Ask HN: How to write better tech blogs
(ycombinator.com)
I have a blog but it seems most people who are with my content hardly like it.
I have a blog but it seems most people who are with my content hardly like it.
The NaNoWriMo organization is shutting down
(theverge.com)
NaNoWriMo will no longer offer its annual challenge ‘after years of financial struggle.’
NaNoWriMo will no longer offer its annual challenge ‘after years of financial struggle.’
NaNoWriMo to close after 20 years
(theguardian.com)
NaNoWriMo, the US-based nonprofit organisation that challenged people to write a novel in a month, has announced it is closing down after 20 years.
NaNoWriMo, the US-based nonprofit organisation that challenged people to write a novel in a month, has announced it is closing down after 20 years.
Markdown and the Slow Fade of the Formatting Fetish
(ia.net)
You might not have noticed, but year after year, document formats like .docx, .ppt, and pdf lose a little bit of steam. Markdown is growing over and into the old formats, slowly, and nicely, like moss on a stranded star destroyer. Notes on a revolution in slow motion.
You might not have noticed, but year after year, document formats like .docx, .ppt, and pdf lose a little bit of steam. Markdown is growing over and into the old formats, slowly, and nicely, like moss on a stranded star destroyer. Notes on a revolution in slow motion.
NaNoWriMo shut down after AI, content moderation scandals
(techcrunch.com)
NaNoWriMo, a 25-year-old online writing community-turned-nonprofit, announced on Monday evening that it is shutting down.
NaNoWriMo, a 25-year-old online writing community-turned-nonprofit, announced on Monday evening that it is shutting down.
NaNoWriMo Officially Shutting Down
(reddit.com)
We come to you today with sad news. After six years of struggling to sustain itself financially, NaNoWriMo (the nonprofit) will begin the process of shutting down.
We come to you today with sad news. After six years of struggling to sustain itself financially, NaNoWriMo (the nonprofit) will begin the process of shutting down.
In the Matter of the Commas
(theamericanscholar.org)
For the true literary stylist, this seemingly humble punctuation mark is a matter of precision, logic, individuality, and music
For the true literary stylist, this seemingly humble punctuation mark is a matter of precision, logic, individuality, and music
The Prevention of Literature (1947)
(theatlantic.com)
To write in plain, vigorous language one has to think fearlessly, and if one thinks fearlessly one cannot be politically orthodox.
To write in plain, vigorous language one has to think fearlessly, and if one thinks fearlessly one cannot be politically orthodox.
My Book's Pre-Sale Just Barely Succeeded
(mtlynch.io)
For the past few months, I’ve been working on a book called Refactoring English: Effective Writing for Software Developers.
For the past few months, I’ve been working on a book called Refactoring English: Effective Writing for Software Developers.
Open letter to graduate students and other procrastinators: it's time to write
(nature.com)
Let me begin with a hard truth. As scientists, writing is our chief activity. It can be argued that it is the only thing we do that matters. It is the singular activity that you as a young scientist partake in that will raise your salary.
Let me begin with a hard truth. As scientists, writing is our chief activity. It can be argued that it is the only thing we do that matters. It is the singular activity that you as a young scientist partake in that will raise your salary.
How to write blog posts that developers read
(refactoringenglish.com)
I recently spoke to a developer who tried blogging but gave up because nobody was reading his posts. I checked out his blog, and it was immediately obvious why he didn’t have any readers.
I recently spoke to a developer who tried blogging but gave up because nobody was reading his posts. I checked out his blog, and it was immediately obvious why he didn’t have any readers.
'We use them every day': the clack of typewriter keys can still be heard
(bbc.com)
Computers and smartphones might be where most writing is done these days, but typewriters still have work to do in the US.
Computers and smartphones might be where most writing is done these days, but typewriters still have work to do in the US.
George Orwell and me: Richard Blair on life with his extraordinary father
(theguardian.com)
Richard Blair didn’t have the easiest start in life. At three weeks old, he was adopted. Nine months later, his adoptive mother, Eileen, died at 39, after an allergic reaction to the anaesthetic she was given for a hysterectomy. Family and friends expected Blair’s father, Eric, to un-adopt him. Fortunately, Eric, better known as George Orwell, was an unusually hands-on dad for the 1940s.
Richard Blair didn’t have the easiest start in life. At three weeks old, he was adopted. Nine months later, his adoptive mother, Eileen, died at 39, after an allergic reaction to the anaesthetic she was given for a hysterectomy. Family and friends expected Blair’s father, Eric, to un-adopt him. Fortunately, Eric, better known as George Orwell, was an unusually hands-on dad for the 1940s.
How to Use Em Dashes (–), En Dashes (–), and Hyphens (-)
(merriam-webster.com)
Be dashing—and do it well
Be dashing—and do it well
How to Write Blog Posts That Developers Read
(refactoringenglish.com)
I recently spoke to a developer who tried blogging but gave up because nobody was reading his posts. I checked out his blog, and it was immediately obvious why he didn’t have any readers.
I recently spoke to a developer who tried blogging but gave up because nobody was reading his posts. I checked out his blog, and it was immediately obvious why he didn’t have any readers.
