How Technical Writing Taught Me More About Writing Than My English Degree
It’s simple (but not easy)
I studied Psychology, Sociology, and English in University. I had written dozens of 1000+ word assignments, essays, and research papers. I thought I knew how to write, until I stumbled upon this thing called ‘Technical Writing’ in my final year of University.
While scrolling through jobs, I came across a Technical Writing intern position. Like most people, I had not heard of Technical Writing before, but the word ‘writing’ caught my eye. I did not come from a STEM background, but the description said that selected candidates would be trained on the technical stuff. So, I decided to give it a shot.
Long story short, I got selected.
It’s been two years since I became a professional technical writer and I love it so far. Initially, I thought technical writing would be different (and a bit boring) compared to creative or content writing. However, writing technical content has made me a better writer in general.
Here’s how:
1. You are the audience
Before you document a product/software, you first have to use it. This puts you in the shoes of a user and helps you identify:
- How users navigate from one task to another
- Where they might get stuck (this is where documentation comes to the rescue)
- The overall end-to-end experience
You know what the audience is looking for as you are the audience.
2. You get straight to the point
A technical audience just wants one thing — a straightforward answer. They do not care for fancy words or jargon. They want to know how to do something in the simplest way possible.
In technical writing, every word should serve its purpose.
For example, this is how I would initially write a sentence: “You have to search for available items by clicking on the Search icon.”
Now, I would write it like this: “Click the Search icon to find available items.”
No unnecessary pronouns, adverbs or adjectives.
3. You maintain consistency in language
Technical writing involves a lot of procedural, “how-to” information. Writing procedures forces you to be consistent and concise, which is not always the case when you write sentences.
For example, read this paragraph:
“It is recommended for new users to find objects by searching for them using the Search icon. After you select an object, drag it to the main window and then click on the properties tab. Advanced users can directly access an object by entering the object code next to the ‘Name’ text field in the main window, and then click the Properties tab.”
Now, read the same thing in a procedure:
Accessing Objects
- For new users:
- Click the Search icon to find an object.
- Select the object and drag it to the main window.
- Click the Properties tab.
- For advanced users:
- In the main window, enter the object code in the ‘Name’ text field.
- Click the Properties tab.
Procedures enforce consistency, and help a reader navigate through information smoothly.
Even if I write a creative article, I first state my sentences as points. Points help you identify inconsistent tenses or pronouns. Also, you can group related information together (as shown in the example above) when your ideas are stated as points. This helps you outline your article better.
4. You talk to the experts
As a technical writer, you have to share your work with many people — product managers, business analysts, software engineers, quality assurance analysts, and UX designers. Each of them look at documentation from a different perspective. For example:
- Engineers verify the accuracy of content
- Designers ensure that the content looks good and is easy to access
- Business analysts want the content to align with business goals
Feedback from people with different skillsets and goals expands the way you think.
The same goes for other kinds of writing. If you want others to appreciate your work, you need to tap into their thoughts. This happens through 1) Interaction and 2) Practicing in public.
As a writer, you cannot cater to all kinds of people. But talking to people with varied interests, experiences, and opinions will expose you to new ideas. Sharing these ideas with others on a public platform helps you identify what people want to read and what they don’t.
In University, I thought good writing was defined by volume and verbosity. The longer your assignment, the more complex your words — that’s what fetched you higher grades.
Technical writing taught me that good writing, impactful writing, is simple. You are an advocate of the user (or reader). You anticipate their problems and solve them with words. Technical writing has taught me that good writing is all about serving others.
