Technical writing



“Technical writing is the presentation of information that helps the reader solve a particular problem” (Jerz). The word techne “comes from the Greek" word meaning 'skill'" (Jerz). A core requirement for technical writers is that they are competent in using computers. This form of writing is determined by several important rules.

Steps of Technical Writing
The first step of effective technical writing requires you to “write in an active voice” (Huggins). The difference between active and passive voice comes from the word choice. In “active voice, the subject performs the action; in a passive voice, the subject is the recipient of the action. Passive verbs make sentences sound wordy. Passive sentences usually include a form of the verb to be."

Second, “use familiar words instead of complex words. Complex words are also referred to as technical jargon” (Huggins). The next vital step means keeping each sentence at a length between “fifteen and twenty words." This means to break “long, complex sentences into shorter, simpler sentences. Eliminate unnecessary, or filler, words to reduce sentence length." This connects to the next step of avoiding wordiness by not using “redundant words and phrases.” This involves making the words more concise.

Another recommended step involves the use of bulleted/numbered lists. These are used for “steps and sequences, limit the number of items in a list to six to eight items, and to properly introduce each list with a complete or incomplete sentence." Bulleted lists also separate “similar ideas." Finally, “define acronyms, and spell out each acronym on the first use.” (Huggins).

Technical vs. Creative Writing
Creative writing can require no source information to base the work, but technical writing uses traceable facts and information. The sources used for technical writing encompass “a piece of technical or design information for a product, system or process described” (freewritingadvice.com). This means that all of the data has to come from an authoritative source. Creative writing tends toward the artistic, but technical writing tends toward more of a discipline because it can cause a liability if the source data does not get traced back to the original source. Technical writing uses no creative input whatsoever.