Things to Consider When Writing Technical Articles
“The ideal set up by the Party was something huge, terrible, and glittering—a world of steel and concrete, of monstrous machines and terrifying weapons—a nation of warriors and fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans, perpetually working, fighting, triumphing, persecuting—three hundred million people all with the same face.”
The above passage is taken from the popular sci-fi masterpiece, ‘1984’ by George Orwell. George Orwell painted a narrative that inspired numerous concepts such as the Big Brother, thoughtcrime, and the memory hole. His words capture the attention of the reader and create an absorbing narrative that stays with the reader forever. Likewise, a technical writer too should aim to build a narrative that attracts the reader’s attention and not just throw around jargon. Technical content needs to be thought-provoking and action-oriented.
I work as a technical writer for an organization that specializes in content marketing in India. Based on my experience of writing multiple tech and non-tech articles, I can confidently say that there are key differences between the tech and non-tech articles. One of the most significant things I learned after becoming a technical writer is that I needed to be well informed about various technologies, how these technologies work, and their applications. To write an effective technical article, you must also do what I did religiously – reading and analyzing various technical articles published by popular sources such as Techcrunch, Forbes, Business Insider, Medium, and Digital Journal. In addition to reading, you should also consider the following tips for writing interesting technical articles:
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Do relevant research
Every technical writer needs to carry out a tremendous amount of research on the topic. For research purposes, you can go through published papers, videos, and other articles related to the topic. Additionally, your research should explore every technical aspect about the topic to build an effective narrative. Moreover, it is essential for every technical writer to read up on the latest news and developments related to the topic.
Know your audience
Technical articles attract two types of readers – the tech enthusiasts and the CXOs. And even though you’re writing a technical article, a different writing style and tone needs to be used for both these types of readers. Hence, it is essential for you to understand who your audience is and what they would want to read.
If you are writing an article for tech enthusiasts, the article should usually explore the topic in a simple and lucid to understand manner. Explaining the topic and the technology, in brief, is key when writing a technical article for tech enthusiasts. The language used in the article should be simple, as your audience can range from students learning about the technology to tech-savvy professionals.
But, if you are writing a technical article for a client who is at a CXO level or is pretty senior in his organization and field, then the article should contain a good mix of simple and technical language. Simplicity ensures that the reader would want to continue reading till the end, while the writing style is kept professional. In this case, you must leave the reader with some actionable next steps for his business to grow further.
Create a structure to have a better flow of words in the article!
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Build a creative narrative
Any article, whether technical or non-technical, contains a basic outline of introduction, body, and conclusion. Generally, the structure should contain an effective delivery of well-researched and relevant to the topic content. But, every writer must understand that building a compelling narrative is vital. The content will do the job of conveying the information, but the narrative will keep the reader hooked.
Use examples and analogies
The example discussed at the beginning of this article, about George Orwell’s style of writing, also highlights the aspects like ‘relevance of content to the subject being discussed,’ and ‘relatability factor for the reader’. While writing a technical article, examples can simplify the most complex of technical concepts, while also give the reader some concrete image to create in mind.
Analogies compare two things to explain the subject by drawing parallels between the subject and something your audience can relate to. For example, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get,” is a popular dialogue from the movie, Forrest Gump. The beauty of the dialogue is that it captures the uncertainty of life by comparing life to a box of chocolates.
Include relevant sources
Most experienced technical writers have a habit of citing external links in their articles for any external resource or facts that they’ve used in their article to support their point. The sources provided in the article make your article look well-researched and authentic. Moreover, you can attach links for additional information related to the subject, or internal links to direct the reader to other relevant articles or blogs.
Just like any other form of writing, technical writing has its own style of conveying information. And similar to any other writer, every technical writer should maintain the habit of reading multiple articles to understand how other experienced writers practice their craft. Essentially, you should focus on writing more articles and experiment with the writing style to explore different ways to build a narrative and figure out what works best for your audience. Or, if you still find technical writing complicated, you can reach out to a professional content writing agency that has expertise in content marketing in India.
