Most engineers I know donโt think of themselves as writers. But writing is a core part of the job, whether it’s writing commit messages, documenting designs, updating documentation, or sharing the occasional blog post.
The challenge isnโt knowing what to write, itโs writing it so someone else can easily read it. Clarity doesnโt mean dumbing things down. It means doing the hard work of making complexity digestible, without losing accuracy.
A few principles that have helped me:
- Writing is part of the engineering process, not a separate task.
- Write it like you’re explaining it to a technical friend.
- Youโre not dumbing it down, youโre making it readable.
- Comments are writing too, treat them with care.
- Your voice matters, even in technical writing.
- If no one reads it, it didnโt happen.
Better writing doesnโt just help your team; it builds credibility and increases your impact. Itโs not just a soft skill, itโs a superpower.