A History Of The Renaissance Period History Essay

A History Of The Renaissance Period History Essay The Renaissance was a period in European history marked by a cultural flowering. The Renaissance is defined as the revival or rebirth of the arts. The home of the Renaissance was Italy, with its position of prominence on the Mediterranean Sea.   Italy was the commerce capital between Europe and Eurasia, during this time period, from fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. Painters, sculptors, and architects exhibited a similar sense of adventure and the desire for greater knowledge and new solutions. During the Renaissance, artist were no longer regarded as mere artisans, as they had been to the medieval past, but for the first time emerged as independent personalities, compared to poets and writers. Many artisans merged mathematics with art, in order to become more precise in their measurements and to make sure an object was supported both rationally and proportionally. However, Renaissance artists also placed human concerns and feelings at the center of their works. Such optimism combined with intellectual curiosity and increasing worldliness made it possible for art to be valued. Over all, the Renaissance art movement completely discredited the middle Ages as being dead both intellectually and artistically, thus rendering the Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic style art as being without value. The Renaissance came from a revival of the Classical ideas, concepts, and knowledge.   What had once been forgotten was once again the focus of society.   It was also found that in Classical times artists enjoyed a much higher level of prestige than they did during the Middle Ages.   Artists wanted to enjoy this status once again. The Renaissance took place over a long period of time.   Maybe this is an indication of its immense popularity both then and now.   However, the Italian Renaissance can be divided into three distinct periods known as Early, High, and Late respectively.   These stages were preceded by the Gothic art movement, which acted as a bridge between the middle Ages and the Renaissance, and was followed by Mannerism, which bridged the gap between the Renaissance and the Baroque.   Mannerism hardly had an effect on the popular arts of the time and was not fit into the already neatly categorized art periods when historians looked back upon the era. Early Renaissance art took up most of the 15th century and was characterized by inspiration from antiquity.   The movement was focused in Florence, Italy because this local had brought attention upon itself through various conflicts within the church and with its neighbors.   The art form focused on the human body, space, and the laws of proportion when it came to architecture.   The belief was that progress and development were the backbone of the evolution and survival of art.   The primary painter of the time was Masaccio.   His work was religious in nature and his inspiration came not from other painters, but from the sculptor Donatello and the architect Brunelleschi. High Renaissance art was characterized by creating physical presence, drama, and balance than on the behavior and personality that were the focus of Early Renaissance art.   The major painters of the time were numerous.   There was Leonardo da Vinci, Donato, Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian.   This period was short lived, lasting from about 1495-1520 and served as a transitional period between early and late Renaissance.   However, although brief, the art that flowed from this period was exceptional and some of the most famous artists ever produced work during this time.   After all, these artists had such a command over their talents that they were able to produce any natural effect they desired and they had an intellect that allowed for balance and harmony along with fine detail, also was created a term for some of them, Renaissance man. The term Renaissance man has come to mean someone with exceptional skills in a wide range of fields. The description applies to many people during the Renaissance, but there are two outstanding candidates for the title. They are Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. The older man, Leonardo, is exceptional in that he excels in two entirely different disciplines, experimental science and the visual arts. But on the artistic side alone, Michelangelo must be the man. He creates works, all of the highest quality, in the four distinct fields of sculpture, painting, architecture and poetry. The late Renaissance began with the sack of Rome in 1527.   Artists had to scramble to relocate throughout Italy, France, and Spain.   This period led to what is now called Mannerism.   Mannerism artists turned to producing paintings of people, often nudes, that were portrayed in strange poses and looking somewhat grotesque while odd themes were used and emotion looked horrifying.  Michelangelo was the only painter from the High Renaissance to make into the late period. The growing emphasis on individualism during the Renaissance began a change of status for composers of music in society. Unlike their medieval predecessors, Renaissance composers were recognized more often during their lifetimes. The technology of printing permitted a much wider distribution of their works and enabled a larger public into the study of music. Even when spiritual music was still in a dominant position, secular music was becoming more common and its forms more cultivated than in the previous era. The repertoire of instrumental music became more varied, along with the invention of new instruments and many of the instruments of the period were improved. Humanism is considered to be the most significant intellectual movement of the Renaissance. As its name implies, humanism was a philosophy that was characterized by blending concern with the history and actions of all human beings, and their influences on the world with religious duty. Prior to Renaissance thinking Medieval Europe considered life to be sinful that people should only be concerned about their duty to God and the afterlife. The humanists thought that every person has respect and worth and therefore should command the respect of every other person. The humanistic movement began during the early Italian Renaissance with the rediscovery of the writings of classical Greeks and Romans, which were not only models of literary style, but considered to be guides to the understanding of life. The Renaissance movement ushered in the use of oil paints.   