I've been writing online for a while now. Most of my work is published on LinkedIn, but I still like to write daily on LinkedIn, Twitter, and my website.
I discovered the power of content writing early in my journey, which enabled me to capture the attention of a wide range of professionals on LinkedIn—51,077 followers to date.
I am applying the same while writing essays on my blog. I also follow the same steps to write tutorials on my sas programming blog.
The method is the same, but it can be used in different areas and disciplines.
Technical Writing System
Writing without a system is like going for a swim without a swimsuit - in an empty lake.
Having a writing system is like having a routine that you follow every day. You can make that system better by optimizing it over time.
5-Step Technical Writing System:
- Idea
- Research
- Outline
- Write
- Edit
1 Idea —Technical Writing System
The first and most important stage of writing is note-taking. Don't think of yourself as a typical writer, the one who sits by a river with a blank piece of paper and starts writing. This is a fictional and imaginary character. At least I have not seen anyone doing it.
This is an outdated, movie-like image that has been ingrained in our minds. I'd call it a "typical old-fashioned movie effect".
Taking notes is an essential part of the writing process. Throughout the day, we have tons of ideas, but most of them are forgotten because we don't record them. They come to mind and then disappear.
To capture these ideas, you need an intermediate system – a note-taking system. To make use of this system, you must develop a habit of taking notes. This serves as a dumping ground for your ideas and is the starting point for your writing.
There are some amazing tools out there to make a note-taking system that is easier and more searchable. Here are some best tools which I recommend. Pick one.
- Notion
- Evernote
- Trello
- Apple notes
2 Research —Technical Writing System
You have your idea dumping ground filled with lots of content ideas. Now it's time to pick just one and do some in-depth research.
When researching, focus on four main points:
- Analyze the topic in detail
- Look for relevant sources
- Identify potential problems
- Gather relevant data and statistics
Searching the internet yields tons of resources. YouTube is also a great source of information. To make your point more credible, it is recommended to include numbers, stats, and references from authoritative or well-known publications.
Google Scholar is a great place to start. You can just simply search your topic keyword on Google Scholar and read two or three relevant research papers. Then, incorporate your understanding into your content by referencing the research papers.
Reading articles or reports from well-known blogs can help improve writing quality. Two examples that come to mind are the LinkedIn blog and HubSpot blog.
Everything related to your research should be recorded in a note-taking system, including links and a few lines summarizing your thoughts and understanding.
3 Outline —Technical Writing System
You have a lot of scattered information at this point. Streamlining it will be easy when you go through all your notes. This process is known as creating an outline, which consists of a title, headings, and information in the form of bullet points or a few lines.
It's important to review the outline twice, as it decides the flow of the article and gives it direction.
When creating an outline, it's beneficial to plan for space to add relevant memes, GIFs, images, or videos. Focus on bullet points, but be as descriptive as possible. This will help you to quickly and easily write your first draft by referring to your outline.
4 Write Your First Draft— Technical Writing System
Now is the time to begin writing content. The first draft should be free-flowing and unencumbered by concerns about grammar, spelling, or anything else.
Use the outline as a reference point to start writing and don't stop until all your ideas are down on paper. Write everything you know about that topic.
There is a rule for writing a first draft: don't use the backspace key. Writing quickly and without distractions will make the draft more useful and meaningful. You’ll not have content shortage issues while editing the content.
You don’t need a fancy tool to write content. Here is the list from which you can choose one that best suits you.
- Google docs (my favorite)
- Notion
- Grammarly
- ilys.com
- novlr.org
- dailypage.co
5 Edit, Edit, and Edit — Technical Writing System
The real fun begins here. It's a general rule of thumb that if you spend 30 minutes writing a draft, you should spend at least 60 minutes editing it.
This isn't a hard and fast rule, but it's one that many experienced writers follow and recommend.
Editing should fix the following problems:
- Tone
- The flow
- Grammar
- Spelling mistakes
- Unwanted clutter
The following tools can be a lifesaver when editing content. You don't need to use all of them. Just one is sufficient.
- Grammarly
- Hemingway app
- Stackedit.io
- Grammarcoach.com
Once you're finished editing, it's time to focus on creatives. Canva tool can be your go-to for designing and creating images, memes, GIFs, or videos for free. You don't need to hire an expensive designer to create a featured image for your article. Anyone can use Canva and create stunning designs using their inbuilt templates.
Congratulations! You're ready to publish your first technical article online.
If you have your website, you can post your article there. But there are other options to get more exposure. Consider submitting your article to other platforms, such as social media, blogs, and forums.
BONUS: Publish Articles on multiple platforms
Your website should be the primary place to publish articles. It is the only platform you own, so you have full control.
For other content publishing platforms, you can either re-write the article or copy it as-is, adding a canonical link back to the original post. This tells search engines that the article was first published elsewhere and provides a link to the original.
What are the options you have?
- Medium
- Hashnode
- Dev .to
- Typeshare
I have seen people effectively reusing their content to get the maximum exposure they desire. This article was first published on my website and then published on other platforms.
Do check out my profile and content on Medium, Hashnode, Dev.to and compare it with my personal blog!
If you liked this content then you may like my short-format content on Twitter. Follow me on Twitter (@imayurj) for more.
Do you want to build career in Business Intelligence or data analytics, then check out this free blog on SAS programming.
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