering the Language of the Soul - Since 1997, I have been working with Alan Sheets and Barbara Tovey, who discovered this spiritual practice, to design and edit a book and Web site to introduce it to the world. New Equations combines spiritual knowledge from ancient Egypt with physical practices similar to martial arts to identify nine families of human souls and the gifts each soultype brings to the world. For the record, my soultype is 5.
Breaking Ritual Silence - I served as co-editor (using the pseudonym Paula Levy) for this anthology of accounts by survivors of ritual abuse. In addition to editing and condensing submissions from contributors, I designed the layout and performed all of the desktop publishing for the book. It was a powerful experience, and a significant project I'm honored to have been a part of.