Ask HN: How do you find motivation to write blog posts?
When I'm in a discussion or commenting on an article, I always think to myself, I should write a blog post around this... but I never end up doing it. Does anyone have this problem? Any advice?
12 comments
One thing that bewilders me is the time commitment to writing a blog article. It seems like a lot of these high-profile developers are churning out blog posts. It takes a lot of time to write anything meaningful and coherent. It requires research and experimentation. The time to do so just isn't easy to materialize out of a busy and occupied schedule.
I would love it if developers that wrote blog posts wrote, "Don't worry, if this seems magical, it isn't. I spend weeks figuring it out and writing this all out took several days!"
My advice, to myself and you is, just open textedit/notepad, and start writing! Add a little bit and keep revising until it's publishable. It will take weeks/months but I don't think anyone will care.
I would love it if developers that wrote blog posts wrote, "Don't worry, if this seems magical, it isn't. I spend weeks figuring it out and writing this all out took several days!"
My advice, to myself and you is, just open textedit/notepad, and start writing! Add a little bit and keep revising until it's publishable. It will take weeks/months but I don't think anyone will care.
> "It seems like a lot of these high-profile developers are churning out blog posts"
So true, the art of blogging has literally become an industry, where monetisation and consistency is valued over quality.
> ""Don't worry, if this seems magical, it isn't. I spend weeks figuring it out and writing this all out took several days!""
This would be an honest depiction of a technical blog article. People don't realise how much time goes into formulating code samples, diagrams and simply making it fun to read!
So true, the art of blogging has literally become an industry, where monetisation and consistency is valued over quality.
> ""Don't worry, if this seems magical, it isn't. I spend weeks figuring it out and writing this all out took several days!""
This would be an honest depiction of a technical blog article. People don't realise how much time goes into formulating code samples, diagrams and simply making it fun to read!
If you're always able to come up with topics to write on, that itself will become an excellent motivator to write more. Maybe take a step forward and imagine how you'd feel once you publish the post—the exhilarating feeling. Awesome, right?
Initially, I used to think it's not a good idea to blog if you're not saying something new. So I tried hard to come up with topics to write on, and that process consumed most of my time. And I ended up not writing anything at all.
Later I changed the way I thought about blogging.
- Blind posts. What's obvious to you isn't obvious to others. No matter what it is about, keep writing.
- Writing is thinking. It's the best way to become aware of your biases and ignorance. A sure shot way to improve the way you think.
- New knowledge. What was the last thing you searched on the internet? Can you write about that?
Here are a few essays that have helped me get past my 'writing lethargy':
https://sivers.org/nod https://sivers.org/7 https://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2007/06/the... http://paulgraham.com/useful.html
I hope this helps. :)
Initially, I used to think it's not a good idea to blog if you're not saying something new. So I tried hard to come up with topics to write on, and that process consumed most of my time. And I ended up not writing anything at all.
Later I changed the way I thought about blogging.
- Blind posts. What's obvious to you isn't obvious to others. No matter what it is about, keep writing.
- Writing is thinking. It's the best way to become aware of your biases and ignorance. A sure shot way to improve the way you think.
- New knowledge. What was the last thing you searched on the internet? Can you write about that?
Here are a few essays that have helped me get past my 'writing lethargy':
https://sivers.org/nod https://sivers.org/7 https://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2007/06/the... http://paulgraham.com/useful.html
I hope this helps. :)
Thanks mate,
These are all great points, I especially like the "What's obvious to you isn't obvious to others", seems like a great way to write about something is to write about immediately after you learn it, especially if it wasn't obvious before learning it.
Cheers
These are all great points, I especially like the "What's obvious to you isn't obvious to others", seems like a great way to write about something is to write about immediately after you learn it, especially if it wasn't obvious before learning it.
Cheers
I meant, blind spots* :)
Try break it down to smaller pieces, a 3000-words long blog post can be intimidating, you can try breaking it down to multi part or until tweet-length. Tweet each part first then slowly stitch them into a blog post
I "blog" extensively on Facebook, but not a personal blog as those are too bothersome to set up.
What I do is simply write down notes around a problem and solution and them dump the notes on a post as briefly as possible. Usually the blogging itself is minimal effort.
