Technical Communication Quarterly Jul 2014

Craft and Narrative in DIY Instructions

Derek Van Ittersum Kent State University

Abstract

Abstract This article examines tutorials from the Web site, Instructables.com, to highlight the rhetorical possibilities of including personal narratives in instructions. The narratives in these tutorials offer detailed accounts of their authors' experiences when constructing their projects, thereby functioning as accounts of the authors' craft knowledge. Pitched to amateur hobbyists, rather than the professional audiences of many forms of conventional technical communication, these tutorials offer new ways of teaching craft knowledge and techniques. Keywords: amateurcraftinstructionsmotivationnarrative Additional informationNotes on contributorsDerek Van Ittersum Derek Van Ittersum is an assistant professor of English at Kent State University, where he teaches in the Literacy, Rhetoric, and Social Practice graduate program. His research examines new writing technologies and innovative writing practices.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2014-07-01
DOI
10.1080/10572252.2013.798466
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Topics
rhetorical criticism teacher development technical communication literacy studies editorial matter
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (21)

  1. Jones et al. (2025)
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  2. Baker (2020)
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  3. Stephens et al. (2020)
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  5. Lam et al. (2019)
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  6. (2019)
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  7. Edenfield et al. (2019)
    Queering Tactical Technical Communication: DIY HRT
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  8. Gallagher et al. (2019)
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  9. Carradini (2018)
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  10. Warner et al. (2017)
    Technical Communication Coaching: A Strategy for Instilling Reader Usability As…
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  11. Kimball (2017)
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  12. Peter (2017)
    “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom”: Jihadist Tactical Technical Communica…
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  13. Kimball (2017)
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  14. Pflugfelder (2017)
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CrossRef global citation count: 30 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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