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Tech Writing Is A Lot Like DJing — And Almost Nobody Understands Either
When we treat tech writing as a simple task, we ignore the time and expertise it takes to make content both useful and usable
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You know what really grinds my gears? When people call a DJ’s mix a “playlist.”
Playlist? Really? A playlist is a cute little collection of songs your friend throws together for a Sunday BBQ. It’s a list, a simple order of tracks (nothing more). A DJ-made continuous mix, on the other hand, is an art form. It’s hours spent carefully selecting, adjusting, layering, and transitioning music so that it all flows like a well-timed, pulse-pounding journey. It’s a seamless experience where the energy never drops, where every beat feels intentional, where you barely notice the transition from one track to the next.
But say “great playlist” and you’ve just insulted hours of work, practice, and skill.
Now, let me tell you something: technical writing is exactly like that.
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Why People Get It Wrong
People think writing technical writing is just typing. You’ve got a keyboard, some words, maybe a style guide, and boom, you’re done. Right?
No. That’s like saying a DJ just hits play and calls it a night.
Tech writers don’t just type. We spend hours assembling and refining content — asking questions, interviewing subject matter experts, navigating contradictory information, trying to make sense of a product that’s been described by six different people in eight different ways. We sift through jargon, eliminate unnecessary fluff, and figure out how to explain complex ideas in ways that won’t make the reader throw their laptop out the window. We are the architects of clarity, the curators of context, the sculptors of structure. And none of it is magic.
Yet, when people see a finished manual or help article, they think we’ve simply “written something down.” It’s like calling a perfectly executed DJ mix a playlist (oversimplified, dismissive, and completely missing the point.)
