Re:Ask HN: How to write a good technical article?
by bruce511 on Sunday June 21, 2020 @04:54AM
(#23590783)
The key to writing well (code or text) is to understand that most of what you write must be discarded.
In other words, it's not good writing that is the secret. It's good _editing_, and good _re-writing_.
For me my process is to
a) write down my thoughts in a more-or-less random order - just at a high level. Just a sentence or two.
b) organize those thoughts so they make sense "in order". Help to make those thoughts into a narrative that flows from one point to the next.
c) expand on each thought.
d) wait a bit, then re-read each bit. Edit where necessary.
e) re-read the whole - edit as necessary. (I find reading it aloud can help.)
f) loop to (b).
The more times you loop, the better the result. Like with code, it's not about how fast you write that matters. It's how elegant and polished the result that is important.
Refactoring 100 lines into 10 is painful, but the result is better. Deciding what to leave _out_ is more important than what to leave in.
Think of it like this - the writing part should take 10% of the time. The editing, and improving should take 90% of the time.
Lastly come back to the writing a month later, or 6 months, or a year, when it isn't so fresh. Read it again. And, as an exercise, edit it again. Learn from that for the next thing you write.
In other words, it's not good writing that is the secret. It's good _editing_, and good _re-writing_.
For me my process is to a) write down my thoughts in a more-or-less random order - just at a high level. Just a sentence or two.
b) organize those thoughts so they make sense "in order". Help to make those thoughts into a narrative that flows from one point to the next.
c) expand on each thought.
d) wait a bit, then re-read each bit. Edit where necessary.
e) re-read the whole - edit as necessary. (I find reading it aloud can help.)
f) loop to (b).
The more times you loop, the better the result. Like with code, it's not about how fast you write that matters. It's how elegant and polished the result that is important.
Refactoring 100 lines into 10 is painful, but the result is better. Deciding what to leave _out_ is more important than what to leave in.
Think of it like this - the writing part should take 10% of the time. The editing, and improving should take 90% of the time.
Lastly come back to the writing a month later, or 6 months, or a year, when it isn't so fresh. Read it again. And, as an exercise, edit it again. Learn from that for the next thing you write.