[Python-authors] intro and looking for writing tips

[Aahz]

On Thu, Jun 11, 2009, Matt Doar wrote:
>
> I've been writing technically for about 20 years now (papers, reviews, a
> Ph.D. thesis, various articles, a book for O'Reilly etc) and I still think
> "you need the determination to get it done" is the most important advice.
> 98% perspiration and all that. 

While that's true, it's more complicated than that.  Different people who
have different emotional makeups can find that it takes them more or less
emotional effort to produce the same amount of determination.  For
example, I had (technically still have) a contract to write _Effective
Python_, but I hit a wall and was unable to do the work.  However, I was
able to do my fair share of writing with a co-author for _Python for
Dummies_. [*]

If you're the kind of person who can't work by yourself, you won't be
able to write a book unless you have a very strong support network.


[*] As the joke goes, when multiple people write a book together, each
person needs to contribute 80% of the effort.
-- 
Aahz (aahz at pythoncraft.com)           <*>         http://www.pythoncraft.com/

"If you don't know what your program is supposed to do, you'd better not
start writing it."  --Dijkstra