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Christina Gorton for DevEdBookClub

Posted on with Aisha Blake • Updated on

Twitter Chat: Chapter 3 Recap

Cover photo by Chris J. Davis on Unsplash

We started a book club! Each week, we host a Twitter chat on Thursdays to discuss a chapter of Docs for Developers.

On Thursday Dec. 9th, we had our third Twitter chat, hosted on the @DevEdBookClub Twitter account about Chapter 3, Drafting Documentation.

This post is a recap of the chat and a place to continue the conversation.

Writing Process

What does your writing process typically look like? How do you get from idea to first draft?

What practices does your organization have around templatizing your docs?

How do you prioritize your work if you need to write multiple docs at once?

Several of us identified with Sarah Rainsberger's tendency to hold onto an idea until it all spills straight out into a draft.

It turns out that this practice is actually described in a writing lecture given by Larry EcEnerney at the University of Chicago!

You are using your writing process to help yourself think.

Portia Burton described her own process for figuring out what the docs should say.

Her approach ties in well with the theme of writing empathetically that we discussed in the previous week.

Writer's Block

How do you get unstuck when you have writer’s block?

What’s usually the thing blocking you?

Several folks mentioned that they're usually blocked by a lack of knowledge (or confidence in their knowledge) of the subject. Amber Matz shared how she tackles that feeling.

I like to say what I'm thinking out loud to focus my thoughts on a topic and to get past the point of staring at a blank page.

It works really well for me and my answer to this question seems to have inspired some to try it for themselves. Remember, though, that the best writing process is the one that works for you!

Favorite Takeaways

What takeaways from this chapter can you apply to your own documentation practice at work?

Any quotes or ideas that resonate with you?

Megan shared the following quote and how the paradox it describes is reason for us to care in everything we write because we can't know which part will resonate with someone.

Join the Conversation 🗣

You can see the full conversation on the DevEdBookClub Twitter account.

Add a comment on the Twitter thread or share your thoughts here to continue the conversation.

What did you think about Chapter 3 of Docs for Developers?

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