Classroom Debrief: Pointers for Tech Writers Facing the Job Market in 2020

Posted on September 24, 2020 by

Thanks to my past thesis director, I connected with Marika Siegel, a technical writing professor at Michigan Technical University (MTU) who is using Heroic Technical Writing as a classroom reading assignment. On Monday I was a guest speaker for Marika’s Zoom-based class. I offered up my thoughts about the tech writing market on this seven-person class of seniors and fielded a few questions about the working world and my book. If you’d like to have me as a virtual guest in your virtual classroom, contact me! There’s no charge for academic appearances. Continue reading →

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Key Points of Heroic Technical Writing

Posted on September 21, 2020 by

A good friend asked a good question that I’m going to answer today because I couldn’t think of a short, snappy answer at the time he asked me: “What’s the most important advice in your book?” Thinking it over, this is a good question for anyone writing a book to be able to answer. Continue reading →

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Developing Your Personal Brand

Posted on September 17, 2020 by

A few years ago, I helped branding guru Sally Hogshead edit her books, How the World Sees You and Fascinate: How to Make Your Brand Impossible to Resist. I’m coming around to thinking about my brand again now that I’ve got the book out on the market. Am I trying to sell Bart Leahy as a tech writing guru? As a communications consultant? As an aerospace writer? Quite frankly, I don’t fully know yet. The book is a rather elaborate business card–an attention getter. But for getting attention to do what? That’s today’s question. Continue reading →

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Maintaining a Heroic Attitude in an Uncertain World

Posted on September 14, 2020 by

An industry buddy suggested I write an article on the state of the aerospace business and the “heroic” actions people and small companies have had to take to keep themselves together during the economic crisis l inked to the COVID-19 pandemic. While I’ve got plenty on my plate right now, I thought I’d at least touch on the notion of being “heroic” in stressful economic times. Continue reading →

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What’s Next?

Posted on September 10, 2020 by

People in relationships with a significant other inevitably get questions from their friends and relatives about the next steps: When are you going to get engaged? When are you going to get married? When are you going to have kids? Human beings are curious (if occasionally rude). That’s what they do. Not being in a relationship and being at an age where people have given up asking me those types of questions, I instead get a new variation: “When will you write your next book?” I’m looking forward to answering this as much as those of you in couples. You have my sympathies. Continue reading →

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