Tom Johnson

In case you’d like to know a little bit about me, I’m a technical writer currently based in Seattle, working for Google. (Previously, I was at Amazon and a couple of startups in the Bay area.)

On this blog, which focuses on technical writing, I write about topics such as the following:

• Technical communication
• API documentation
• Processes for managing docs
• Tech comm trends and news
• Information usability
• Quick reference guides
• Tech comm careers

For more personal details about me, see My life story, or reflections on what shaped my life’s career trajectory.

One of the most popular parts of my site is the API documentation course. I also have other series, such as how to simplify complexity.

Were You Always a Technical Writer?

Like most technical writers, I stumbled into technical writing after working in other fields. I originally taught writing for a couple of years at The American University in Cairo (Egypt), and then I worked briefly as a copywriter in Florida.

After a while, I realized I needed more money to support my family, so I turned to technical writing and started working for a financial company, Raymond James. To my surprise, I found that I actually liked technical writing — a lot more than copywriting. Technical writing combines my love for writing with my fascination for technology.

I worked at Raymond James for a couple of years before heading out west to Utah, where I worked first for the government, then a non-profit organization in Utah (for 5 years), and then moved to California to work for various startups, including Badgeville, 41st Parameter (Experian), and Amazon for a combined total of 8 years. After 8 years in California, we moved to Seattle, Washington, and I started working for Google in late 2020 to present day.

By the way, the views on my blog are my own and do not represent those of my employer.

What’s Your Educational Background?

I earned my undergraduate in English at Brigham Young University in Utah. After BYU, I earned an MFA in literary nonfiction at Columbia University’s School of the Arts in New York City.

My degree in literary nonfiction carries over to the writing style on this blog. At times, I try to infuse my posts with story and literary devices, weaving narrative with exploration of a topic. My favorite genre is the personal essay. Some of my good posts, I like to think, are like mini-personal essays.

Do You Have a Personal Life?

Yes, I’m married and have four children.

We like to explore different places, such as this old log cabin in the Redwoods.

I met my wife Shannon at BYU in the Writing Fellows program — she was an English major too. (In case you’re curious, we used to be Mormon, but we no longer are.)

What else should I know about you?

Unlike many vendors and consultants, I’m a technical writer in the trenches, working for a company. This context helps me relate well to issues other technical writers are experiencing.

I like to keep an open mind and try new techniques and processes. Sometimes I change my mind on topics, so always keep the post date in mind.

Why do you write so much?

One of the most frequent questions people ask me is why I write so much, or how I find the time to write so much. For answers to why I write, see this related post: Why I’m So Visible.

As for the time, we all make time for our hobbies, right? Even writing 30 minutes every couple of days will lead to a couple of posts a week. My favorite quote about writing is by Erasmus, a 16th century Dutch renaissance humanist. He said:

The desire to write grows with writing.

This principle is even more true on a blog. When you write a good post, you get immediate feedback. The impact inspires you to write more. Blogging has so many more elements to it than mere writing. Blogging involves search engine optimization, publishing and blog platforms, social interaction and community, the world wide web, and more. Blogging makes writing a game.

My second favorite quote is Walt Whitman. I once saw this on a bicyclist’s grave site:

Free from limitations and imaginary lines.

Actually, this is an adaptation from his poem, Song of the Open Road. The actual line is, “From this hour I ordain myself loos’d of limits and imaginary lines.” But when I die, this is what I’d like put on my gravestone.

When I write, I like to explore outside the boundaries of conventional thought and practices. I like to question assumptions, try new tools and methods, and look at problems in new ways.

How Do I Contact You?

If you have a question for me, or just want to drop me a line, you can contact me through my Contact page. However, for most questions, you’ll get a much better response by asking them in the Write the Docs Slack.