I love learning to use new products and getting to know new people. I work as an independent contractor and consultant technical writer because I like the variety of work. I am up-to-date with the technical writing tools of my profession and learn about my clients’ products and processes very quickly. I have a meticulous eye for detail, the skill to explain concepts and processes in simple terms, and the ability to help people see how the parts fitinto the whole. I always get the job done on time, while producing top-quality documentation.

Technical writers bridge people and technology

I am a senior professional technical writer with 18 years of experience in the computer software industry, well established as an incorporated consultant. The simplest way to describe the many things I do as a technical writer is that I bridge people and technology to help you do business. I help people use technology to serve their needs and meet their business goals in the simplest, most effective way possible. I was the 2008 – 2009 president of the Canada West Coast chapter of my professional organization, the Society for Technical Communication. I also teach a workshop called Yoga for the Office, in which I teach people how to be close to their technology and take care of their bodies at the same time!

The Portfolio page shows some technical writing samples. I also invite you to visit my consultant listing in the STC directory. See my profile on LinkedIn for recommendations of my work.

Technical writing is one of my passions, and I enjoy the challenges that each new contract brings. Don’t hesitate to contact me, whether your technical writing project is big or small. I am willing to relocate from Vancouver to other parts of Canada for projects of one to six months. I also often work for US companies, via telecommuting.

If you need a technical writer, and you’d like to discuss how I can create great documentation for your next project, please call me at 604.251.6337 or send an email to kyrempel [at] gmail [dot] com.

No recruiters or placement agencies, please. I prefer to contract directly to the clients who will be using my services. I have been an incorporated consultant since 2003 and handle my own contract negotiations, invoicing, insurance, and taxes. Thank you!

Feel the peaceful spaciousness of a blue summer sky. Simple movements combined with awareness of your breath can transform your state from prickly to peaceful in a few minutes.

No mats will be used in the class. No experience necessary. Cost is $5 for members and technical writing students, $20 for non-members. Register here.

Karen Rempel
President, Monkey Valley Enterprises Inc.

604.251.6337 (cell)

kyrempel [at] gmail [dot] com

2180 Wall Street
Vancouver, BC V5L 1B5

Photo credits

• This page and Welcome topic: Dina Goldstein Photography
• Yoga for the Office pix and last pic on Leadership page: Stephen Arthur
• Leadership pix: Marika Piehler

• Superior written and verbal skills
• Agile development
• Writing for the web
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• Creating and implementing effective documentation plans
• Leadership and project management
• Wide range of subject matter experience
• Information architecture
• Excellent interpersonal skills

My full resume includes the executive summary and gives additional details of the skills and experience I bring to my clients:

• Computer experience
• Writing and publishing experience
• Business and administrative experience
• Education
• Service work

While I am based in Vancouver, much of my technical writing experience has involved working with development teams located in the US and throughout the world, including Europe, India, and China.

The information interview service connects volunteer senior technical writers with people who are requesting information interviews, whether they are tech writing students who are required to do interviews for their programs, or people considering entering the field of tech writing.

The service offers a 30- to 60-minute interview (length is at the discretion of the senior writer). It could be in person or on the phone, depending on what the two people decide.

This service gives new writers access to some of the best technical writers in Vancouver, and gives you a chance to get an insider’s view of the field of technical writing, current market conditions, what type of skills are needed, what employers are looking for, what rates to charge, and anything else you have been wanting to know.

For full details, see the chapter website. To request an information interview right away, please email info-interview [at] stcwestcoast [dot] ca.

You might wonder why this is necessary. The reason is that Temenos is not an “out of the box” solution, like Microsoft Word, that is ready to go the minute you buy it.  Though for those of us who have upgraded through various releases of Word, it is not really ready to go, as we have favourite ways of setting up the program to work for us. Come to think of it, the more expert a user is, the more they are likely to customize aspects of a software package before starting to use it. But I digress!

