Beginner guide of writing a blog post by Neha Sharma

Sabique A Khan — Thu, 07 May 2020 02:00:00 +0000

Its been a long time since writing a blog post is on my list, but every time, the feeling of I am not good enough pulls me back from writing one. In fact, in 2020, I made a resolution to write the blog posts, but you can guess what happened next.

Already 4 months into 2020 and still far away from my resolution, finally, I have decided to take help to overcome this fear.

Luckily I was able to schedule 1-on-1 with Neha Sharma and asked her help to start writing.

In case you don't know Neha, she is a UI Developer, a speaker, a writer, and co-founder of the JSLover community.

Neha Sharma Follow

Below are the suggestions which are given to me by Neha on how to start writing.

Start reading other blogs

Reading other notable blogs will give you ideas on how to write and arrange your blog posts.

What & Why

Whenever writing a blog post, try to solve a problem by answering a question like WHAT & WHY. A reader will be more likely to be connected with your solution if they can understand the problem statement.

Break Your Post

Start your blog with easy cases and gradually move to advance ones. If you're solving a complex problem, then break it into smaller parts. Once the reader was able to understand all the little details, then they can know the complete solution of the problem.

Do what works for you

Not everyone likes to write more, some people use other ways to explain. Do in what way you can explain it to the reader, whether using hand drawings, code snippets, or something else.

Re-read Your Post

Reading your blog after a couple of days gives your mind a new perspective, and you can easily see if you're able to convey the solution. Also, re-reading is helpful to understand your mistakes and learn from them.

Don't Pressurize Yourself

Do not, I repeat, do not pressurize or compare yourself. Some people might be writing 10 posts every week, but you have to choose your own pace, do not burn yourself by comparing. Enjoy the process because everyone has a different journey and ways of doing things.

Draft Posts

Use a draft post to save ideas. Get a topic to write about, but don't wanna forget about it, make a draft post. This will save you considerable time by focusing more on writing rather than thinking about the topic.

Cope up with Validations

There will always be negative validations, ignore them, and keep moving forward. Try to avoid negative comments and, if needed, block comment option or whatever works for you. Always remember, you write for yourself first.

BONUS

Apart from writing, I also discussed with Neha how to start speaking, and here are her views.

Select topics that make you feel comfortable and confident.
Begin speaking either at your workplace or local meetups.
Prepare a presentation and video for the topic. It will come handy when you apply as a speaker for an event.
Let your audience know that you're speaking for the first time.
And the most important thing, do ask for feedback.

Thank you, Neha, for guiding me on how to start writing. I hope others will find these suggestions valuable too.

That's all, folks! Bye!

How last year changed me for better, my 2019 review

Sabique A Khan — Sun, 26 Jan 2020 18:51:34 +0000

2019 was the first time when I have decided to work hard to take control of the flow of my career. It was tiring but it couldn't be better.

2019 Timeline

I have started the year on a high note by joining LiveCareer as Software Engineer for their Data Services team.
After joining LiveCareer, I have decided to learn Angular and started the second round of 100DaysOfCode. Along with Angular, I also learn Firebase and TypeScript.
After that, I needed to learn more about JavaScript and Web Design, so I started with the Web Design and JavaScript Certificates from FreeCodeCamp and completed both the certificates. The whole journey was very fruitful and helped me a lot at my work.
Started the Wesbos 30 Days of JavaScript challenge but it took me around 45 days to complete it.
Started learning CSS Flexbox and created a web application.

Hacktoberfest

This time it was my second participation in Hacktoberfest and I was more excited than last time. But the best thing which happened this time is, I was able actually to help other devs by reviewing, providing feedback and merging their PRs

Sabique👨🏻‍💻

@sabiqueakhan

@hacktoberfest has been an amazing experience for me.

Last year I send my first ever PR to any of the OSS projects.

And this year I reviewed and merged the first-ever PR to one of my repo.

Isn't it amazing what a year can do to you🙌❤️

15:17 PM - 07 Oct 2019

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One of the best moment of 2019 was when I merged the first-ever PR to one of my repo and received a warm message.

Josephine Hardy 🌿

@josiemhardy

Shoutout to Sabique, an awesome maintainer, who gave me feedback and encouragement throughout one of my first PRs. It is deeply appreciated. 👏 #Hacktoberfest #CodeNewbie

15:58 PM - 07 Oct 2019

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Plan for 2020

The year 2020 goal is to not to grow only technically but as a whole. This is my first ever post on DevTo, which initiated one of my 2020 goals of writing blog posts.

New Year Resolutions for 2020

✍️ Start writing blog posts
📚 Read at least 24 books
💪 Get in better shape
🌐 Limited use of social media
🛤️ Travel
🏁 Become #1 on Hacker Rank in Problem Solving
☺️ Start Mentoring

Do let me know what are your 2020 resolutions?

DEV Community: Sabique A Khan