This was a boon to artists as, due to the slow drying time of oil paints, they could edit their paintings, making adjustments over a period of months.   They could now focus more on the quality of light on their paintings and were also more in tune with the architectural accuracy of the buildings in the background of their work.   Themes centered on Greek and Roman mythology as well as Biblical characters and the Madonna was a pre-eminent figure.   When it came to depictions of the human body, emphasis was often put on the nude form and the perfection of the body. Another important result of the Renaissance was that painters began to communicate more with poets, essayists, philosophers, and scientists.   The boundaries between these disciplines began to blur and they began to share ideas with one another and recognized one another for the visionaries they truly were. What caused this rebirth of the visual arts is still unclear; the fourteenth century in Europe witnessed several catastrophic harvests, the Black Death (1346), and a continuing war between England and France. Hardly ideal conditions for an eruption of creativity let alone a sustained birth of paintings, drawings, sculptures and new buildings. Moreover, the Church, the biggest patron of the arts, was racked with disagreements about spiritual and secular issues. Prosperity was also coming to Northern Europe, as evidenced by the establishment in Germany of the Hanseatic League of cities. This increasing wealth provided the financial support for a growing number of commissions of large public and private art projects, while the trade routes upon which it was based greatly assisted the spread of ideas and thus contributed to the growth of the movement across the Continent. Allied to this spread of ideas, which incidentally speeded up significantly with the invention of printing, there was an undoubted sense of impatience at the slow progress of change. After a thousand years of cultural and intellectual starvation, Europe and especially Italy, was anxious for a re-birth. Over all, the Renaissance produced some of the most well known art ever created in human history.   It was a time of revival, of going back to something form the past that worked and bringing that past into new light.   After more than five hundred years we still marvel at the works of artists such as Da Vinci and Michelangelo. Humanism downplayed religious and secular dogma and instead attached the greatest importance to the dignity and worth of the individual. This period was unique in its portrayal of the human body and in its enmeshment of art and science.   It was proof that the old and the new can come together in harmony.

Understanding Mental Illness :: essays research papers fc

Understanding Mental Illness: Means for Lifting the Stigma As a victim of the debilitating mental illness clinical depression, I have a first hand knowledge of the terrible stigma attached to seeking medical help for this and similar problems. When the diagnosis was made, I told no one that I was seeing a psychologist. I feared what people would think of me and how they would react to one of their friends seeing a "shrink". Because mental illnesses are not well known and even less well understood, people tend to fear them. People who may be afflicted with mental illnesses often shy away from treatment because they fear that they will be labeled "crazy" or sent to an institution. I think that the stigma attached to mental health care could be easily lifted if regular psychiatric examinations were instituted, much the same as regular physicals. As people are exposed to the illnesses and begin to understand their origins and ways to help, this fear of people afflicted with the diseases should shrink (ha ha) and eventual ly disappear. As our country moves from a society made up of mainly manual laborers, to a society of white-collar workers, Americans find themselves with more and more leisure time. Often, if everything is going well in the world, society will look for problems to take the place of those that have been eliminated. For example, during the past ten years, Americans have had few really big problems, there have been no close to home wars, the economy is doing well, and unemployment has been dramatically down. Because of this, people have had large amounts of free time and energy, which was previously spent trying to work out larger problems and issues. For many people, this time is spent looking within themselves and often noticing things within their personality and psyche that would have been overlooked by earlier generations (onhealth.com/ conditions/cause). Statistics of today would lead one to believe that the occurrence of these illnesses has increased, however; awareness and the willingnes s of the victim to receive help has increased instead. There is less of a stigma attached to seeking mental health care than there has ever been before in this country. People are more willing to recognize and obtain help for their problems instead of ignoring them and going on with their lives as if nothing is wrong. With the continual exposure of the general public to these diseases, society is sure to place even a lesser degree of shame on the sufferer and his or her family.

