By Lisa M. Balbes and Joanne M. McAndrews
In July 2006, Lisa got an email out of the blue from a fellow technical writer, who had seen a review of her recently published book in the newsletter of the Friends of the Kirkwood (MO) Public Library. The book was entitled Nontraditional Careers for Chemists: New Formulas for Chemsitry Careers” (Oxford University Press, 2006), and included an author bio that caught the attention of Joanne, who was curious about another freelance writer with a background similar to her own. She did a quick Web search to find Lisa’s website and emailed her. They set up a meeting, and over lunch learned that they have had lot in common.
During their initial meeting, Lisa filled Joanne in on the history of the local Society for Technical Communication (STC) chapter. Lisa has been the coordinator of the St. Louis STC CIC (Consultants and Independent Contractors) group since 2003. The group had about 20 members and had been meeting 3-6 times per year. Presentation topics included resources for independents, problems getting paid, portfolios, free money for small business training, and so on. The meetings had been held in conjunction with regular chapter meetings, but were moving toward independence. Joanne told Lisa that the members of the Mid-America chapter of the American Medical Writer’s Association (AMWA) were also interested in those issues. Mid-America chapter member Donna Coffman had been organizing informal chapter luncheons on Saturdays in the St. Louis area, but participation had been dropping off. Joanne and Lisa decided to have a joint luncheon with freelancers from both AMWA and STC to see how the two groups would get along and determine if there was interest in holding meetings together.
The first gathering took place in September 2006, and the two groups have been meeting every two months ever since under the name of TechWrite STL. Usually 8-12 attendees meet for a weekday lunch at a local restaurant, with each participant paying for their own food and drink. We vary the location, cuisine, and price range to appeal to the widest possible variety of members. During each meeting, a discussion about a topic of interest
to medical/technical writers and self-employed individuals is led by a participant. Past discussion topics have included troubleshooting Microsoft Word problems, time tracking, writing for mobile devices, retirement options for the self-employed (presented by two local financial planners), working remotely, contracts and letters of agreement, LinkedIn.com, new Internet technologies, visual communication, and dictation software. Jan Niehaus, president of Communication by Design and a regular attendee, says, “TechWrite STL has attracted a group of talented and resourceful writers, editors, book developers, publishers—all professionals who generously share their experience, suggestions, referrals, and sometimes projects.”
Participants always leave with new information and ideas. Jo Seltzer, a regular attendee, says, “I have, of course, learned a lot from the luncheons. But getting to know other freelance writers and feeling that I could call upon them for information or support is what I value most. Being a freelancer can be isolating, so I welcome a regular forum—and the new friends.” Alice Fugate says, “I always find our lunch meetings helpful…. Our meetings are a great way to share information with colleagues, get feedback, and appreciate new perspectives. Even if the specific topic we’re discussing that day doesn’t seem relevant to my situation, I find that I always come away with something new. And, they’re just plain fun.” Patrick Dorsey comments, “Aside from the insights and tips I’ve picked up on everything from research to editing to crafting tag lines, what TechWrite STL provides me the most is a sense of community. Writing by its nature is a very solitary pursuit—even in tech writing, writers only interact with SMEs to gather information before returning to an isolated spot to compose whatever project they’re on. But at six meetings a year, I get the opportunity to share experiences, gripe about types of clients, learn something new about writing or the writing business, and just talk with other professional writers facing and solving some of the same issues I encounter in my work. It’s valuable, and I just wish I had the daylight in my schedule to attend every time.”
Lisa and Joanne have remained coordinators of the series, taking turns finding topics and discussion leaders, arranging dates and locations, and notifying the members and collecting RSVPs. By taking turns, neither feels overwhelmed and there is always a backup in case something happens.
An unexpected benefit has been the network of writers and editors we all now have to turn to for advice and support. In September 2007, Joanne “practiced” her AMWA annual conference presentation at the luncheon and received excellent feedback that allowed her to improve the presentation. In early 2012, Lisa had some contract issues with a client and she was able to get a “reality check” from other members. In between meetings, members of both groups often email each other for advice and opinions. Both leaders actively solicit new local technical writers to join the mailing list.
When we describe this group, many people don’t believe that we actively refer jobs to each other instead of competing for them. In most cases, we each have our own area of expertise so we don’t overlap. In fact, many members have paired up to work on projects together where neither one had the expertise to do the entire thing alone.
Overall, this connection has proven beneficial for everyone involved, and the group as a whole is much stronger than either group would have been on its own.
See www.stc-stlouis.org/cicsig.html for a full list of past meeting dates and topics.
Lisa Balbes is a freelance technical writer, specializing in documentation for medical devices and scientific software.
Joanne McAndrews is a freelance medical writer in St. Louis, specializing in medical publications and regulatory writing.
