Introduction to Technical Writing
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Why this playbook exists?
This playbook is an introduction to technical writing. It’s practical, straightforward, and just a touch more entertaining than the average style guide.
It’s aimed at new technical writers but doesn’t assume you’ve already memorized a dictionary. It should also come in handy if you’re a part-time documentarian. That includes developers, business analysts, or anyone who’s just been told, “Can you write this up quickly?” and knows that quick rarely means quick.
At its core level, technical writing is all about making complex information easier to understand. If this sounds vague, it's because technical writing is a vast domain and not that easy to describe in a sentence. Sometimes it's not even technical and doesn't include writing!
(That said - this playbook will focus on the written type of documentation, especially in the software world.)
- The manual that came with your washing machine
- IKEA diagrams
- A programming language API reference
- Standard operating procedures for servicing an airplane
The day-to-day tasks of a technical writer are different from role to role, but technical writing in general has the following characteristics:
- Clear and concise - avoids unnecessary words and uses straightforward language.
- Structured and organized - uses headings, lists and sections for easy reading.
- Objective and neutral - focuses on facts rather than opinions or emotions.
- Instructional - often includes step-by-step guidance or explanations.
- Visual elements - may include diagrams, tables or charts to support understanding.
As is obvious from the name, creative writing is almost the opposite of technical writing.
Technical writing and technical content writing are often confused one for the other, for obvious reasons. While they do have their similarities, the two terms cannot be used interchangeably.
That being said, experience in content writing can be useful for someone trying to transition into technical writing, since both fields involve simplifying complex information, adherence to grammatical and stylistic standards, and deep research into technical topics.
Writing is a large part of life in academia, but it follows different conventions than technical writing.
Good writing and adherence to a style guide is critical for journalism, but there are also significant differences compared to technical writing.
The previous section focused on the ways other types of writing are not technical writing. However, this does not mean that journalists or content writers don't have a lot of experience that can be leveraged into technical writing!
The Essential Skills for Technical Writing section focuses on the skills that a successful technical writer needs.
