May 8, 2008 at 10:21 pm
I like to write, but I don´t write here because I don´t have free time... I work all the time that I´m not sleeping... Lot of projects and small budget, so I can´t contract anybody to help... I don´t have time to train new ones, lol.
So if I get some free time.. I will try to record my Heavy Metal CD in my home office, ups.. home studio :D.. I´m musician too, composer.. guitarist, vocal, play a little of tin whistle... I mean.. musician, software engineer and audio engineer, lol.
(I see little fairies around... and I don´t know english :hehe:)
- ooops.. I wrote... but I didn´t recorded my CD yet ¬¬" -
May 8, 2008 at 10:41 pm
I like writing and sharing my ideas with others because I believe that the higher level of general knowledge available then the easier it is for people to concentrate on the specifics of making great products.
I don't write much mainly because I feel that there is too much junk to wade through on the Internet. So I try and only write when I have had trouble locating the information myself and have spent considerable effort in solving some problem. If I solved a problem and disperse the information then hopefully others will not have to solve the same problem.
May 8, 2008 at 10:53 pm
But overall, the thing that I hated most in high school has become the thing I enjoy doing most of the time.
Funny you should say that... I hated it, too! I think part of the reason why I enjoy it so much now is because of computers and programs like WORD... I don't get writer's cramp, I can use a program to make some drawings, I can easily fix errors, spell checker tries to keep me honest, and I never have to use "white-out" liquid or tape.
Why do I write? To be sure, I couldn't do what you do, Steve... I couldn't write a "daily" something. But, I write for the same reason you do and for the same reason I like programming... the research to write a technical article on something is not unlike doing the research to write a stored procedure or script. In fact, for the type of articles I write on SSC, the two are joined at the hip. During the research, I try different things out, check other folks methods (and frequently learn something in the process), do performance tests, and a whole bunch of other things that I actually enjoy doing. That research has actually paid off for me at work on many occasions... and sometimes, it's the other way around. Sometimes, I have to do some research or write some "trick" code for work, and later decide that it might make a good article.
Then, the discussions that follow the article are the best... some folks jump in with their own test code, others with alternatives/suggestions/improvements, some with some stats of before and after they tried what was in the article, some "side-bar" discussions, and some just saying "Thanks". I always learn something from those discussions... always.
I'm also a teacher/mentor at heart... I love to see "lightbulbs" come on. 🙂 I especially love it when someone comes back with a success story about something I may have taught them or how they "warped" an idea from an article or post to fit their particular needs. As an "author", there's not much of a better feeling you can get than from something like that.
Writing isn't limited to articles, either. I love the idea of technical forums like SSC. There's a huge number of participants from all over the world and everyone of them gets a chance to "say" or show something without interruption, but still having the ability to participate in dialog. Not only do you get to see "lightbulbs" come on, but others share their ideas and sometimes the "lightbulb" that comes on, is your own. That spurs me to write more on individual posts as kind of a "thanks" to everyone I've learned from. 🙂
Last, but not least... it all keeps my skills in T-SQL razor sharp...
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
May 9, 2008 at 12:54 am
I like to write, but lack of time is a large factor for me these days.
May 9, 2008 at 1:21 am
I like writing and do so in the form of blogs, music reviews etc on the web. I keep a technical blog as a braindump of stuff i've done as it keeps me focused and centralises handy stuff i used to have on hard drives, memory sticks etc.
I'd love to publish on this site but might have to do so under a pseudonym as I am not sure my employer would approve.
r
May 9, 2008 at 1:54 am
Writing... well, in my free time I vainly try to write poetry. Harrass my ex to give constuctive comments - well, she did take a first at oxford in english...About anything except work - found writing technical stuff too stressful and blew up under an approaching deadline to my editors disgust... There's something sensous about having a pen in hand that beats being at a trypewriter. And yes, I set type for The Manchester Guardian in an earlier career - so excuse the spelling...
Try to avoid documentation, but I'm very liberal with my in line code comments. When I'm gone, I'd like to think that whoever supports my code has a flying start.
Suppose I could (and should) make a contribution to this very valuable site. But I'm a bit scared, and lack confidence...
May 9, 2008 at 2:33 am
I'll only write on topics that I have experienced extensively.
Being fairly new(1-2 years) to SQL also holds me back confidence-wise. I don't want to post/write something only to find out in later posts that it was not quite correct. That sort of thing dents the quality of content on the site.
There's a lot of knowledge here. I'll use it as much as possible & will give back where I can.
