Summary: When analyzing user interface logs or parsing backend errors, it’s tempting to look for a ‘story’ inside every response. But sometimes, there simply is none. Not every block of data hides a rich narrative waiting to be unearthed. If you’re reviewing an output like a JSON error message stating there’s an insufficient account balance, fishing for a storyline is a waste of time and energy. Let’s walk through what this kind of data actually means—and importantly, what it doesn’t.
Parsing the Message: “There Is No Story”
The statement that sparked this post—”There is no story to extract or rewrite in the provided text”—lays down a hard boundary. It’s the kind that frustrates content creators who are trained to sniff out emotion, conflict, or transformation in every line of text. But here, we’re dealing with a JSON structure. No character arc. No stakes. No progression. Just this: a system output returning an error code about an account balance that’s too low.
Trying to rewrite that as a story is like trying to turn a bank receipt into a novel. You can manufacture drama—but it’s not authentic. And your audience, if they’re technically literate, will smell the fakery a mile away. So the most honest route? Respect the source format and the nature of the information it reveals.
What JSON Error Messages Are—and Aren’t
Let’s clarify what we’re working with. A well-structured JSON output is a data object. It’s tightly scoped: keys, values, often some nested structure. In this case, it looks something like:
{
"error": {
"message": "Insufficient account balance",
"code": 403
}
}
That response is domestic, utilitarian, and brutally honest. It wasn’t written to inspire. It wasn’t crafted for empathy. It was built for precision and clarity. It’s a system telling a human or another system exactly what went wrong and why. And there’s value in acknowledging it for what it is—a piece of logic, not prose.
The Trap of Over-Interpretation
Many marketers fall into the trap of over-interpreting every message. They think every click, every error, every fragmented sentence wants to be a story. That’s not commitment to authenticity—it’s desperation for narrative where none exists. The sharpest communicators know when silence is more honest than spin.
If you’re reading an error log and asking, “What’s the story here?”—you’re asking the wrong question. The right question is, “What’s the problem this message is trying to solve?” Is it a permissions issue? Is it friction in the user’s financial flow? Is their payment method outdated? When you start thinking like an engineer, not a novelist, you’ll start serving your end-user better.
Error Messages Can Trigger a Story—But Aren’t a Story
Let’s be careful with distinctions. That error message? It’s not a story. But it can lead to a story. Once a user sees “insufficient account balance,” their behavior might change. Maybe that error interrupts a real purchase. Maybe it creates frustration. Maybe it even makes them churn. Now you have a user journey to analyze, a conversion path to optimize. That’s the story. Not the error message itself, but its ripple effects.
So the question becomes: How does this specific output impact the human on the other end? Is it explained clearly enough for them to act? Can they fix it within five seconds? Those are actionable insights. The JSON code isn’t content—it’s a breadcrumb in the bigger structure. That’s where marketers should focus their attention.
Precision Over Pretending
Marketing should never insult intelligence. When we pretend a blunt error message is poetic, we disrespect the people on both ends: the engineers who wrote concise code, and the users who just want a fix. Good UX writing acknowledges the tension between necessary detail and emotional resonance. But getting that balance right does not mean injecting meaning where none exists.
Instead, take the bluntness at face value. Translate the system language into user-friendly steps. Help your user recover. Make your support documentation tighter. Empathize with the user’s frustration, not the data structure’s feelings—it doesn’t have any. Never forget: empathy belongs with people, not syntax.
Rewriting Nothing Is Sometimes the Right Move
Professional communicators often feel the pressure to fill space. But if you’re handed a message that doesn’t contain emotional tension, a lesson, or change—it’s okay to leave it be. You’re not lazy; you’re accurate. Rewriting noise into meaning is fiction. And unless your title says “novelist,” your duty is to clarity.
Sometimes, writing nothing—or just explaining the function of the data—is the strongest move. It confirms what people already suspect: Not everything is a drama. Sometimes, an error is just an error, and it means exactly what it says. The courage to sit with that kind of simplicity is rare. But your audience? They’ll feel relieved that someone finally told the straight truth.
Final Thought: Telling the Right Stories at the Right Time
Let’s zoom out. If your objective is to bring value to your readers, be careful not to invent drama. Instead, focus on real tension, real stakes, and real consequences. The JSON message is a diagnostic tool. It’s the symptom, not the disease. The disease might lie in the payment system, the user interface, or the onboarding flow. That’s where your narrative belongs. Point the camera there.
In other words, respect the text, but follow the impact. That’s where the real story lives—and that’s where your readers are waiting.
#UXWriting #B2BMarketing #TechnicalCommunication #ClearMessaging #HumanCenteredDesign #NoStoryHere #ErrorLogsAreNotDrama #MarketingWithTruth #HonestCopywriting
Featured Image courtesy of Unsplash and Ilya Semenov (6uFROinaC3g)
