Summary: Not every string of text qualifies as a story. Sometimes what we face is not narrative, but raw instruction — cold, factual, and transactional. A good example of this is when software returns structured data instead of prose. Let’s explore the reality of a commonly misunderstood situation: mistaking error-handling code, like a JSON response, for a piece of storytelling. Understanding why this confusion happens can sharpen our communication, especially for professionals dealing with content, software, or marketing across business and tech landscapes.
What Are We Actually Looking At?
When someone refers to a “text” and expects to distill a story from it, they are usually talking about written language with characters, conflict, consequence, and context. But when a response consists of structured data like this:
{
"error": "Insufficient account balance."
}
It’s not a story. It’s a technical response — a piece of communication between a machine and a user or developer. It wasn’t written to entertain, persuade, or inform in a humanistic way. It’s meant to instruct. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Why This Mistaken Identity Happens
Sometimes people confuse data with narrative. That’s understandable. We’re wired to find meaning and story in everything. But software doesn’t speak in stories. It speaks in commands, responses, and exceptions. Error messages like the one above are part of a larger system of interaction where no character arc exists. There is no protagonist. No problem to overcome. No resolution.
So how does this confusion pop up? Usually in marketing, documentation, or educational content where expectations get blurred. Someone either sees a block of text and assumes there’s a story — or they’ve been told to “rewrite” something and apply narrative structure where none exists. Doing that with a JSON object makes about as much sense as trying to put character development into a balance sheet. Wrong tool. Wrong job.
What a JSON Error Message Really Is
To put it plainly, JSON — JavaScript Object Notation — is a format. It structures data so machines can talk to each other. The snippet you’re looking at is most likely a server response telling the user or another system: “Something went wrong. You want to take an action that requires money or credit, but your account doesn’t have enough.”
That’s not a story. That’s a brake. A warning. A signal to halt a transaction because the preconditions are not met. It’s like trying to start a car without keys — the dashboard tells you what’s wrong, but it’s not narrating your life. It’s just saying: Stop. Fix this. Then try again.
Trying to Rewrite It as a Story? Wrong Move.
When a task says “extract and rewrite a story” from a JSON block like this, the correct answer is: There is no story to extract, and no rewriting makes sense. Anything created from it would be a fiction invented by the responder. That violates the principle of clear, trustworthy communication — not to mention it muddies the chain of command between human and software. And once communication stops being clear, bad decisions follow.
You’re not asked to be creative here; you’re asked to be accurate. This is a pivotal difference — especially for people in marketing or product communication. Honesty about what something is — and isn’t — builds authority and trust. If everything is told like a story, soon, nothing can be taken at face value.
Who Needs to Understand This — and Why?
This matters for technical writers, marketing strategists, UX designers, content developers, and product managers. Also, customer service teams who interface between product teams and users. If you don’t recognize a JSON error message for what it is, you either waste time crafting explanations that don’t solve the issue — or worse — mislead someone into thinking there’s more nuance than actually exists.
Understanding your mediums and their intent is basic craftsmanship. Would you try to write poetry on a spreadsheet? No. You’d use words in the sheet to inform and instruct. Same here.
What Should You Do Instead?
Here’s where we apply strategic empathy and a bit of Chris Voss’s wisdom: ask a better question. Point-blank: “What outcome are we trying to achieve with this response?” Follow up with a mirror: “So you’re looking for a story… from a technical error?” That repetition of expectations can drag the real question out of someone — and that’s where true solutions begin.
If someone asks you to rewrite a JSON error, it may sound like a silly request — but maybe they’re frustrated because the error is vague or lacks clarity. That’s a legitimate concern. Redirect the conversation: “Are you looking to make the error message more user-friendly instead?” That question invites clarity and shows you’re engaged. From there, you can craft plain-language explanations of what the problem is, why it matters, and what the user can do about it—without pretending it’s a story from a fairytale book.
Closing Thoughts: Respect the Form
Amateur communicators force formats to fit their habits. Professionals adjust their tactics to fit the medium. JSON isn’t a storytelling tool. It’s a communication protocol. If your job involves interpreting user-facing content, then learn when you’re reading data – not prose. That precision will position you as a smart, clear-headed practitioner who respects truth and communicates with integrity.
Remember: not everything that looks like text is meant to be read like a narrative. Some things are simply meant to be understood — and then acted on.
#TechnicalCommunication #JSONErrors #ClearMessaging #UXWriting #SoftwareUX #MarketingClarity #ChrisVossInfluence #CommunicateWithPrecision
Featured Image courtesy of Unsplash and MeSSrro (CEvXp7efAzY)
