8 things writing has taught me since I wrote my first blog post in 2008
Writing to me started as a nice little hobby in 2008. It was simple, fun to do, and relaxing. I had no niche — I didn’t even know that word existed and wrote pretty much what was happening to me during my university years.
As I became a software engineer and started reading engineering blogs, the need for super-professional, polished, original stories slowly crept up on me. It was frustrating that every time I wanted to write about something, it turned out that the article already existed.
Thanks to this mentality, between 2013 and 2020, I wrote 14 articles. 2+ articles a year. Wow.
Then in 2021, after spending more time in the tech writing community and learning a lot about writing, I wrote another 39 articles between 2021 and 2022. Almost three times the amount I’ve written before.
So here’s what I learned:
#1 Don’t worry about being original
We connect with people based on their tone, interpretation, or seeing an idea — that we might have heard before — unfold through their story. This is what connects us to the writer.
#2 Where you write does matter
For a long time, I thought a self-hosted blog was the only (legit) option for tech folks like me. You made your templates, figured out the hosting, bought the domain, and that was your dev blogger starter kit. Now you’re a real tech buddy.
Except nobody reads your blog.
Because no matter how hard you try with custom solutions, unless it’s something you want to showcase to future clients or your next employee if no one actually sees your blog, there’s little point to it.
#3 SEO does matter
Especially true for tech blogs. While there’s a little chance someone will stumble upon this blog by googling ”what a random guy learned in 15 years while writing” for tech articles like ”How to solve X with Y” it makes perfect sense.
Some platforms, such as Medium or Hashnode, have crazy domain authority and can rank your articles (already optimized for SEO) even higher in searches.
#4 Having fun makes the process easier
When I hit the platitude in writing between 2013 and 2020 was the same period when I tried to write those perfect articles.
But because it was super hard to do and I set the bar high, I spent the time tweaking my blog instead of writing.
Moving from self-hosted to social blogs such as Medium or Hashnode, which offer little customization, forced me to write and connect with others.
Writing as part of a community where others try to make it is a fun and motivating experience.
#5 Not everything needs to be monetized directly
Some platforms allow you to monetize right off the bat, but this shouldn’t be the main reason for you to write.
Most opportunities I got, or the paid gigs I landed, were thanks to my tech blog with 100% free articles.
#6 Self-improvement
What really holds you back from writing is friction.
Your head is full of ideas. It’s the how and when that prevents you from organizing those ideas into a blog.
There’s no silver bullet to this other than a simple exercise called writing.
You’ll discover that the more you write, the clearer you think.
And the clearer you think, the more you write.
#7 Simplicity over tools
Integrate several apps, run subscriptions for each, and be super effective — or at least that’s the promise.
I write in Apple Notes because it has almost zero friction.
It syncs with my phone and laptop, so no matter which device I have with me, I’m ready to take notes.
Now you might say, but Notion syncs well, yeah, but it takes time to load. If you have OCD like me, you first want to find the correct folder or page where you make your note, etc. And whoosh, there goes your idea.
#8 Publish over Perfect
I timebox all my activities. I started writing this blog post at exactly 7 AM and will work on the first draft through 8 AM.
Then I’m letting it soak, and maybe this afternoon or tomorrow, I will edit it and then hit Publish.
No second thoughts, no ”is this good enough”. None of that matters.
Publish or delete.
As most things around us are unoriginal, I hope this post taught you something you have never heard before, or at least never from this perspective.
What has writing taught you? Let me know in the comments.
I sincerely appreciate the time you spent reading my blog.
Thank you!
