Difference Between Technical Writing and General Writing with Proper Definition and Brief Explanation

Not everyone has the talent to write, as not everyone is a good speaker. However, there are ways to improve the writing to make it more compelling, error-free, and clear to reach the writers’ minds. Words are more powerful than a sword in that they inspire, educate, and entertain people. But not all writing is the same or the same. General writing, like writing your thoughts and opinions on a social topic, is totally different from another style of writing called technical writing. One should not be confused between the two styles, technical writing and general writing, as they have very different purposes and are also intended for very different audiences.

General writing

While writing on general topics, the writer must put himself in the shoes of a reader to see the effect of his own writing. Writing a weak piece of prose is not that serious compared to a piece full of errors. This is when readers get confused and distracted. People respect high-quality writing and tend to take the writer seriously when the piece is free of errors and the message comes out clearly.

Spelling and grammar mean a lot to a reader. He gets irritated when he sees such errors, as he expects nothing less than perfect from a printed paper. This is where the spell checker and editing after you’ve finished typing comes in handy. After, of course, there is the content, it must be logical and sequential so that there is no reason for ambiguity and obscurity in the minds of readers. Another important ingredient is life. The content must be animated to keep the reader interested.

Technical writing

Technical writing is a form of writing that is seen more than any other type of writing with people who are not even aware of the fact. The essence of all technical writing is HOW. On a simple level, you can take the examples from a cookbook full of recipes or an instruction manual on how to operate a mobile device as technical writing. Much of the technical writing is not intended for the general public. This includes business writing to communicate with management, employees, and other companies and is full of business-related jargon.

In a broader sense, science subject textbooks are also examples of technical writing. If you are a photography student, any book that contains information that is valuable to you is a form of technical writing, as it contains words that the general public cannot understand or appreciate.

Whether for general audiences or specific readers, technical writing should be clear and concise. It should be useful to the readers for whom it is intended. Although technical writing is certainly different from writing a story or a poem, any technical writing must have content presented in such a way that it has the ability to engage the reader. You should have material arranged so that the reader gets the information they are looking for and also understands the subject easily.

Key Differences

• General writing and technical writing are two different styles of writing.

• Although the basic concepts remain the same (both need to engage the reader and must be free of spelling and grammatical errors), technical writing is considered a bit more difficult than general writing, as it must provide information in a clear way that the reader is able to assimilate and understand.

• General writing has more to do with piquing the reader’s interest, while technical writing has the sole objective of getting the reader to understand a topic in an interesting way.

• Technical writing has general guidelines to follow and must be clear and concise. It has to be in the first person and avoid the passive voice.