By Malarie Johnson
On November 1, 2024, the Organization of Professional Writers at Grand Valley State University had the privilege to host a virtual interview with Kelly Smith from Dart Container, a company focused on producing food containers and dishware for restaurants. Sharing her stories from her technical writing career and her current position as a senior technical writer for Dart Container’s business continuity team, Smith offered students valuable knowledge on three key areas of the technical writing world: the necessity of writing in all fields, the need for creative writing aspects in technical writing, and steps to take when trying to break into the technical writing field.
Writing is a Necessity Everywhere
Though many people see writing as only a creative career, Smith’s experience on Dart Container’s business continuity team shows that writing is needed for every field and discipline. For example, all professions require people to learn the skills and information needed for them through textbooks and other written materials. All companies also require their employees to read written procedures, policies, and rules. Without writing, every field from the medical to the artistic would be unable to pass on their knowledge and every company would crumble.
This knowledge also includes information on what to do in emergencies. In Smith’s case, she specializes in this aspect by helping to document how Dart Container can continue manufacturing its products as part of the company’s business continuity team, which focuses on making plans to maintain production during various potential disaster scenarios. Without writers to record what to do in emergencies, companies would find themselves scrambling to determine how to handle such situations like hurricanes destroying manufacturing plants. This could be life-threatening, especially for career fields such as the medical field where surgeons and doctors must follow specific procedures if they want to save their patients. Either directly or indirectly, writing plays an essential role in every career field and industry.
The Creative and Technical Always Mix
Creative writing and technical writing are commonly separated into their own worlds, but Smith made it clear that couldn’t be further from the truth. As Smith stated, writers “aren’t solely one or the other” when it comes to creative and technical writing. In creative works, the writer still needs to employ technical skills such as proper grammar and crafting clear explanations about their fantastical world like a technical writer needs to write clear instructions in manuals. Likewise, technical writers use creative writing skills when they decide which type of writing medium in which to present information and when designing the layout of the writing piece, whether it be an article or something more unique like a brochure. They also need to write creatively so that their work engages readers quickly. Smith pointed to the importance of creative writing skills in technical writing when she said that a writer “can make the best manual, but it means nothing if (readers) don’t want to read it.”
Every Connection Counts
During the segment of the interview discussing how student writers can dive into the technical writing field and her experiences when developing her career, Smith emphasized the value of her time participating in the Society for Technical Communication (STC). Her advice to student writers seeking to enter the field was, “If you can belong to a society like the STC, there is a lot of job-hunting information available.” Smith also noted that joining societies to access the knowledge of the established technical writers in them “is one of the most helpful things you can do, even if it’s just applying” to societies and the possible job offers found within them. Not only can new technical writers gain valuable insight from hearing about the experiences of these long-time writers, but they can network and establish relationships with respected technical writers, which can help with getting jobs in the field and improving their skills.
In the end, technical writing is essential for societies due to its connectivity. It allows people to establish connections with each other, building a vast network of people who can be confided in for advice and help in career advancement. Technical writing also gives the different career fields the medium to share their knowledge within companies, including new employees, as well as the public. Finally, technical writing connects both the creative and technical worlds of writing by giving them a shared set of principles and rules. Technical writing’s key component of connection is what makes it paramount for civilizations to survive and thrive.
