Technical writing is perhaps the worst training ground for creative writers. Instead of polishing the descriptive abilities, technical writing is the process of whittling down the prose and sanding off the decoration. A good technical writer writes instructions or descriptions that (ideally) barely even register as you read the words — because the words are merely the carriers of the information you need. If you notice the words as words, you’re being distracted from the primary goal of the reader: getting the information as quickly and as clearly as possible.
Nicholas Russon, 2004-09-09
August 2, 2009
QotD: Technical Writing
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