A practical guide to writing on the iPad (2023)
(billbennett.co.nz)
Apple didn't design the original iPad for writing. It was a device for reading or viewing media, not creating it. Over the years it has become a great portable writing tool. Many writers find it is better than a laptop.
Apple didn't design the original iPad for writing. It was a device for reading or viewing media, not creating it. Over the years it has become a great portable writing tool. Many writers find it is better than a laptop.
Ungovernable, Capricious Life
(nybooks.com)
The sense of vulnerability is crushing, but it is also one of the characteristics Kureishi reveals about himself that makes him so likable here, and the writing so intimate.
The sense of vulnerability is crushing, but it is also one of the characteristics Kureishi reveals about himself that makes him so likable here, and the writing so intimate.
Sorry, Sam Altman, A.I. Is Not Good at Real Writing
(nytimes.com)
I was grading assignments for an undergraduate course in memoir writing when I experienced a severe crisis of faith regarding the future — of academia, of writing, of thinking.
I was grading assignments for an undergraduate course in memoir writing when I experienced a severe crisis of faith regarding the future — of academia, of writing, of thinking.
In some parts of the US, the clack of typewriter keys can still be heard
(bbc.com)
Computers and smartphones might be where most writing is done these days, but typewriters still have work to do in the US.
Computers and smartphones might be where most writing is done these days, but typewriters still have work to do in the US.
Rest Easy
(commentary.org)
The Russian novelist Ivan Goncharov once said of writers, “And to write and write, like a wheel or a machine, tomorrow, the day after, on holidays; summer will come—and he must still be writing. When is he to stop and rest? Unfortunate man?”
The Russian novelist Ivan Goncharov once said of writers, “And to write and write, like a wheel or a machine, tomorrow, the day after, on holidays; summer will come—and he must still be writing. When is he to stop and rest? Unfortunate man?”
In some parts of the US, the clack of typewriter keys can still be heard
(bbc.com)
Computers and smartphones might be where most writing is done these days, but typewriters still have work to do in the US.
Computers and smartphones might be where most writing is done these days, but typewriters still have work to do in the US.
How to use an en-dash and em-dash correctly? (BrE)
(lighthouseproofreading.co.uk)
There are hyphens. Then there are dashes. There’s the en dash. Then there’s the em dash.
There are hyphens. Then there are dashes. There’s the en dash. Then there’s the em dash.
When writing, don't mention people who've criticized you
(twitter.com)
Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.
Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.
"Have Quotes About Salieri"
(contingentmagazine.org)
Besides joking with friends that “HAVE QUOTES ABOUT SALIERI” would be a good title for my current project, Weiss’s note to himself demonstrates the balance of fact, claim, and outright fiction in the project of writing historical crime fiction.
Besides joking with friends that “HAVE QUOTES ABOUT SALIERI” would be a good title for my current project, Weiss’s note to himself demonstrates the balance of fact, claim, and outright fiction in the project of writing historical crime fiction.
Write a metafictional story about AI and grief
(twitter.com)
Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.
Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.
Short Conversations with Poets: Dong Li
(mcsweeneys.net)
There is so much beyond words. There are actually no adequate words for the full complexity of human feeling, for the arcane details of a distant memory, or the colors of the sky. Blue doesn’t really cut it, but most often it’s the best we have. Poems, then, are the last stop before silence. After that, the train goes beyond words, and often beyond any form of representation.
There is so much beyond words. There are actually no adequate words for the full complexity of human feeling, for the arcane details of a distant memory, or the colors of the sky. Blue doesn’t really cut it, but most often it’s the best we have. Poems, then, are the last stop before silence. After that, the train goes beyond words, and often beyond any form of representation.
A succinct email in just a subject line
(rubenerd.com)
I love going through old 43 Folders posts when I either need inspiration, or am stuck on something. In a post about email, he introduces the concept of the End of Message marker:
I love going through old 43 Folders posts when I either need inspiration, or am stuck on something. In a post about email, he introduces the concept of the End of Message marker:
What My Father's Emails Taught Me About the Craft of Writing
(lithub.com)
The computer lab where I checked my email was in the basement of Cornell’s Electrical and Computer Engineering building. A windowless room with thin, industrial carpet that felt like a second home. There was a vending machine outside the doors where, for under a dollar, I could buy a strawberry Pop-tart for dinner.
The computer lab where I checked my email was in the basement of Cornell’s Electrical and Computer Engineering building. A windowless room with thin, industrial carpet that felt like a second home. There was a vending machine outside the doors where, for under a dollar, I could buy a strawberry Pop-tart for dinner.
This blog post passed unit tests
(sealambda.com)
I’m reading a book called “Writing for Developers”,1 which has some great advice on writing blog posts that get read.
I’m reading a book called “Writing for Developers”,1 which has some great advice on writing blog posts that get read.
Writing small docs is a game changer
(bufferbuffer.com)
In software development, there has been multiple instances of people advocating or discussing opting for small commits. This makes sense for a number of reasons, but there are also writers in my company advocating for small docs. And it makes sense.
In software development, there has been multiple instances of people advocating or discussing opting for small commits. This makes sense for a number of reasons, but there are also writers in my company advocating for small docs. And it makes sense.