Discovering the imaginative capability of technology writers: Its indicators, roots, and cultivation

•To explore the imaginative capabilities of technology writers.•The results indicated 10 indicators of imaginative capability.•We identified 8 roots of imaginative capability.•We also identified 9 methods for cultivating this capability.

Extant research regarding writer imagination is scant, which suggests that additional studies would be beneficial. The aim of this study was to explore the indicators, roots, and cultivation of the imaginative capabilities of technology writers. For the purpose of this study, we analyzed 6 renowned case writers in Taiwan through in-depth interviews. The results indicated 10 indicators of imaginative capability, which concurred with the results of previous research. We also identified 8 roots of imaginative capability, in which personality traits emerged as the most decisive root for technology writers, whereas the other roots can be purposively nurtured or can be developed as the writer becomes socially mature. In addition, we identified 9 methods for cultivating this capability, which can be categorized into information internalization and self-disciplined engagement. The results of this study provide an understanding of how technology writers’ imaginative capability can be assessed, and contribute insights into the complexities that various roots endow upon diverse imaginative capabilities through the use of distinct methods of cultivation.