Lisa’s company anointed her as its technical writing titan. Senior management trusted Lisa’s expertise and loved how she made the complex simple. There was just one problem.
Lisa was tired of technical writing. Seriously tired. She found it increasingly difficult to complete even the simplest of assignments.
What could she do? How could Lisa rediscover the tingling excitement she once felt about the subject matter she loved?
A trial separation may be just what the doctor ordered.
Technically Speaking
What do you think of when you hear the term technical writing? If your mind immediately goes to information technology, you should try broadening your definition.
So, using the above definition, technical writing takes many forms.
- Information technology, such as hardware and software data
- Industry-specific information, such as insurance, banking, public relations
- Training documentation or user manuals, including product and procedural instructions
- Specific forms of communication, such as white papers, case studies, analytical reports
If you have a specialty, writing about it is considered technical writing. At least in my book.
3 Technical Writing Tactics for Long Life
Whatever form of technical writing you do, you may need to perform CPR to resuscitate the passion for your specialty – Celebrate – Pamper – Refresh.
1. Celebrate your specialty.
Your greatest strength as a technical writer is also your most challenging limitation – familiarity. Your knowledge of your specialty is invaluable. But because you are so familiar with the topic, it is easy to slide into bad habits.
- Repeatedly producing similar (and often stale) content
- Assuming all readers are at the same level
- Slipping into industry jargon with no explanation of terms
Assuming you love your specialty (or did when you started), go back and celebrate what you loved. Try the following.
- Jot down key words describing what you love about your specialty – whatever pops into your head.
- Revisit previous content you’re proud of. What made you choose those pieces?
- What are you most excited about for the future of your specialty?
Remember when you were a child and you did something really special. Maybe it was your first home run or getting an A on your latest math quiz. You couldn’t wait to get home and tell someone. Capture that feeling.
Think how you can weave in what you love about your specialty and share it with others.
2. Pamper yourself.
Technical writing is like a marriage. You start out full of hope but still need to put a lot of work into it. Sometimes you need outside help to breathe life back into your marriage.
In the case of technical writing, a trial separation may be good strategy. We’re not talking divorce – just taking time to relax and recharge.
No matter how much you love your specialty, the required research, or the writing itself, technical writing is taxing.
- You’re challenged with recognizing what is simple to you is complex to others. How do you make the reader’s complex simple?
- Before you can do that, you need to be sure you understand each aspect yourself.
- And is there anything more frustrating than not finding the (credible) information you need?
Instead of just pushing through, take a break.
Example
My specialty is the healthcare and insurance industry. I’ve written a ton of white papers and technical courses. When I hit the wall, I used to try pushing through it. That was a mistake.
- I found it took longer to write.
- The quality was not where I wanted it to be.
- And pushing through a wall hurts your brain. 😊
Sometimes you swear you can hear your brain moaning. So, put the technical writing aside. Not for an hour or two (although that can help, too).
- Try taking a few days off – longer if you can afford it.
- Shake out the cobwebs with some creative writing – poetry, word prompt challenges, advertising copy.
- Go for a walk, a run, or whatever outside activity you prefer.
You will no longer feel like you are trying to shove an elephant through the eye of a needle. The circus is back in town. Have some fun.
3. Refresh your words.
Are you feeling reenergized? Great. Now you can work on those words by pulling out the many tricks of the trade.
- Think action – Use action verbs that paint a picture in the reader’s mind. Check for stronger alternatives to weak words.
- Tap into your storyteller – Even a simple example that your readers relate to improves understanding.
- Do a Last Check – Use the A-B-C Business Writing Checklist or one of your own to keep your technical writing simple, clear, and uniquely yours.
Check out SSB’s Tools (free stuff) page for cheat sheets, word lists, and other tools for pumping up your business writing.
Trial by Error
Is your technical writing on life support? Try resuscitating it with CPR.
- Celebrate your specialty.
- Pamper yourself.
- Refresh your words.
If you have tried a few trial separations and you still hate going back to the writing, perhaps technical writing is not your thing. And that’s okay.
The great thing about writing is there are so many forms and so much need for better business communication. There is no reason you shouldn’t love what you do.
What works for you when you hit the wall on good technical writing? Leave your tips in Comments.
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Helping you keep your business communication simple, clear & uniquely yours.
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Note: This post originally published on April 14, 2011. This September 17, 2023 version updates it.
I wouldn’t say that I write technically as such. I think what you are talking about here is how energy gets wasted when there is a block. Our minds need to be free. On the creative writing front, I find that trying too hard does not work. It has to flow. Sometimes, I just can’t write it all down quick enough, especially at the keyboard. Scribbling by hand is better in those cases.
Interesting article. Thanks.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your perspective, Marty. You are right, any kind of writing is affected by blocks and pushing through it just won’t work.
And I know what you mean-sometimes the words seem to fly out your fingertips and what a great feeling that is.
Thanks again for stopping by, Marty.
I appreciate this perspective. I have not done technical writing before, but your advice is really informative. I think I can apply it to my own writing (as Marty commented).
I can imagine with technical writing, precision and clarity are vital skills. It makes me think that maybe I should really apply the same skills to my writing (which is more creative). I imagine that it would drastically improve the quality of the product I’m able to produce.
Hi Steve:
I agree, it really works for any kind of writing. A fresh perspective does wonders. Even if it’s just sleeping on it overnight, I think you will find it improves the final product.
Thanks for stopping by, Steve, and sharing your thoughts. I do appreciate it. 🙂