Bombay Stock Exchange

Bombay Stock Exchange – Wikipedia, th†¦ Coordinates: 18. 929681 °N 72. 833589 °E Bombay Stock Exchange From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) (Hindi or Marathi: Bombay Share Bazaar) (formerly, The Stock Exchange, Bombay) is the oldest stock exchange in Asia and largest number of listed companies in the world, with 4990 listed as of August 2010. [2][3] It is located at Dalal Street, Mumbai, India. On Aug, 2010, the equity market capitalization of the companies listed on the BSE was US$1. 39 trillion, making it the 4th largest stock exchange in Asia and the 11th largest in the world. 4] With over 4,990 Indian companies listed & over 7700 scrips on the stock exchange,[5] it has a significant trading volume.The BSE SENSEX (SENSitive indEX), also called the â€Å"BSE 30†, is a widely used market index in India and Asia. Though many other exchanges exist, BSE and the National Stock Exchange of India account for most of the trading i n shares in India. Bombay Stock Exchange Contents 1 Hours of operation 2 History 3 Timeline 4 BSE indices 5 Sensex correlation with emerging market indices 6 Awards 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Type Stock Exchange Location Mumbai, India Coordinates 18. 29681 °N 72. 833589 °E Founded 1875 Owner Bombay Stock Exchange Limited Key people Madhu Kannan (CEO & M D) Currency Indian rupee No. of listings 4,996 MarketCap US$1. 39 trillion (August 2010)[1] Volume US$980 billion (2006) Indexes BSE Sensex Website www. bseindia. com (http://www. bseindia. com/) Hours of operation Session Trading Session Timing 9:00 – 15:30 Beginning of the Day Session 8:00 – 9:00 †¦wikipedia. org/†¦/Bombay_Stock_Exch†¦ 1/6 9/27/2010Bombay Stock Exchange – Wikipedia, th†¦ Position Transfer Session Closing Session Option Exercise Session Margin Session Query Session End of Day Session 5:30 – 15:50 15:50 – 16:05 16:05 – 16:35 16:35  œ 16:50 16:50 – 17:35 17:30 The hours of operation for the BSE quoted above are stated in terms of the local time (i. e. GMT +5:30) in Mumbai (Bombay), India. BSE's normal trading sessions are on all days of the week except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays declared by the Exchange in advance. [6] History The Bombay Stock Exchange is the oldest exchange in Asia. It traces its history to the 1850s, when 4 Gujarati and 1 Parsi stockbroker would gather under banyan trees in front of Mumbai's Town Hall.The location of these meetings changed many times, as the number of brokers constantly increased. The group eventually moved to Dalal Street in 1874 and in 1875 became an official organization known as ‘The Native Share ; Stock Brokers Association'. In 1956, the BSE became the first stock exchange to be recognized by the Indian Government under the Securities Contracts Regulation Act. The Bombay Stock Exchange developed the BSE Sensex in 1986, giving the BSE a means to measure overall performance of the exchange. In 2000 the BSE used this index to open its derivatives market, trading Sensex futures contracts.The development of Sensex options along with equity derivatives followed in 2001 and 2002, expanding the BSE's trading platform. Historically an open outcry floor trading The Phiroze Jeejeebhoy exchange, the Bombay Stock Exchange switched to an electronic trading system Towers house the Bombay in 1995. It took the exchange only fifty days to make this transition. This Stock Exchange since 1980. automated, screen-based trading platform called BSE On-line trading (BOLT) currently has a capacity of 80 lakh orders per day. The BSE has also introduced the world's first centralized exchange-based internet trading system, BSEWEBx. o. in to enable investors anywhere in the world to trade on the BSE platform. [7]. The BSE is currently housed in Phiroze Jeejeebhoy Towers at Dalal Street, Fort area.Timeline Following is the timeline on the rise and rise of the S ensex through Indian stock market history. 1830's Business on corporate stocks and shares in Bank and Cotton presses started in Bombay. 1860-1865 Cotton price bubble as a result of the American Civil War 1870 – 90's Sharp increase in share prices of jute industries followed by a boom in tea stocks and coal 1978-79 Base year of Sensex, defined to be 100. †¦wikipedia. rg/†¦/Bombay_Stock_Exch†¦ 2/6 9/27/2010 Bombay Stock Exchange – Wikipedia, th†¦ 1986 Sensex first compiled[8] using a market Capitalization-Weighted methodology for 30 component stocks representing well-established companies across key sectors. 30 October 2006 The Sensex on October 30, 2006 crossed the magical figure of 13,000 and closed at 13,024. 26 points, up 117. 45 points or 0. 9%. It took 135 days for the Sensex to move from 12,000 to 13,000 and 123 days to move from 12,500 to 13,000. 