Used by over 600 banks world-wide, the Temenos T24 software is a very robust package that is customizable for each financial institution’s unique needs. The implications of this might not be obvious at first, but the software is actually intended to be developed further once it is purchased by a client. The documentation that comes with the Temenos T24 software is not intended for end users in banks and credit unions, such as front-line staff and people working in the back office to complete the behind-the-scenes aspects of banking. The Temenos T24 documentation is very comprehensive, but its intended audience is the implementation team of software developers, business analysts, and others who need to understand the nuts and bolts of the software’s structure of tables, applications, and modules. Using this knowledge, the implementation team must develop their own databases and screens for use with their company’s existing member structure, products, and processes.

Thus, the implementation team becomes a development team. Once development is involved, it necessitates an entirely different set of skills than implementation. Coding, testing, designing user interfaces, creating business requirements (if you don’t have them already! ) and functional specifications, and creating end user documentation. And that’s where I come in. To the best of my knowledge, I am the only technical writer in Vancouver with experience developing end user documentation for the Temenos T24 software. If your company is undergoing a Temenos implementation, I would be happy to assist you with creating online help and quick reference materials that are suited to your banking processes. The key to a successful implementation is ensuring that everyone knows how to use the new software! I can help you do that.

I have been working in the field of technical writing since 1993, writing and editing many types of technical documentation, including manuals and online help, training materials, web materials, and policies and procedures. I have worked in many capacities, from supervising writers on a project to being the sole technical writer on an international team where all the communication is virtual. I have a diploma in Professional Writing from the highly regarded Print Futures program at Douglas College, as well as an MA degree. I served my professional organization, the Society for Technical Communication Canada West Coast Chapter, in its highest office, president, for the 2008 – 2009 term. I was also honoured to win the STC’s Distinguished Award for technical communications.

I produce top quality documentation quickly and always ahead of production deadlines. I learn about my clients’ products rapidly, and am adept with the latest development tools, such as those used for video and screen capture, print and online document production, content management, illustration, and source control. My experience and skill-level allow me to meet my clients’ goals in a fraction of the time of less experienced technical writers. My rate is commensurate with my experience and skill-level.

Industry standards for technical writing rates

The STC Canada West Coast chapter lists a range of $75 – $95/hour for senior technical writers in the Vancouver marketplace (2011).

The US-based Editorial Freelancers Association provides a range of $50 – $100/hour (2009).

The US-based Writing Assistance provides a range of $52 – $80+/hour, with an average of $68/hour (2009).

The National Writers Union provides a range of $62 – $106/hour (adjusted from 1999 to 2007). This information was published on their web site earlier in 2009, but has since been moved to their Freelance Writers Guide, which you can order from their web site.

The Professional Writers Association of Canada lists a range of $50 – $125/hour for technical writing (2006).

These are five reputable sources that provide guidelines for what to pay a technical writer. Of course there are many factors that influence rate, including experience of the writer, local market, size of the company, level of responsibility (for example, supervising others), and budget.

Initially, I wanted to design a class that would help technical writers like me, who work at the computer all day and are subject to sore eyes, necks, shoulders, backs, arms, and wrists. Then I realized that these areas would be prone to soreness and stiffness for anyone who works at a computer or typewriter, or even possibly at a piano! Conforming our bodies to machines or pianos takes its toll, even with the most ergonomically appropriate workspace. So I broadened the focus from technical writers to office workers in general.

The class is a gentle and revitalizing yoga program that can be done anywhere, including at the office, with no special clothing or equipment required. Absolutely no experience is necessary. Both the one-hour session and the 15-minute class are appropriate for any fitness level and teach some simple yoga breathing and postures that you can do at your office—even in business clothing—to revitalize yourself during your work day, bringing energy and suppleness into your body, focusing your mind, and easing tension from your eyes and neck. I also include a five-minute refresher exercise that’s great to do at home at the end of the work day. I provide a take-to-work Yoga Handout that you can use to practice the poses after the class is over.

