Technical Writing Has Learned From Literature

Can some of today’s literature learn anything from technical writing?

a medieval scrivener creates a futuristic 3D picture on a piece of parchment, elegant illustration — by DALL·E

I just talked to a coworker about some reading I have been doing in my spare time. For the past few days, I have been delving into the documentation of a technology I use daily. After calling each other nerds, I sheepishly admitted I was finding the reading mesmerising. How could an instruction manual be fascinating to read? Even when reading a handbook that promises to tell us everything we must know about a prized new acquisition, reading it is tedious. Indeed, in my university years, I spent hours absorbing information from diverse media about topics I thoroughly enjoyed. Yet, I considered much of the material unnecessarily boring and verbose to a fault.

Surprisingly, this online manual I am currently studying pulls me into its abstract and conceptual narrative as though it were a riveting whodunnit. As I pause to reflect on the miracle I hold in my hand every night, I have identified a few causes for its success.

Firstly, the target reader is interested in the topic. How often have we started reading a book about a story we have soon realised we weren’t invested in? It is safe to assume nobody would touch my tech handbook with a ten-foot digital pole unless they were exceedingly interested in the…