Russell J.T. Dyer
Many would be employers and clients ask me for samples of my work, either as a writer or as an editor. This page provides a sampling of some of the work I’ve done.
Technical Books
Since I’m a technical writer, I’ve written a few books on computer software: both reference manuals and tutorial books. My forte is making software understandable for users at beginner and intermediate levels – more advanced users don’t usually need a book. Many reviewers and readers of my books have praised me for realistic examples.
Having worked as the Training Curriculum Manager at MariaDB, I was able to draw upon my experiences to write this practical guide for those who are new to databases. I explain how to install, effectively use, and maintain MySQL and MariaDB database systems. It includes real-world examples and many practical tips. The company was quite pleased since it was the first book promoting their software.
This reference book contains all of the MySQL functions, including their syntax, explanations, and examples of how to use each. I wrote the first edition before I started working at MySQL and the second edition after I had been working there for a few years. Besides researching and testing, I sought advice from many of the engineers for less than obvious concepts and inner workings.
Documentation & Knowledge Bases
Several companies have hired me either as a full-time employee or on a part-time contract basis to create, expand or improve their documentation and the like. I created MySQL’s and Aquia’s knowledge bases for assisting with their customer support, as well as working on several other company’s documentation.
Humio Documentation (CrowdStrike LogScale)
About six years ago I was hired by Humio, a Danish company that made software for monitoring server activities (e.g., server loads, security concerns). They had very little documentation and no tech. writers. I expanded their documentation, migrated to a new system (i.e., gitHub, RestructedText, Sphinx), hired staff, and organized their files into a library of resources.
Once everything was running smoothly, I stepped down as manager and took on the role of Senior Technical Writer. I focused mainly on creating a new on-line documentation for their GraphQL API. It contains about eight-hundred fifty documentation pages. I wrote all of them.
A recent client of mine was Vaadin Ltd. of Finland. They develop Java applets and other components for developing applications. I had a hand in editing almost every page of their documentation (see GitHub) over a three-year period.
Training Materials
Codership Oy of Finland was a client of mine for many years. They made cluster software for MySQL and MariaDB, who later acquired them. In addition to maintaining their documentation, I created training material for their products. This involved me learning the software well, writing a script, designing a slide presentation, recording demonstration snippets, making voice-over recordings, and putting it all together in MP4 files (see example video).
Technical Articles
Freelance Writing
It’s been quite a while since I’ve written articles on software, articles that aren’t part of a company’s documentation. I’ve written for Linux Journal, ONlamp.com, The Perl Journal, Red Hat Magazine, SysAdmin Magazine, UnixReview, and a few other magazines. For a chuckle, you might read my first article. It was published in Linux Journal in 2001. In those days, installing Linux was not easy. I received emails from many readers who enjoyed it for a few years afterwards.
Tutorials
For a recent example of my technical writing skills, you might read a tutorial I wrote about Humio’s GraphQL API (see on site or PDF copy). The syntax of their GraphQL functions can be confusing. In this tutorial, I present a generic, non-existant function to explain the concepts without all of the clutter of an actual function.
Novels
Although it’s not relavant to my technical writing, you may find it interesting that I’ve written and published three novels. You can find them on Amazon. Just search on my name, including my middle initials. Below is the cover and description of the last novel I published. Recently, I completed a fourth novel and am seeking a literary agent to sell it to publishers. The new novel is called, The Storytellers. It’s my best work yet.
Adopted as boys by Papa Giovanni, Martin and Claudio were nemeses. While Martin spends his life looking for lost love, Claudio seeks happiness in power. They collide occasionally over the years to hurt each other or to take revenge on the other.