5 December 2006 The Sensex on December 5, 2006 crossed the 14,000-mark to touch 14,028 points.It t ook 36 days for the Sensex to move from 13,000 to the 14,000 mark. 6 July 2007 The Sensex on July 6, 2007 crossed the magical figure of 15,000 to touch 15,005 points in afternoon trade. It took seven months for the Sensex to move from 14,000 to 15,000 points. 19 September 2007 The Sensex scaled yet another milestone during early morning trade on September 19, 2007. Within minutes after trading began, the Sensex crossed 16,000, rising by 450 points from the previous close. The 30-share Bombay Stock Exchange's sensitive index took 53 days to reach 16,000 from 15,000. Nifty also touched a new high at 4659, up 113 points.The Sensex finally ended with a gain of 654 points at 16,323. The NSE Nifty gained 186 points to close at 4,732. 26 September 2007 The Sensex scaled yet another height during early morning trade on September 26, 2007. Within minutes after trading began, the Sensex crossed the 17,000-mark . Some profit taking towards the end, saw the index slip into red to 16,887  œ down 187 points from the day's high. The Sensex ended with a gain of 22 points at 16,921. 9 October 2007 The BSE Sensex crossed the 18,000-mark on October 9, 2007. It took just 8 days to cross 18,000 points from the 17,000 mark.The index zoomed to a new all-time intra-day high of 18,327. It finally gained 789 points to close at an all-time high of 18,280. The market set several new records including the biggest single day gain of 789 points at close, as well as the largest intra-day gains of 993 points in absolute term backed by frenzied buying after the news of the UPA and Left meeting on October 22 put an end to the worries of an impending election. 15 October 2007 The Sensex crossed the 19,000-mark backed by revival of funds-based buying in blue chip stocks in metal, capital goods and refinery sectors.The index gained the last 1,000 points in just four trading days. The index touched a fresh all-time intra-day high of 19,096, and finally ended with a smart gain of 640 points at 19,059. The Nifty gained 242 points to close at 5,670. 29 October 2007 The Sensex crossed the 20,000 mark on the back of aggressive buying by funds ahead of the US Federal Reserve meeting. The index took only 10 trading days to gain 1,000 points after the index crossed the 19,000-mark on October 15. The major drivers of today's rally were index heavyweights Larsen and Toubro, Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and SBI among others.The 30-share index spurted in the last five minutes of trade to fly-past the crucial level and scaled a new intra-day peak at 20,024. 87 points before ending at its fresh closing high of 19,977. 67, a gain of 734. 50 points. The NSE Nifty rose to a record high 5,922. 50 points before ending at 5,905. 90, showing a hefty gain of 203. 60 points. 8 January 2008 The sensex peaks. It crossed the 21,000 mark in intra-day trading after 49 trading sessions. This was backed by high market confidence of increased FII investment and strong corporate results for the third quarter.However, it later fell back due to profit booking. †¦wikipedia. org/†¦/Bombay_Stock_Exch†¦ 3/6 9/27/2010 Bombay Stock Exchange – Wikipedia, th†¦ 13 June 2008 The sensex closed below 15,200 mark, Indian market suffer with major downfall from January 21, 2008 25 June 2008 The sensex touched an intra day low of 13,731 during the early trades, then pulled back and ended up at 14,220 amidst a negative sentiment generated on the Reserve Bank of India hiking CRR by 50 bps. FII outflow continued in this week. 2 July 2008 The sensex hit an intra day low of 12,822. 0 on July 2, 2008. This is the lowest that it has ever been in the past year. Six months ago, on January 10, 2008, the market had hit an all time high of 21206. 70. This is a bad time for the Indian markets, although Reliance and Infosys continue to lead the way with mostly positive results. Bloomberg lists them as the top two gainers for the Sensex, closely followed by ICICI Bank an d ITC Ltd. 6 October 2008 The sensex closed at 11801. 70 hitting the lowest in the past 2 years. 10 October 2008 The Sensex today closed at 10527,800. 1 points down from the previous day having seen an intraday fall of as large as 1063 points. Thus, this week turned out to be the week with largest percentage fall in the SenseX 18 May 2009 After the result of 15th Indian general election Sensex gained 2100. 79 points from the previous close of 12173. 