A Must-See for Engineers: When to Write a Technical Article and Tips for Keeping the Message Going
Introduction
Hello everyone! I’m Siddhant, an engineer involved in building Cloud Development Environments at Gitpod, working remotely from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. If you’d like to know more about my background and my journey so far, feel free to click the note below:
Now, let’s get down to business. Writing technical articles is a valuable skill that can significantly boost your engineering career. However, with our busy lives, continuing to write articles after starting them can be challenging. I used to struggle with this myself. In this article, I’ll share my experiences and tips that have helped me post technical articles consistently every day for over two weeks. This guide is particularly for beginners who want to start writing technical articles and those who have started but felt frustrated in the middle. I hope you find it helpful.
Main Target Audience
- Those who want to start writing technical articles.
- Those who have started once but have been frustrated in the middle.
Why Write Technical Articles?
Before you start writing, ask yourself why you’re writing an article. Maybe it’s to share technology, build a career, or gain personal understanding. When you have a clear purpose, it’s easier to stay motivated. For me, the three main reasons for writing technical articles are:
1. Sharing Learning: To share the knowledge and experiences I gain.
2. Practicing Output-Based Learning: To reinforce my learning through teaching.
3. Life Logging: To keep a record of my achievements and progress.
When to Write a Technical Article?
The best time to write a technical article varies for each person, and it’s crucial to protect the confidentiality of your work. Here are the three key points I follow for writing technical articles:
1. During Work
2. After Work
3. Weekends
(1) During Work
This is the most significant point. Draft a technical article as if you were taking notes of error messages and information you refer to while dealing with technical issues during work. Note the details of the problem, the errors encountered, your research, and the URLs of referenced articles. This log will be invaluable when writing detailed technical articles later. The goal during work is to jot down logs, not to create the full text of the article or structure sentences.
(2) After Work
Technical Article Title: Decide on a rough title first to clarify the goal of the article, guiding the entire piece.
Headline Construction: Set headings to shape the general outline of the article. Common headings include “Introduction,” “Error Content,” “Research,” “Solution,” and “Summary.”
Organize Log Information: Arrange the collected log information according to the headings, making the article easy for readers to follow.
Enrichment of Content: Add necessary details like reference links or screenshots to make the article more specific and compelling.
Reduction of Information: Finally, remove excess information, check for typographical errors, preview, and release the article if there are no issues.
(3) Weekends
Weekends are ideal for writing technical articles because you have more time. I try to catch up with new technologies and write about them. I also proofread, re-edit, and add to the content I have written if needed. Using social media to share your articles can also help increase their reach.
Short, Frequent Writing Lowers the Bar for Release
Not only long articles are valuable. Even short articles, around 100 words, can help readers with error resolutions and technical tips. While striving for perfection is good, it’s not realistic to achieve 100% perfection every time. Releasing articles at 40–60% perfection is a valid strategy. Regularly sharing information at your own pace is essential to keep providing value to a broader audience.
Rejoice, but Not Mourn
Not all articles will be well received. Some might get a lot of likes, while others might not. It’s important not to dwell on the response and keep moving forward. Initially, it might be challenging to get “likes,” but it’s crucial to continue providing valuable content. Your efforts will eventually pay off, and your articles will reach and impact readers positively.
Searching for Stories
Material for technical articles can be found in your daily work. The process of error solving, learning new technologies, and attempts to improve business operations are excellent topics. Use gap times, like commuting, to develop ideas.
Actions After Writing
After publishing an article, share it on social media to reach more readers. Feedback from readers can help improve your future articles. This is an area I personally need to improve on, but it’s incredibly beneficial.
What Was the Most Effective (Summary of Points)
The key takeaway is to address technical issues encountered during work and take notes on solutions and helpful information in real time. This habit is the foundation for efficiently recording information and formalizing it later as an article. By immediately noting insights and solutions gained during work, you can create useful content while quickly responding to technical challenges.
Thank you for reading this article! For more tips and insights on security and log analysis, follow me on Twitter @Siddhant_K_code and stay updated with more tech content.
You can checkout my Technical articles on Dev.to
