This paper defines technical writing as writing about subjects in the sciences in which the writer informs the reader through an objective presentation of facts. The emphasis in the definition is on three aspects of writing: the writer's subject; the writer's purpose; and the writer's attitude. A stanza from Shelley's "To a Skylark" and the entry for "Skylark" from an ornithology handbook provide a contrast which illustrates the difference between technical writing and writing for an artistic purpose. (TS)