42, a record one-day gain. In the opening trade itself the Sensex evinced a 15% gain over the previous close which led to a two-hour suspension in trading. After trading resumed, the Sensex surged again, leading to a full day suspension of trading. BSE indicesFor the premier stock exchange that pioneered the securities transaction business in India, over a century of experience is a proud achievement. A lot has changed since 1875 when 318 persons by paying a then princely amount of Re. 1, became members of what today is called Bombay Sto ck Exchange Limited (BSE). Over the decades, the stock market in the country has passed through good and bad periods. The journey in the 20th century has not been an easy one. Till the decade of eighties, there was no measure or scale that could precisely measure the various ups and downs in the Indian stock market.BSE, in 1986, came out with a Stock Index-SENSEX- that subsequently became the barometer of the Indian stock market. The launch of SENSEX in 1986 was later followed up in January 1989 by introduction of BSE National Index (Base: 1983-84 = 100). It comprised 100 stocks listed at five major stock exchanges in India Mumbai, Calcutta, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Madras. The BSE National Bombay Stock Exchange Index was renamed BSE-100 Index from October 14, 1996 and since then, it is being calculated taking into consideration only the prices of stocks listed at BSE.BSE launched the dollar-linked version of BSE-100 index on May 22, 2006. With a view to provide a better representation of the increasing number of listed companies, larger market capitalization and the new industry sectors, BSE launched on 27th May, 1994 two new index series viz. , the ‘BSE200' and the ‘DOLLEX-200'. Since then, BSE has come a long way in attuning itself to the varied needs of †¦wikipedia. org/†¦/Bombay_Stock_Exch†¦ 4/6 9/27/2010 Bombay Stock Exchange – Wikipedia, th†¦ investors and market participants.In order to fulfill the need for still broader, segment-specific and sector-specific indices, BSE has continuously been increasing the range of its indices. BSE-500 Index and 5 sectoral indices were launched in 1999. In 2001, BSE launched BSE-PSU Index, DOLLEX-30 and the country's first free-float based index – the BSE TECk Index. Over the years, BSE shifted all its indices to the free-float methodology (except BSE-PSU index). BSE disseminates information on the Price-Earnings Ratio, the Price to Book Value Ratio and the Dividend Yield Perc entage on day-to-day basis of all its major indices.The values of all BSE indices are updated on real time basis during market hours and displayed through the BOLT system, BSE website and news wire agencies. All BSE Indices are reviewed periodically by the BSE Index Committee. This Committee which comprises eminent independent finance professionals frames the broad policy guidelines for the development and maintenance of all BSE indices. The BSE Index Cell carries out the day-to-day maintenance of all indices and conducts research on development of new indices. [9] Sensex correlation with emerging market indicesSensex is significantly correlated with the stock indices of other emerging markets[10][11] Awards The World Council of Corporate Governance has awarded the Golden Peacock Global CSR Award for BSE's initiatives in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The Annual Reports and Accounts of BSE for the year ended March 31, 2006 and March 31 2007 have been awarded the ICAI awards for excellence in financial reporting. The Human Resource Management at BSE has won the Asia – Pacific HRM awards for its efforts in employer branding through talent management at work, health management at work and excellence in HR through technologySee also Phiroze Jeejeebhoy Towers Clause 49 National Stock Exchange of India Companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange List of South Asian stock exchanges References 1. ^ World-exchanges. org (http://www. world-exchanges. org) 2. ^ World-exchanges. org (http://www. world-exchanges. org) 3. ^ â€Å"BSE – Key statistics† (http://www. bseindia. com/about/st_key/list_cap_raised. asp) . Bseindia. com. http://www. bseindia. com/about/st_key/list_cap_raised. asp. Retrieved 2010-08-26. 4. ^ World Federation of Exchanges (2007) (http://www. world-exchanges. rg/publications/EQU1107. pdf) â€Å"World †¦wikipedia. org/†¦/Bombay_Stock_Exch†¦ 5/6 9/27/2010 Bombay Stock Exchange – Wikipedia, th†¦ 5 . 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Federation of Exchanges (2007)† ^ BSE website, (http://www. bseindia. com/about/st_key/list_cap_raised. asp) â€Å"Listing and Capital Raised† ^ Market Hours, Bombay Stock Exchange via Wikinvest ^ â€Å"BSEIndia† (http://www. bseindia. com/about/tech. asp) . BSEIndia. http://www. bseindia. com/about/tech. asp. Retrieved 2010-07-28. ^ â€Å"BSEIndia† (http://www. bseindia. com/about/abindices/bse30. asp) .BSEIndia. 