Ask HN: Topics for writing | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Topics for writing

7 pointsgxs6 comments

The more I progress in my career, the more I see how valuable having good communication skills can be.

As much as I hate to admit it, I see how easily it is to be brought on a project as a programmer, be told what to do, and carry it out. It is, on the other hand, much more difficult (and to some degree) much more valuable to a) have knowledge in the domain you're programming in and b) an ability to efficiently communicate this knowledge to others.

My question to all of you is: how do you improve your skills as a writer. If I were to begin a blog, for example, I wouldn't even know what to write about. And then, even if I did, I wouldn't really have an audience to provide feedback.

The only thing I can think of is taking writing classes at JC at night, but I would rather try something new.

Thanks for your input.

View on HN

I'm a professional writer and editor. I regularly hire technology experts like you to explain things to other tech experts.

There are several paths you can follow. I would start out by writing for yourself, first. That could be a blog or even a daily journal. (The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron is recommended.) At this point don't worry about what to write; just get yourself into the habit of articulating your thoughts. Nobody needs to see this, just as they don't need to see your first Hello World efforts with a new programming language. It's okay to fail. In fact, it's necessary.

Another reason to write first for yourself is to discover what you like to write and what you're good at. (Ideally these overlap!) By writing for myself, first (originally in computer user group newsletters) I taught myself how to write a product review, and if I say so myself I became damned good at it. (Well, I don't have to say so myself; these days I'm a top reviewer on Amazon, and it's just a hobby.) You might discover that you like doing "follow the bouncing ball" how-to articles, or that you find them painfully difficult. You may discover a fondness for writing round-up articles (5 bug tracking tools) or reviews of programming books. Or a really effective rant. Whatever... the point is that you should try to write in different categories.

It won't take long before you begin to recognize your writing weaknesses, even if you don't know how to fix them yet. Again, like software development: You could realize that you tend to write software with memory leaks, even if you don't know the skills to fix it yet. But seeing what needs to be improved -- at least in your own head -- is important. Because if you think you're perfect, you won't learn from others.

Only then should you start to get feedback.

Whew, this is already pretty long. Let me know if it's on the right track, and I'll keep going.

Wow this is great advice thank you. By all means, if time permits please keep going.

As as an aside, I've always suffered from a lack of "intrinsic" motivation for things - hence my desire for an audience to keep me honest so to speak. But I agree, it might be a better use of everyone's time to workout the initial kinks worked out on my own first.

Thanks again.

Okay, I'll go on for a little longer.

One thing to keep in mind is your goal in writing. There are people who want to write (or at least to have-written-something), and they don't care if the manuscript languishes in a drawer. There are folks who want to be published: to see their byline on a page. And there are people who want to earn money (ideally a living) from their writing.

All of these are fine goals. None is better than another. But you will find that writers in one category look down on those in another. Those of us who earn a living from our wordcrafting sometimes can sneer at those who would write for free, for instance. Don't let this bother you.

But _do_ pay attention to what your goals are... or how they develop. (This is something you may learn about yourself as you do your "writing just for me" process.) Because your goals, naturally, shape the manner in which you guide your own writing and related skills. That is, if you'd like to earn a bit of money from writing eventually, then you have to think in terms of getting attention from editors (cough like me), and marketing, and writing about topics that someone might pay for. If you only want to be a better writer because it'll help you become a better programmer (because it never hurts to communicate better!) that's a different set of choices.

Your already have an audience. Your co-workers at your office, start an initiative like "know PHP" or "Email writing". Send out weekly e-mailers on it. Get feedback from your boss and co-workers. You communicate and you get feedback.

Interesting idea, thanks.

I recently started my own blog and my biggest worry was finding a subject. I realized that when I write just one post I get ideas for my next one and as tempted as I get to published all in a day I try to follow my regular schedule. There are times were I spend a full week without writing but it doesn't bring me down cause I know sometimes it takes time to find the right subject.

My main reason for the blog was to improve my writing and 30 posts later I can already see the difference.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com