LESSON I: What is Technical Writing?

Acclaimed proponents of technical writing Mills and Walter (1981) gave several
definitions to aid us in understanding the nature of technical writing. According to them:
Technical writing is writing about scientific subjects and about various technical subjects
associated with the sciences.
Technical writing is characterized by certain formal elements, such as its scientific and technical
vocabulary, its use of graphic aids, and its use of conventional report forms.
Technical writing is ideally characterized by the maintenance of an attitude of impartiality and
objectivity, by extreme care to convey information accurately and concisely, and by the absence
of any attempt to arouse emotion.
Technical writing is writing in which there is relatively high concentration of certain complex
and important writing techniques, in particular description of mechanisms, description of
process, definition, classification, and interpretation.

Products of Technical Writing

1. Business Letter - a type of written communication. It is written using formal language
and follows formal elements of letter writing. People usually write business letters to
communicate with companies, organizations or individuals with the purpose of applying
for a job, making requests, seeking appointments, etc.
2. Contract - a written agreement between two people under mutually agreed terms
3. Monograph - a detailed essay or book on a very specific topic. It is usually written by
professionals or academicians on topics of interest concerning their specific fields
4. Printed action memo - ready-format memorandum that only requires a checkmark on the
appropriate box that contains te message; especially useful for busy people who need to
make quick decisions and act on the circumstance or situation
5. Graphic aids - drawings, sketches and illustrations that aid the readers in understanding
the presented data
6. Instructional manuals - written to guide the readers on how to assemble, maintain, and
operate an apparatus, machine or gadget
7. Brochures - pamphlets or flyers that endorse a product in such a way that the potential
customer will be convinced that the product is effective and eventually avail of the
product
8. Proposals - written suggestions on how to make the company or organization more
productive and successful; most companies and organizations require this before an
agreement is reached
9. Memoranda - inter-office written communication used to disseminate information

Adopted from the Book: “Technical Writing” A Resource Guide to Writing Across Disciplines by Rosales, Ma.JD, etal. (2019)
Five Important Principles in Good Technical Writing
1. Always have in mind a specific reader, real or imaginary. When you are writing a report.
Always assume that he is intelligent, but uninformed.
2. Before you start to write, always decide what the exact purpose of your report is, and
make sure that every paragraph, every sentence, every word makes a clear contribution to
that purpose.
3. Use language that is simple, concrete, and familiar.
4. At the beginning and end of every section of your report, check your writing according to
this principle: "First you tell the reader what you're going to tell him, then you tell him
what you've told him."
5. Make your report attractive.
Purposes of Technical Writing
✓ It serves as basis for management decision.
✓ It furnishes needed information.
✓ It gives instructions.
✓ It records business transactions through proposals.
✓ It procures business proposals.
✓ It serves as basis for public relations.
✓ It provides report to stockholders of companies.

Properties of Technical Writing

a. Subject matter. In writing technical papers, you must ask the question, "What will I
write about?" The subject matter is an essential element in technical report writing. Some
examples of this are description of a process, writing about a theory, or submitting a
policy.
b. Audience. When thinking about the audience, ask "Whom am I writing for? Or who are
my intended readers?" This s a property which pertains to a particular reader of a
technical literature.
c. Expression. This property refers to two basic modes in which a technical report has to be
delivered-writing it or reading it. Your expression of the content will depend on your
awareness of your audience's/ reader's psychology and your style in writing to be able to
reach your audience's/ reader's understanding.
d. Style. This refers to how the material is written. A technical writer uses clear, specific
point of view, objective, impartial, and unemotional style in writing.
e. Arrangement of materials. This pertains to how ideas should be organized in
chronological, spatial or logical order, from general to specific or specific to general, and
use illustrations to present the information.
Writing can be grouped into five basic types:

Adopted from the Book: “Technical Writing” A Resource Guide to Writing Across Disciplines by Rosales, Ma.JD, etal. (2019)
 1. Technical writing conveys specific information about a technical subject to a
specific audience for a specific purpose.
2. Creative writing is fiction-poetry, short stories, plays, and novels—and far different
from technical writing.
3. Expressive writing is a subjective response to a personal experience journals and
diaries-whereas technical writing might be objective observations of a work-related
experience or research.
4. Expository writing "exposes" a topic analytically and objectively, such as news
reports. Like technical writing, the goal of expository writing is to explain or reveal
knowledge, but expository writing does not necessarily expect a response or action
from the reader.
5. Persuasive writing depends on emotional appeal. Its goal is to change one's attitudes
or motivate him/her to action.

Differences between Technical Writing and Creative Writing

Writers have different writing styles. There are writers who are more inclined to the
straightforward or direct form of writing while others are on the creative or literary. Below are
differences between technical writing and creative writing based on content, i audience, purpose,
style, tone, vocabulary, and organization.
Technical Writing Creative Writing
Content factual, straight-forward imaginative, metaphoric or symbolic
Audience specific General
Purpose inform, instruct, persuade formal entertain, provoke, captivate
Style formal, standard, academic informal, artistic, figurative
Tone Objective subjective
Vocabulary Specialized general, evocative
Organization sequential, systematic arbitrary, artistic

Adopted from the Book: “Technical Writing” A Resource Guide to Writing Across Disciplines by Rosales, Ma.JD, etal. (2019)
Adopted from the Book: “Technical Writing” A Resource Guide to Writing Across Disciplines by Rosales, Ma.JD, etal. (2019)