Chapter 4: Technical Writing Style

Overview

Technical writing style is the way in which you write your ideas which includes point of view, language and jargon choices, tone, sentence constructions, punctuation, and paragraphing in technical documents.

Authorial voice, your voice, is your distinct way of writing.  Just like J. K. Rawling’s writing style is vastly different from Stephen King, your writing “sounds” different from another student’s.  Your consistent choices are part of your authorial voice, but you should strive for clear, precise language at all times.

According to Applen (2013), as a technical writer, you “act…rhetorically…always adjusting … discourse or language for different audiences” (177).  You always use ethos, pathos (emotion), and logos (logic) in your language and even in design elements for your documents.  You establish your credibility (ethos) by using words and logic to get your audience to “respect and believe” you which helps to build your company’s reputation (p. 178).  Although technical writing is not entertaining or emotional, using some pathos can help you further enhance your credibility with the audience by making an emotional connection with the audience and moving them. Lastly, presenting logical, coherent content is inherently rhetorical.