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Ask HN: Good resources on learning how to write

by jayfk on 10/19/20, 12:14 AM with 6 comments

Are there any good resources available to write high quality technical content (tutorials/how tos/blog posts)?

I wrote a couple of pieces here and there but I always had the feeling of getting stuck in the middle of the article, making it a tough grind to actually finish it.

How have you learned to produce good educational content? Are there any good resources available?

  • by maverickJ on 10/20/20, 12:44 AM

    The following books below might be of help to you.

    1. First You Write a Sentence by Joe Moran - https://amzn.to/3m2Hq8N

    2. Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose - https://amzn.to/3dEXY3M

    3. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King - https://amzn.to/3mfLFhF

    In terms of technical content, there is a course for technical writers on pluralsight - https://www.pluralsight.com/courses/technical-writing-softwa...

  • by bayareamaverick on 10/28/20, 1:21 AM

    For technical content writing, here's a collection of some good articles - https://weavrboards.com/devrel/board/developing-content-for-...

    In general, for me a good approach has been with this '3S framework':

      1. Support - Write content that educates or supports in a timely fashion
  2. Sources - Parse through the discussions in domain specific sources (forums and communities) to get a pulse of what to write 
  3. Segmentation - Finalize on the stage of the user/developer journey (beginner, intermediate or an expert)

  • by st1x7 on 10/19/20, 10:45 AM

    Google have a couple of good courses on technical writing - https://developers.google.com/tech-writing

  • by cac1 on 10/19/20, 3:22 AM

    Epiphany WorkFlow for the Mac is about collecting ideas, organizing ideas, and referring to ideas while writing. It won't help you WRITE, but it will reduce the laborious overhead that gets in the way of writing.

  • by znpy on 10/19/20, 12:25 AM

    Of you're writing non fiction, I recommend "On writing well". It's an acclaimed book on the subject.

    It's been around for a while, you can get an used copy for a few bucks.

  • by caseyscottmckay on 10/19/20, 7:43 PM

    The Elements of Style, Woe is I