rivercrow

My previous post generated a question about the difference between technical writing in a Sensing style compared to using an iNtuiting style.

Writing done in a Sensing style uses more concrete examples, details, step-by-step sequences. Sensing is a more immediate time-frame, more “here and now,” or looks backward. Grammatically, more present and past tense.

Writing done in an iNtuiting style uses more overviews, theory, pattern-awareness. iNtuiting is a future-oriented time-frame or has less awareness of time. Grammatically, more future tense.

Technical writing typically is used to provide direction on how to do things or how things have been done (for example, configuration documentation). Overviews are useful for summaries or introductions, but the meat of the document needs sequential steps and details.

Of course, some of this depends on the intended audience. For example, a non-technical user setting up a computer generally just wants the thing to work without going into the details of how the Internet works. On the other hand, someone who is responsible for a corporate firewall needs to understand something about the theory behind firewalls, security, access control, and the trade-offs for allowing/permitting access.

If those aren’t sufficient reasons, try this on. About 30% of the population of the US prefers iNtuiting over Sensing. (And the US has the highest proportion of iNtuitives in the world!) So, if you write iNtuitively only, then you’re erecting an additional barrier between you and 70% of the population (or higher, in other countries).

Both perceiving functions are necessary for strong writing, regardless of the intent of the written work. Creative writing without details and specifics cannot effectively convey a sense of place and characters will not seem realistic. On the other hand, a creative piece without metaphors and thematic awareness lacks transitions and a sense of the work as a whole unit.

Personally, I struggle at times with providing enough detail, then worry that I have used too much. I’m learning that my iNtuitive preference overstates the amount of detail I’ve used. In rewriting, I need to push the quantity of Sensing details. At the same time, my iNtuiting preference leads me to verbosity, so listening to my Sensing side helps me leveraging Sensing makes my prose punch.

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