What You Think You Know About
Technical and Professional Writing
Is Wrong
by Rachel Barton
As a student in Writing Arts, my focus always centered on Creative Writing. Like many writers in the major, I have been writing my whole life. I had a clear image of the sort of writing I did in my head: short stories, creative nonfiction, longer fiction, sometimes poetry. My extension into New Media Writing & Publishing, based in career advancement, made sense to me. I had the writing I liked to do and I had the sort of skills I needed for future careers. I never once even considered Technical Writing -- and I’m not the only one.
To me, Technical Writing seemed boring. It certainly wasn’t the same as writing fiction. I couldn’t create characters and stories. How could it be fun? I also veered away from Technical Writing because I viewed it as a solitary act. I pictured grantwriters shut up in tiny cubicles, tucked away from humanity -- maybe even someone editing a procedural handbook in a boiler room somewhere.
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, these thoughts have been written in the past tense. Why? What changed my mind? What’s going to change yours or the next Writing Arts student that may be inclined to glance over Technical Writing?
Dr. Jennifer Tole
This paradigm shift was catalyzed by an interview with Dr. Jennifer Tole, who earned her Ph. D. from Temple before coming to Rowan in 2014. She teaches classes within Writing Arts, like Writing for the Workplace, but she also bridges into other disciplines through courses like Sophomore Engineering Clinic. In Fall 2018, she will be teaching a Special Topics course in Writing for Nonprofits. Hearing Jennifer explain the course not only caught my interest, but also challenged me to reevaluate my perspective on Technical Writing as a whole.
According to Dr. Tole, Technical Writing didn’t have to be boring. In fact, it could be extremely creative.
“We tend to think of creative writing as poetry and short stories, fiction. Or we might think of writing in the academic sense in terms of Comp I or Comp II class. But technical and professional writing has a distinctly creative aspect as you are creating information, documents, and work that help people get things done in a work setting that wasn’t there before. There are choices that you make in this situation that are creative. There is no rule book. There are strategies, there are techniques, there are genres and conventions of those genres. But within all those parameters there are a number of choices that each writer makes.”
These choices include, but are not limited to: document design, layout, word choice, sentence structure, visuals, paragraph breaks, and number of sentences.
As Dr. Tole described, we tend to view Technical Writing as the process of creating “cold informational pieces to get information from Point A to Point B.” However, hours of intricate planning go into that document to insure the author’s meaning is delivered and understood by readers who can then produce the desired effects. These documents help people to get things done, change minds, and influence the adoption of new ideas.
When Dr. Tole explained Technical Writing this way, I was confused at first. Was she talking about the right subject? Then, as I processed her well-chosen words, I began to understand. The only thing keeping Technical Writing from being creative was the way I approached it. If you treat a document like a cold, straight-forward piece, it will probably end up that way. However, if you take the time to craft the document and make those choices Jennifer described, you can create something as nuanced as a creative piece.
Dr. Tole didn’t stop there. As she described Writing for Nonprofits, she explained that the course
gives students experience writing in genres specific to nonprofits: PR, press releases, grant proposals, and fund-raising materials. The skills of analyzing and producing those documents, rhetorical flexibility, and professional communication can extend beyond the realm of nonprofit, just as Dr. Tole herself stretches from Writing Arts into other disciplines.
The course itself is heavily based in service learning. Small teams throughout the semester will work in partnership with a local nonprofit. Although each team will be doing something different, projects may include social media, promotional brochures, informational reports, or even powerpoints.
“There are obvious reciprocal benefits. The students get to practice their course skills and the nonprofit receives help with their own specific communication needs.”
This service learning experience can be featured by students on their CVs, resumes, or in their professional portfolios.
Technical Writers, then, are not restricted to drab cubicles or locked away in boiler rooms. In fact, Technical Writers are vital to successful communication in the workplace. Furthermore, these writers can bring their skills to nonprofits and causes that matter to not only have social based work, but also to do the sort of work that matters. One of my favorite things about Creative Writing is how personal it can be, how much of myself I can present in my words. Service and social justice are both things I consider to be major parts of myself. Technical writing presents a special way of combining my love of writing and these aspects of myself to better serve community and causes in need.
According to Dr. Tole, Technical Writing didn’t have to be boring. In fact, it could be extremely creative.
“We tend to think of creative writing as poetry and short stories, fiction. Or we might think of writing in the academic sense in terms of Comp I or Comp II class. But technical and professional writing has a distinctly creative aspect as you are creating information, documents, and work that help people get things done in a work setting that wasn’t there before. There are choices that you make in this situation that are creative. There is no rule book. There are strategies, there are techniques, there are genres and conventions of those genres. But within all those parameters there are a number of choices that each writer makes.”
These choices include, but are not limited to: document design, layout, word choice, sentence structure, visuals, paragraph breaks, and number of sentences.
As Dr. Tole described, we tend to view Technical Writing as the process of creating “cold informational pieces to get information from Point A to Point B.” However, hours of intricate planning go into that document to insure the author’s meaning is delivered and understood by readers who can then produce the desired effects. These documents help people to get things done, change minds, and influence the adoption of new ideas.
When Dr. Tole explained Technical Writing this way, I was confused at first. Was she talking about the right subject? Then, as I processed her well-chosen words, I began to understand. The only thing keeping Technical Writing from being creative was the way I approached it. If you treat a document like a cold, straight-forward piece, it will probably end up that way. However, if you take the time to craft the document and make those choices Jennifer described, you can create something as nuanced as a creative piece.
Dr. Tole didn’t stop there. As she described Writing for Nonprofits, she explained that the course
gives students experience writing in genres specific to nonprofits: PR, press releases, grant proposals, and fund-raising materials. The skills of analyzing and producing those documents, rhetorical flexibility, and professional communication can extend beyond the realm of nonprofit, just as Dr. Tole herself stretches from Writing Arts into other disciplines.
The course itself is heavily based in service learning. Small teams throughout the semester will work in partnership with a local nonprofit. Although each team will be doing something different, projects may include social media, promotional brochures, informational reports, or even powerpoints.
“There are obvious reciprocal benefits. The students get to practice their course skills and the nonprofit receives help with their own specific communication needs.”
This service learning experience can be featured by students on their CVs, resumes, or in their professional portfolios.
Technical Writers, then, are not restricted to drab cubicles or locked away in boiler rooms. In fact, Technical Writers are vital to successful communication in the workplace. Furthermore, these writers can bring their skills to nonprofits and causes that matter to not only have social based work, but also to do the sort of work that matters. One of my favorite things about Creative Writing is how personal it can be, how much of myself I can present in my words. Service and social justice are both things I consider to be major parts of myself. Technical writing presents a special way of combining my love of writing and these aspects of myself to better serve community and causes in need.