What fiction writing can teach the lowly technical writer

Originally published June 24, 2013

“We’re making it up. The world, the universe, life, reality. Especially reality.” (Tom Robbins)

Up until a few years ago, I believed my career in technical writing had ruined me for fiction. Technical writing, for those who may not be familiar with the term, refers to the paper or computer-based documentation that came with your computer, car, or toaster. It also includes the step-by-step instructions on the other side of Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup can.

To my great joy, I discovered fiction was not out of my reach. Just recently, thanks to my colleagues, I realized writing fiction could make technical writing better.

My colleagues must feel an enormous trepidation whenever they add my name to a reviewers list. It certainly can’t be any less than my own just before I open one of their files. Mind you, I’m not ‘the editor.’ My role is only to ‘recommend’ improvements.

I was put to the test again this week and, without fail, less than ten minutes after beginning my review of another writer’s content, I became the ogre under the bridge. (Hey, maybe I could be an editor after all!)

I had already made some strongly worded ‘recommendations’ on a paragraph when I realized something even more startling: two of the sentences contradicted each other. Due to confidentiality agreements, I can’t replicate the sentences here, but the following gives an idea of what I was seeing:

You must already have a brain, a heart, and courage before you can see the Wizard.

Access to the Wizard is limited if you don’t already have a brain, a heart, and courage.

Which is it? Must I have the things listed in the first sentence, or does the second sentence tell me having them merely betters my chances?

So, what have I learned in writing fiction that helps me in technical writing?

1. Tell the story. The fiction author must have an idea of what he or she wants the reader to think or feel at a certain point in the story. Likewise, the technical writer must have a goal for the user to achieve (a concept to learn, a task to complete). In the example above, it’s not clear what the writer wanted the user to understand.
2. Be clear. Fiction writers know the reader has to understand who is talking, who is listening, and who is acting. The technical writer knows his reader has things to do. In the example above, the user doesn’t know if he’s going to get to see the Wizard at all.
3. RTFM* before you send it out. The fiction writer knows to make it as good as possible before submitting it. Self-editing isn’t easy, but that doesn’t mean you don’t try (as in the above example). If it doesn’t support the story, cut it out.

For those of you with a ‘day job’ other than writing fiction, what kinds of things have you learned that you apply to your writing?

* Read The F**king Manual/Manuscript

You might also be interested in What fiction writers can learn from Technical Writers.