Technical writing is a practical style of writing intended to communicate with precision and accuracy. It is often used for instruction manuals and technical or scientific documents. Technical writers prepare documents for all kinds of business, scientific, and digital projects, such as:
- a page of software instructions
- a website for technical information
- a 300-page training manual
Done well, technical writing is writing that is easy to understand. A technical writer can take something complicated and translate it into plain English for the reader.
Technical writing process
As a technical writer, I understand the purpose and audience for each document. I combine my experience with research skills and credible resources. I am picky about the details including document structure, illustrations, style, and word choice.
When doing any kind of technical writing, I first consider context. I research the following:
- What is my topic?
- Who is my audience?
- Why do they care?
- Where will the information be used?
- When is it needed?
Armed with this information, I write about the topic in the proper context.
Organizing information
Organization is key to technical writing. I find needed information and put it in a logical order. Technical writing starts with information the reader already has then adds new information. The starting point and level of detail vary depending on the discourse community.
Discourse community
Technical writers adapt their words to suit a range of audiences from the layperson to the expert. In technical writing, an audience is called a discourse community.
A discourse community shares:
- common knowledge
- identity symbols
- trust and credibility amongst the group
- language and the way it is used
Part of my job is to understand the communication conventions of the target discourse community. I write to match these conventions as well as the formality or informality of the group.
End result
As a technical writer, I collaborate with clients to pull all of these elements together. The documents created share accurate, timely, and easily digestible information.
The simplified exchange of information enabled by a good technical writer benefits both customers and businesses.