Why is Technical Writing Different from General Writing?

“ Writing is an act of discovering what you think and what you believe." - Dan Pink. Writing comes in many forms, each serving a unique purpose. Technical writing and general writing are two distinct styles with different objectives, audiences, and structures.

What is Technical writing?

Technical writing is a form of communication that presents complex data in a concise and structured manner to improve understanding from a technical perspective. It is primarily instructional, aiming to educate or guide users. Examples of technical writing include manuals, whitepapers, and API documentation. Industries that heavily rely on technical writing include software development, engineering, healthcare, and manufacturing. Technical writing serves as a foundation for guidelines, ensuring usability and accuracy by conveying know-how effectively.
 

What is General writing?

On the other hand, general writing is broader and more creative. It includes storytelling, journalism, blogs, and essays, focusing on entertainment, persuasion, and personal expression rather than strict functionality.
 

The main differences lie in the audience, tone, style, and purpose. Technical writing prioritizes efficiency, accuracy, and clarity more than general writing. While both forms of writing can involve creativity, the key distinctions are audience and purpose, which set general writing and technical writing apart.

What are the purpose and objective of technical writing and general writing?

1. Purpose:

• Technical writing is designed to inform, educate, guide, or explain technical concepts. It helps solve problems, ensuring users can easily operate or understand products.
• General writing aims to entertain, persuade, or express creativity. While it follows similar structural concepts, it incorporates more creative flexibility. Examples include novels, opinion pieces, and marketing content. 

2. Audience

• Technical writing is for a specific audience that needs precise information. Examples are engineers, developers, and end-users.
• General writing is to a wider audience, as the name suggests, with varying levels of knowledge.

3. Tone and Style

• Technical writing follows formal, objective, and concise. Avoids ambiguity and uses industry-specific terminology.
• General writing is more on the casual side. It is merely a flexible, creative, and subjective type of content. It can be written in any desired tone, style, and structure. It can also be humorous and emotional.

4. Structural formatting

• Technical writing is a formal write-up that follows a logical structure and format. There will be bullet points, numbered steps, a heading, a procedure, and diagrams. It is to inform and guide, so it should be well-structured. An amateur should also be deriving some kind of information from the content.
• General writing is more free-flowing with narrative arcs and depends on the stylistic variations. This kind of write-up can reflect the character of the writer. It is very informal, but it depends on the platform and audience.

5. Industries That Rely on Technical Writing

• Software & IT (API docs, user guides)
• Healthcare (medical manuals, research papers)
• Engineering (product specifications, safety protocols)
• Finance & Legal (compliance reports, policy documents)

Both type of writing conveys information and data. general writing is expressive and flexible, while technical writing is task-oriented and exact. Understanding the distinction between these two styles allows authors to tailor their work effectively for the target audience.
 

6. Usage of images, visuals, and technical writing

• Technical writing:

Technical writing heavily depends on the usage of diagrams for detailed explanations of illustrations. For a detailed explanation, it requires screenshots, flowcharts, icons, tables, infographics, and usability. The use of diagram illustration easily explains the step-by-step procedure, organizes data for each step, and depicts how the outcome is shown. In technical writing, the structure is strict and consistent.
 

The structure is very strict because standardized fonts, uniform headings, bullet points, and numbered lists, and minimal color use for emphasis or warnings if required.
 

Example: When you buy a refrigerator, you receive a manual explaining the complete engine workings, how to use it, and maintenance tips. It is completely informative, not colorful like a regular magazine or weekly reader.
 

• General writing:

General writing includes visuals, but they serve an aesthetic or emotional purpose rather than instructions:
 

It includes book covers and illustrations to enhance the line of storytelling.
 

Addition of photographs and artworks evokes the mood and grabs the attention of readers, building more engagement. For example, blogs, magazines.
 

The formatting of general writing also varies by styles, such as the font sizes, colour schemes based on branding, or artistic intent.
 

Summing Up:

In the world of content creation trends, not all writing serves the same purpose. As already discussed, general writing aims to entertain, persuade, or engage a broad audience. It is written in a way that should be easily understood by anyone who reads it. In contrast, technical writing has the specific requirement of conveying complex information accurately and effectively.
 

General writing purely focuses on creativity, while technical writing demands logic, consistency, and purpose. Whether you need software documentation, technical blogs, or reports, the right experts make all the difference with your point of view.
 

At Yourword, a highly organized content writing agency in Kerala, we know how to strike the perfect structure for technical writing and general writing, keeping in mind the delivery of cost-effective, high-quality content that caters to your specific requirements.
 

our team of skilled writers combines subject matter knowledge with streamlined communication techniques, delivering content that educates and empowers your audience.
 

Are you looking for the right content writing agency for high-quality technical services in Calicut? Reach out to us and we promise to turn complexity into clarity, one word at a time!