May 9, 2008 at 3:19 am
I spend a lot of time writing. I do it because it helps me to understand, and remember, the things I come across. I find that if I'm committed to writing an article or blog on a particular subject, then it makes the whole learning process more fun; and the information sticks in the brain.
If you want to write about technical subjects, and your boss is a bit doubtful whether the time is well-spent, just tell her, or him, that it is a wonderful way of developing your skills in a painless and rewarding way.
The other real excitement about writing technical stuff is that it is extraordinarily difficult to do well. It is the thrill of mastering a skilled craft. Not only has the technical detail got to be right, but it has got to be concise and interesting. There is no point in doing it if people aren't going to want to read it. It takes time and energy to get it right; but not a gift or a talent. It is a skill just like being a really good DBA or developer.
The most important ingredient in good writing is enthusiasm. It can't be faked. A good article exudes the authors' interest and excitement. That is the secret ingredient. Style, spellings, grammar and language can be fixed but, if the author is bored by his subject, nothing will rescue the results. This is why it is so important to write, just so long as you have a genuine interest, insight or idea.
Best wishes,
Phil Factor
May 9, 2008 at 3:31 am
Can't agree more about the process of writing, and how it wonderfully concentrates thoughts. It's beautiful to distill stuff into words that somebody else can use or take joy from. It's a brutal discipline, and an editor can help (rages lightly at past editors).
But we all only learn from doing. So, flame me not, lest my courage falter. And we can do it together, and in so doing, make the world a better place.
Oops, yes, might have a very few publications to my name... But might not admit to them.... It must have been someone else...
May 9, 2008 at 4:24 am
In my early days of learning computer languages and databases I depended heavily upon the written word. Books were always important; but online articles, forums and later blogs were the most convenient method of guiding my learning. Now that I have knowledge and experience to share, I feel that it is important to give back in the same method in which I grew.
The irony of this art is that the more I share my knowledge and experience through writing the more I learn. Since October of last year, I have made a serious effort to write an educational entry at least once a week in my blog. When I first approached this I was not sure if I could come up with something each week. I found that through my daily experience at work, discussions with friends, challenges from fellow SQL/.NET professionals and simple curiosity this effort amazingly fed itself with subjects.
In addition, I have always enjoyed the act of writing. It is a skill that is important to me to maintain and develop. That is why I explicitly carve time in my week for this purpose.
May 9, 2008 at 5:04 am
I have been a seasoned Oracle developer before I was given assignments to develop using SQL Server around 3.5 years back. SQLServerCentral has been very fruitful to keep in tune with the technology. Writing for it can be a way to give back what you get.
-----------------------------------------------------------[font=Arial Black]Time Is Money[/font][font=Arial Narrow]Calculating the Number of Business Hours Passed since a Point of Time[/url][/font][font=Arial Narrow]Calculating the Number of Business Hours Passed Between Two Points of Time[/font]
May 9, 2008 at 5:06 am
I've always loved love writing. I hated English class in school because I thought, and still do, the teachers were, let's say, less than adequate to their jobs and more than a little blinkered about the world. But then, that was Oklahoma. Any way, I never planned on being a technical writer. I wrote short stories and screen plays and shopped them all around. I used to have a huge stack of rejection letters but I finally threw them away. But, because I could roughly string together an approximation of a sentence in English, I was frequently called on to write up processes, training and other technical documents. Then one day, I tried submitting a description of a process to SSWUG. They paid me money! Steve emailed to ask me to write here. I've never been back to that other place since.
I'm with Jeff. It's a great opportunity for learning when you write articles. You have to, or should anyway, think through your thoughts and processes and get them in order and structured correctly. It is a lot like writing code.
One more thought, if you get stuff wrong, your peers are very supportive. They will point out exactly where you went wrong in great reems of detail. I'm just thankful when they don't question my lineage.
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt
Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning
May 9, 2008 at 6:04 am
I write for the pleasure of it. I have not attempted writing any technical manual or material, but I enjoy writing fiction for the relaxation. I even have been published (once). Check out the book REPERCUSSIONS on amazon.com or bn.com.
May 9, 2008 at 6:37 am
I have to be honest, I don't really like to write. I have submitted and had 1 article published here on SSC and have a blog, but I really struggle to find something interesting and somewhat original to say. For me, finding something to write about is the hardest thing. Most of what I do fairly routine and anything really good I learned from something somebody else wrote. If you include answering questions on forums, which I do enjoy since the subject has already been decided on, then I write regularly and it is a great way to learn.
Jack Corbett
Consultant - Straight Path Solutions
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