I offer the one-hour workshop to offices in the Lower Mainland. Please let me know if you’re interested! You can reach me at 604.251.6337.

I am a certified and registered yoga instructor, and spent a year as a volunteer teaching yoga to youth in prison. I’ve also taught yoga to seniors in Merritt. I enjoy teaching people who are new to yoga. I am certified and registered through Yoga Alliance and YogaBC.

For the past 8 months I offered a free 15-minute yoga class at lunch time. The participants were my colleagues at Coast Capital Savings. This was an adaptation of the 60-minute class I developed for the Society for Technical Communication, following the same principles of being accessible to people of every fitness level, with poses suitable for all of us while wearing office attire, and not requiring any special equipment.

Weather permitting, we did the class in the parking lot, and later on a grassy lawn across the street. When the weather was cool or wet, we did the class in a large meeting room, with lots of windows and light coming in on two sides. When indoors, I encouraged people to kick off their shoes. Outdoors, people often felt more comfortable keeping their shoes on. Sometimes the women did this class in their high heels! How’s that for adaptability!

Over this period of time I perfected a series of poses to loosen all the tension from the neck, shoulders, and upper back. It is mostly standing poses, though when indoors I like to include Cat.

Karen’s 15-minute yoga for the office class

• Horse (Qigong) – loosens shoulder joints
• Bear (Qigong) – loosens joints from ankles to shoulders, and softens neck
• Carnival (Kundalini) – loosens upper back
• Little wings (Kundalini) – pulverizes remaining tension in upper back
• Mountain with side bends (Hatha) – uses breath to loosen ribs, open sides
• Tree (Hatha) – brings balance and resilient strength
• Cat – a final stretch to open space in the spine and chest

I guarantee that you will feel lighter, looser, rejuvenated, and refreshed after doing these poses! Many times I was amazed at how the tension and pain in my shoulder (which I injured some years ago while working long technical writing days at the computer) vanished from doing this class. The participants—my software developer, subject matter expert, business analyst, user acceptance, business improvement engineer, training, change manager, tester, and quality assurance team mates—also reported feeling benefits such as improved mood and reduced physical tension. But more than the physical results, the benefits of sharing this special time with my colleagues was the most uplifting aspect of this class. I think we all had fun, and that this somewhat unconventional office activity brought us closer together! Namaste.

I recently had the most remarkable experience at an information interview, which has inspired me to write this top ten list of things not to do at an information interview!

1. Show up at the interview location extremely hung-over, wearing your best wild animal t-shirt.
2. When you first meet the professional technical writer (that would be me) you have asked to interview, who is probably in a position to hire you or recommend you for a job, say “I’m sorry I look like this, I’ve had hardly any sleep, I’m hung-over, and I can barely talk.” That will make her glad she took a precious half hour out of her Saturday to come and meet with you.
3. Don’t offer to pay for the writer’s coffee and biscotti. I know you’re probably a starving student and spent all your money on drinks the night before.
4. Ask in a smarmy voice, “Who else do I need to talk to to get into this field, besides you, of course?”
5. When advised to join the technical writers’ professional organization, or at least come to their meetings, which cost $5 for students, say you’ve gone to a meeting and didn’t find it that interesting.
6. When advised to create writing samples for your portfolio, perhaps volunteering for a non-profit organization in order to get some experience, say you don’t want to volunteer because you want to spend all your time playing guitar.
7. Ask if the professional writer knows Bob Rock. (Just kidding, I made that up.)
8. Present a copy of your resume, totally covered with ink from someone else’s hand-written comments, and ask the professional writer to look at it.
9. Remain seated when the professional writer stands to leave. I know, you can barely move.
10. Be sure to put a typo in the thank-you email you send to the writer six days later.

I hope this will help all you aspiring technical writers feel confident to seek out and conduct information interviews, knowing that the bar is not that high!