2003-09-01. http://www. bseindia. com/about/abindices/bse30. asp. Retrieved 2010-07-28. ^ â€Å"BSEIndia† (http://www. bseindia. com/about/abindices/preface. asp) . BSEIndia. http://www. bseindia. com/about/abindices/preface. asp. Retrieved 2010-08-26. ^ â€Å"BSE SENSEX Index Chart – Yahoo! Finance† (http://finance. yahoo. com/echarts? s=%5EBSESN#chart1:symbol=^bsesn;range=my;compare=^gspc+eww+ewy;indicator=volume;charttype=line;cros shair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=on;source=undefined) . Finance. yahoo. com. http://finance. yahoo. com/echarts? =%5EBSESN#chart1:symbol=^bsesn;range=my;compare=^gspc+eww+ewy;indicator=volume;charttype=line;cros shair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=on;source=undefined. Retrieved 2010-07-28. ^ http://www. reutersindia. net/ Asia Technical Analysis with Phil Smith External links Official website (http://www. bseindia. com/) BSE to launch Sensex Futures in US (http://birlaa. com/2008/04/04/bse-to-launch-sensex-futures-trading-inus/) The Evolution Of Indian Stock Market (http://shareskool. com/articles/ViewArticle. inf? article=The+Evolution+Of+Indian+Stock+Market;article_Id=1) Retrieved from â€Å"http://en. ikipedia. org/wiki/Bombay_Stock_Exchange† Categories: Bombay Stock Exchange | Companies established in 1875 | Stock exchanges in India | Stock exchanges in Asia | Companies based in Mumbai This page was last modified on 25 September 2010 at 00:14. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of Use for details. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. , a non-profit organization. †¦wikipedia. org/†¦/Bombay_Stock_Exch†¦ 6/6

Technical Writing Definition and Observations

Technical writing is a specialized form of exposition: that is, written communication done on the job, especially in fields with specialized vocabularies, such as science, engineering, technology, and the health sciences. Along with business writing, technical writing is often subsumed under the heading of professional communication. About Technical Writing The Society for Technical Communication (STC) offers this definition of technical writing: the process of gathering information from experts and presenting it to an audience in a clear, easily understandable form. It can take the form of writing an instruction manual for software users or detailed specifications for an engineering project—and myriad other types of writing in technical, medicine, and science fields. In an influential article published in 1965, Webster Earl Britton concluded that the essential characteristic of technical writing is the effort of the author to convey one meaning and only one meaning in what he says. Characteristics of Technical Writing Here are its main characteristics: Purpose:  Getting something done within an organization (completing a project, persuading a customer, pleasing your boss, etc.)Your knowledge of the topic:  Usually greater than that of the readerAudience:  Often several people, with differing technical backgroundsCriteria for evaluation:  Clear and simple organization of ideas, in a format that meets the needs of busy readersStatistical and graphic support:  Frequently used to explain existing conditions and to present alternative courses of action   Differences Between Tech and Other Types of Writing   The Handbook of Technical Writing describes the crafts goal this way: The goal of  technical writing  is to enable readers to use a technology or understand a process or concept. Because the subject matter is more important than the writers  voice, technical writing  style  uses an objective, not a subjective,  tone. The writing style is direct and utilitarian, emphasizing exactness and  clarity  rather than elegance or allusiveness. A technical writer uses  figurative language  only when a  figure of speech  would facilitate understanding. Mike Markel notes in Technical Communication, The biggest difference between technical communication and the other kinds of writing you have done is that technical communication has a somewhat different focus on  audience  and  purpose. In Technical Writing, Presentational Skills, and Online Communication, computer science professor Raymond Greenlaw notes that the writing style in  technical writing is  more prescriptive than in creative writing. In technical writing, we are not so much concerned about entertaining the audience as we are about conveying specific information to our readers in a concise and precise manner. Careers Study People can study technical writing in college or technical school, though a student doesnt have to earn a full degree in the field for the skill to be useful in his or her job. Employees in technical fields who have good communication skills can learn on the job through feedback from their team members as they work on projects, supplementing their work experience through taking occasional targeted courses to further develop their skills. Knowledge of the field and its specialized vocabulary is the most important piece for technical writers, just as in other niche writing areas, and can command a paid premium over generalist writers. Sources Gerald J. Alred, et al., Handbook of Technical Writing. Bedford/St. Martins, 2006.Mike Markel, Technical Communication. 9th ed. Bedford/St. Martins, 2010.William Sanborn Pfeiffer, Technical Writing: A Practical Approach. Prentice-Hall, 2003.