Let’s face it - no one reads technical writing unless they have to!
A good tech writer starts by being a busybody and an eavesdropper. I consider it a good day if at the end of the day, during the information gathering phase of the project, my feet hurt, and my conputer is cold. Take an engineer (or two) to lunch. Find the most egotistical one of the bunch, get his/her thoughts on the projects overall, the players, and management, and drill down from there. I’ve seen too many tech writers sit on their rumps waiting for information to be tossed to them, or whining because they “have to” play with the software themselves.
Technical writers are, in a sense, teachers. You’re teaching not only yourself but your readers about the product.