Another method is just "scaling" up a conversation. People often talk frequently about the same topics, like tips on how to start freelancing, how to scale up a startup, and the answers are often the same but take minutes to type up each time. For this, it's useful to just write it once and then expand in full in a blog.
I recommend not trying to keep to a regular schedule of blogging, because this will force you to write sloppy, unless you're doing constant experiments on a topic and want to post updates.
What I do is simply write down notes around a problem and solution and them dump the notes on a post as briefly as possible. Usually the blogging itself is minimal effort.
Another method is just "scaling" up a conversation. People often talk frequently about the same topics, like tips on how to start freelancing, how to scale up a startup, and the answers are often the same but take minutes to type up each time. For this, it's useful to just write it once and then expand in full in a blog.
I recommend not trying to keep to a regular schedule of blogging, because this will force you to write sloppy, unless you're doing constant experiments on a topic and want to post updates.
This is interestingly against what people usually recommend. Usually people say "create you own blog" and "keep to a regular schedule", I suppose that's to grow an audience for monetisation strategies... which isn't everyone's top priority
I think there's four things I suggest you consider.
1. Writing is thinking [1][2][3]
There are a number of articles that explain this concept better than I can here, but assuming you understand the idea, I'll continue.
The next time you're thinking about some problem, try to write your thoughts and reasoning down as notes. Your writing should be an extension of reasoning, and help formulate and refine your ideas. Whether your notes are on paper or by pixel shouldn't matter, but just get your ideas down. Next, order these ideas by logical progression: maybe one concept leads you to the next, so order them in that progression. Finally, make sure the links between each idea are not leaps in thought but rather fluid and clear progressions. Fill in the gaps as necessary.
Now you should have an outline for your article. At this point, I've found it's more or less a matter of expanding on and explaining each idea more thoroughly. Of course, the hook and conclusion are less well-defined.
For me, if it's really something I care about writing a post about, I've found I've already done the note-taking part at least. After that, the post seems to write itself.
If you don't already take notes or use writing to help you think, I recommend taking this as a first step to helping you write your blog posts. I personally prefer pen and paper, since I can still keep the mistakes around!
2. Write for yourself
Assume no one is going to read your article, at first. Write the article that you would enjoy reading, had you found it on the internet. If you chase external gratifications like writing for others' approval or maybe view counts, your consistency and follow-through will suffer. If you write for your own satisfaction, regardless of whether or not anyone will ever read it, you probably have a better chance of finishing the piece. Because it's what you really want to do! Try not to think about how many hits your article will or won't get, or whether or not people will like it. That stuff comes later.
When you write something for yourself, the care and attention you give it will definitely show. I'm sure you've heard of the idea that internal motivation is generally stronger than external kinds.
Once you've come up with something you're reasonably satisfied with, send it to your friends and family to read over and edit. Maybe ask people you respect (and trust) in the community to help you edit your posts before publication (if correctness about your ideas is something you're really worried about). Just because you wrote something for yourself does not mean it's perfect and exempt from criticism.
3. Write the poetry later
If you struggle as I do with making each sentence "perfect" before moving onto the next, know that you're not alone. But sometimes it's just best to write the ideas down, get the meat of the content written out and explained, and then come back later to frame it as a story. Maybe this is a matter of 'do as I say, and not as I do' ;)
4. Consistency is a consequence of planning
If you don't set aside time in your day to write or do your thinking, kiss your chances goodbye. Treat it like a side-project, or better yet your job, to write this blog post. Set reasonable goals for yourself, just like you would with a software project. Start small, by writing your thoughts down and ordering them like I mentioned above. Always keep in mind why you're writing the post in the first place!
I hope that helped in some way.
[1] [https://medium.learningbyshipping.com/writing-is-thinking-an...
[2] [https://boz.com/articles/writing-thinking](https://boz.com/a...
[3] [https://blog.stephsmith.io/learning-to-write-with-confidence...
1. Writing is thinking [1][2][3]
There are a number of articles that explain this concept better than I can here, but assuming you understand the idea, I'll continue.
