Leaf of Beyond Writing Code
I'm writing a book on career growth for developers, leadership as an individual contributor, and big-picture thinking skills for developers. Subscribe for thoughts on development, leadership, and writing. I'll be sharing updates on the book and excerpts of what I've written so far. I'm also an Art-o-mat artist, creating drawings of mysterious creatures, and I will share occasional glimpses of my art here. You can find out more about the book and the art at beyondwritingcode.com.
Me from the Past; issue 14 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #14 August 19, 2025 Me from the Past I used to say that the worst developer I ever met was "me from the past." I'd look at code I wrote two years, two months... or, okay, two days prior, and think: who wrote this trash?? Seeing where I could have done better is good news. It means I've learned something new. So, good news! I reread an older blog post, and it fails a newer check on my writing checklist. That means I'm learning! I've been writing for a long time, and I've...
You don't want more content; conference notes. Issue 13 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #13 August 12, 2025 People don't want more content. We want one solution to one specific problem. That point from this article by Landon Poburan caught my eye. As Landon said: From Landon Poburan on Substack As Macy Robison says: people don't pay for more information. We're all on information overload. We pay for organization. This is either information overload or heaven, not sure which. Photo by freestocks on Unsplash I'm thinking about that not just in the context of...
Technical or not, issue 12 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #12 August 5, 2025 “The most valuable voice isn’t always the most technical.” So true. Like "why does this even need to be said" kind of true. And yet, sadly, it does need to be said. The quote is from a recent LinkedIn post from my colleague Mike Coughlin. Mike's intention was to reassure folks who see themselves as less technical that their voices matter, even if the discussion at hand is a highly technical discussion. As soon as I read the post, I knew what I'd be...
A lot going on. And a poll. Issue 11 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #11 July 29, 2025 Hey you. Before we get into this week's newsletter content, I want to know: what has your Beyond Writing Code newsletter experience been so far? Here's a quick poll, only three questions. (Want to look at back issues? Check the newsletter archive.) Three questions First: length. How's the length, in general? Could be shorter Could be longer It's all good, keep doing what you're doing 2. Sometimes I add pictures... Do you like pictures in this newsletter?...
Deliberately wrong estimates, issue 10 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #10 July 22, 2025 Why do developers deliberately give bad estimates? Specifically, the person asking this on LinkedIn was talking about estimates that were deliberately too low. One reply indicated that developers are lucky if they are asked for estimates at all. It's true. I've been handed absurd, inflexible due dates over the years. I would have added a comment about why developers might deliberately provide a low estimate, but someone else beat me to it. So I was about...
Agile... book writing?? Issue 9 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #9 July 15, 2025 Traditional book writing is like waterfall software development. But as you might know, I'm a big fan of agile software development. Is there such a thing as agile book writing? Let's talk waterfall Waterfall development happens in phases, with the process flowing sequentially from one phase to the next, like water flowing down a series of waterfalls. Requirements, design, development, testing... The phases may have checkpoints between them to make sure...
How to help when you can't, issue 8 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #8 July 9, 2025 "Don't suffer alone, suffer with a friend!" One of my favorite pieces of advice. Stuck on something? Don't spin your wheels by yourself. Ask for help! But there's a reason I say "suffer with a friend" here. Sometimes, I see a request for help from another developer, and I don't know how to assist. But if nobody else is answering, I'll often try to help regardless. Why? I have been stuck on tough coding problems by myself, with no support. It's stressful. At...
When you ask for help, issue 7 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #7 Date, 2025 Ahh, high school programming class. We were using TRS-80s (even then, they were old) and 80-column paper to code in BASIC. Sometimes, when a student who was stuck would raise their hand, our teacher would call out, "you need professional help!" "Fortunately, I'm a professional," he would add, coming over to the student. "How can I help?" I recently read How to Ask for Help Without Looking Stupid, a blog post by Ian Kiprono. Ian gives five main pieces of...
Mysterious creatures, Leaf's first art note
Beyond Writing Code - Art 1 June 27, 2025 Overwhelmed? Too much email unread in your inbox? Good news: this one's mostly pictures. I promised the occasional glimpse of my art... I make art for Art-o-mat, which converts old cigarette vending machines to sell art. I draw mysterious creatures on 2" x 3" watercolor paper. "looking for..." I glue each drawing to a wooden block, paint the edges, and number and name each on the back Mysterious Creatures series 6 I just sent Art-o-mat my ninth set of...
Draft outline, issue 6 of Beyond Writing Code
Beyond Writing Code #6 June 25, 2025 I've been promising you sneak previews for the book. Today, an outline of the whole book (neither final nor complete). What do you think: Is this one book, or more than one? Hit reply and let me know your thoughts (about multiple books, about the outline in general, or whatever's on your mind). Book recommendations and citations noted throughout. Here we go! Background This isn’t part of the outline, it’s here to keep me focused. If I’m not talking about...
I'm writing a book on career growth for developers, leadership as an individual contributor, and big-picture thinking skills for developers. Subscribe for thoughts on development, leadership, and writing. I'll be sharing updates on the book and excerpts of what I've written so far. I'm also an Art-o-mat artist, creating drawings of mysterious creatures, and I will share occasional glimpses of my art here. You can find out more about the book and the art at beyondwritingcode.com.