Transcript The Nature of the Narrator in Technical Writing

By Lynn H. Deming
Presented By Kristin Cook
Introduction
Focus of Article
Oral to Written Tradition
Writing today
Types of Technical Writing
Conclusions
Questions
In the Past
 Conventional wisdom dictated these
facts:

Narrative perspective


Passive Voice



Writing Objectively
Professional Distance
Maintain Credibility
No conversation or Dialogue
Scholars Today
 Recently rethought this idea.
 Now use active voice
 If appropriate for topic, use first person
Writers of Scientific and Technical
Information




Analyze the audience
Scrutinize the subject
Avoid interaction
“Dilutes or contaminates the objectivity
and authenticity of the data”
 Reexamine our writing and teaching
styles in technical writing
 “Humanistic endeavor” – Carolyn
Miller
 Will improve writing
 Narrative- gives the reader a mental
image of what is happening
 Oral Tradition
 Direct communication of information
 Real, not imaginary interaction
 Direct response from the audience
 Written Tradition
 No longer direct interaction with
audience
 Reach a larger audience
 Some areas in the media where
communication with the audience
 Most technical writing lacks that
interaction
 Correspondence
 First person
 Empirical research reports
 First person
 Readers will “see” the involvement
Proposals
 Memos and Letters

First person
 Multivolume Documents

Combination of first and third person
 Manuals
 Different sections-Different narrative
perspectives
 Command Form
 Active imperative voice
 Mechanism and Process Descriptions
 Third person
 Remember that we are talking to
someone
 Add active voice whenever you can
 Incorporate the reader in the topic
 We are role players