Technical Communication as Literature
As Technical Communicators, we find ourselves judging our work on a day to day basis. Its clarity, accuracy, and “friendliness” are typical concerns for the conscientious technical communicator. Beyond that, we judge the usability of our writing - just how easy is it to use, and how valuable?
We talk about “Technical Literature, and the question arises as to whether it should actually be regarded as a real form of “literature” - and whether it should be subject to literary criticism, in much the same way as a play or a novel. This may seem bizarre, but stop and consider, for a moment, the utility of such an approach.
We may, for example, find that some writers have a direct, simple, “Hemingway” style of writing - while others write in longer, more involved, sentences and paragraphs that reminds us of Proust. The typical response is that the “Hemingway” style is the “correct” one for technical literature. But is it always? Doesn’t it depend on the subject matter, the intended use of the book, as well as the skill of the writer? A well constructed Proustian User’s manual intended for advanced users, may satisfy much more than a short, laconic Hemingway approach. This is not to say that unnecessary words, or long, clumsy sentences, are good - but not every long sentence is clumsy, and not every 40 word sentence is filled with unnecessary words. A passage can be dense with words and long sentences, and yet convey meaning in a way that engages the reader, and provides a more satisfying experience than a stripped down, laconic guide.
Writing, above all, must “engage” the reader. To engage readers is not the same thing as simply conveying information. To engage readers is to give them something meaningful, which is to say, to give them something that has value within the context of their lives. When we speak of meaningfulness with regard to technical literature, we refer to the value that something has for the professional concerns of the reader. Just plunking down information is often not enough - it is the minimum measure of meaningfulness, but certainly not the full measure.
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I had a “Literature of Science” course in college, where we read and discussed writing that advanced scientific knowlegde. The examples I remember 40 years later are Michael Faraday’s “Chemical History of a Candle,” a translation of Newton’s “Pricipia,” and Watson and Crick’s article on the double-helix structure of DNA.
I believe that some well-designed, well-writen documents that serve the users of the products they explain can qualify as “Technological Literature”. Those kinds of documents, which may win awards, provide examples for others to emulate, and contribute to the adoption of new technology. We need more of those that transcend the minimum informational requirements.
Regardless of the authors’ aspirations, not all novels become best-sellers, and not all best-sellers will ever be considered “Literature” either.
I’m not sure how we can “engage” the reader when we are providing one way communication. What’s needed are tools that enable the Technical Communicator to have a bi-directional discussion with the customer in order to get their valuable feedback and documentation requirements.
Mark, I agree with you that bi-directional communication is highly important for developing relevant documentation; but, by itself, it’s not enough - the writer still needs to provide an organized framework of information with recognizable themes and emphasis, including some kind of conceptual framework whereby the information becomes meaningful. This is especially important where you have a very small community of users - perhaps for a new product that hasn’t yet “caught on”. Without a vast user community that can contribute lots of insights, information, and feedback, solid, engaging technical literature becomes essential - even if it’s essentially “one-way”. In fact, a really good manual or tutorial can help inspire and create an enthusiastic user community.
Once a user community reaches a critical point in size, as well as in professional expertise, the “documentation” is then increasingly influenced by the community itself - eventually, leaders emerge in the community who contribute insights, suggestions for improved product design, improved documentation, etc. The feedback from such a large group is more reliable and becomes a valuable source of information for users, product managers, and developers.
Besides all of the above, technical literature plays an important role in the marketing of the product as well - but that’s another topic…