As coders, why do we write?

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In the programmer industry, there are relatively few people who insist on doing technical writing. After communicating with my friends, I found that most of them did not realize the benefits of writing, except for the excuse of not having time. In their opinion, simply recording the knowledge they have learned is enough for them to review it when they need it. Technical writing usually takes more time because it requires explaining the details and the ins and outs of the technology clearly.

I have to admit that this is indeed a fact. Usually, it is more difficult to explain a piece of knowledge clearly than to understand it. So why do we spend time writing? I think writing has at least the following benefits.

Improve your knowledge level

Bloom, an American educational psychologist, divides knowledge cognition into two dimensions, among which the cognitive process dimension is divided into six levels, namely: memory, understanding, application, analysis, evaluation, and creation. As shown in the figure below, the higher the level, the deeper the mastery of knowledge.

For writers, in the process of writing, because they need to express knowledge accurately, they often have to explore the details of knowledge again. In this process, writers may find that their views are not clear, and through secondary learning, they can make their understanding more complete. Writers may also find errors in their own views and correct their own misinterpretations. After going through this process, the degree of mastery of the knowledge they write about is usually raised to a higher level.

I have experienced this improvement process every time I write technical articles. Therefore, I often regard writing as a way of learning. This way of learning is more in-depth and more effective than ordinary learning methods. Of course, it also takes more time.

Improve expression and communication skills

As a programmer, most of the time you spend working in front of a computer. Many people also like to be a tech geek on weekends, staying at home to surf the Internet, watch movies, or play games. Long hours in front of machines can cause our language expression ability to decline greatly. Writing is a good opportunity for us to practice our expression ability.

After writing for a long time, you will pay more attention to the language you use in daily communication. Your words will be more precise and your expressions will be more vivid. As your expression ability improves, your communication efficiency will also improve.

Accept communications and feedback from readers

When your article is published on a blog or InfoQ website, you will then get the third benefit of writing: communication and feedback from readers. A good article usually attracts some readers to respond. By communicating with readers, you can reap the following benefits:

Feedback on errors: Although I learned from my writing, it is inevitable that I make mistakes. Writing exposes your thoughts completely, and readers with good skills can point out the errors in your articles, which will help you understand the knowledge more accurately. Many of my blog posts have some minor errors. Through readers' feedback, I quickly corrected the errors and improved my skills.

Make friends: A person who is willing to share is always more popular than a silent person. So through writing, you can make many friends who are willing to share like you.

Learn more relevant information: Some readers will reply: "Xinhua framework also uses this technical solution", or "Your implementation is not as good as another Xinhua open source solution". This information, as a supplement to the knowledge points of your current article, enables you to learn more relevant materials and improve your knowledge again.

Influence

When you keep writing for more than a year, you will gradually gain influence. At this time, you will also receive invitations to share at technical conferences, invitations to write for publishing houses, job invitations from famous Internet companies, and even invitations to become a partner in entrepreneurial projects. You have more opportunities than those who don't share. Of course, your technical views will be accepted by more people, and you will also gain the joy of passing on knowledge.

Conclusion

In the writing process, you will reap the benefits of improving your level of knowledge and enhancing your ability to express and communicate.

At the end of the writing process, you will reap the benefits of getting feedback on errors, meeting new people, and learning more about the content.

If you keep writing for a while, you will reap the joy of influence and passing on knowledge.

In addition, Liu Weipeng, the author of "Dark Time", also summarized many benefits of writing in his article, which you can also take a look at.

After reading so many benefits of writing, are you tempted? Then quickly create a blog and start your technical writing journey!