The next time you're thinking about some problem, try to write your thoughts and reasoning down as notes. Your writing should be an extension of reasoning, and help formulate and refine your ideas. Whether your notes are on paper or by pixel shouldn't matter, but just get your ideas down. Next, order these ideas by logical progression: maybe one concept leads you to the next, so order them in that progression. Finally, make sure the links between each idea are not leaps in thought but rather fluid and clear progressions. Fill in the gaps as necessary.
Now you should have an outline for your article. At this point, I've found it's more or less a matter of expanding on and explaining each idea more thoroughly. Of course, the hook and conclusion are less well-defined.
For me, if it's really something I care about writing a post about, I've found I've already done the note-taking part at least. After that, the post seems to write itself.
If you don't already take notes or use writing to help you think, I recommend taking this as a first step to helping you write your blog posts. I personally prefer pen and paper, since I can still keep the mistakes around!
2. Write for yourself
Assume no one is going to read your article, at first. Write the article that you would enjoy reading, had you found it on the internet. If you chase external gratifications like writing for others' approval or maybe view counts, your consistency and follow-through will suffer. If you write for your own satisfaction, regardless of whether or not anyone will ever read it, you probably have a better chance of finishing the piece. Because it's what you really want to do! Try not to think about how many hits your article will or won't get, or whether or not people will like it. That stuff comes later.
When you write something for yourself, the care and attention you give it will definitely show. I'm sure you've heard of the idea that internal motivation is generally stronger than external kinds.
Once you've come up with something you're reasonably satisfied with, send it to your friends and family to read over and edit. Maybe ask people you respect (and trust) in the community to help you edit your posts before publication (if correctness about your ideas is something you're really worried about). Just because you wrote something for yourself does not mean it's perfect and exempt from criticism.
3. Write the poetry later
If you struggle as I do with making each sentence "perfect" before moving onto the next, know that you're not alone. But sometimes it's just best to write the ideas down, get the meat of the content written out and explained, and then come back later to frame it as a story. Maybe this is a matter of 'do as I say, and not as I do' ;)
4. Consistency is a consequence of planning
If you don't set aside time in your day to write or do your thinking, kiss your chances goodbye. Treat it like a side-project, or better yet your job, to write this blog post. Set reasonable goals for yourself, just like you would with a software project. Start small, by writing your thoughts down and ordering them like I mentioned above. Always keep in mind why you're writing the post in the first place!
I hope that helped in some way.
[1] [https://medium.learningbyshipping.com/writing-is-thinking-an...
[2] [https://boz.com/articles/writing-thinking](https://boz.com/a...
[3] [https://blog.stephsmith.io/learning-to-write-with-confidence...
Thanks so much for the detailed response. That's all great advice.
I especially like "1. Writing is thinking", I've always thought of blog posts to be like story-telling, but for many technical blog-posts story-telling doesn't work. I guess just explaining the idea logically is a much better approach... (I can't believe how obvious this sounds)
I especially like "1. Writing is thinking", I've always thought of blog posts to be like story-telling, but for many technical blog-posts story-telling doesn't work. I guess just explaining the idea logically is a much better approach... (I can't believe how obvious this sounds)
Simon Peyton-Jones expands on the GP's 1st point – that you don't afterwards write up your 'research' (i.e. anything you are thinking about/learning/doing etc), but before, during, after - the writing guides, informs, directs what you learn, every step of the way:
How to Write a Great Research Paper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK51E3gHENc
Most of that applies to all kinds of non-fiction writing I think. A lot of it's common-sense principles that sound obvious, but most people don't actually follow, so their writing isn't great. If you loved that, you'll also like his How To Give a Great Research Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT_-owjKIbA
Also.. Sacha Chua's wonderful No-Excuses Guide to Blogging is wise and inspiring. https://sachachua.com/sharing/pdfs/2014-02-14%20A%20No-Excus...
How to Write a Great Research Paper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK51E3gHENc
Most of that applies to all kinds of non-fiction writing I think. A lot of it's common-sense principles that sound obvious, but most people don't actually follow, so their writing isn't great. If you loved that, you'll also like his How To Give a Great Research Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT_-owjKIbA
Also.. Sacha Chua's wonderful No-Excuses Guide to Blogging is wise and inspiring. https://sachachua.com/sharing/pdfs/2014-02-14%20A%20No-Excus...
This is great advice. Thank you!