# I Wrote More Than 90 Articles on 2021: Here Is What I Learned Below you will find many resources and tools, and my method and tips for writing a lot. > TL;DR: Several advices to write great articles # My Background - I have a degree in computer science. πŸ‘¨πŸ½β€πŸ”¬ - I use the scientific method and [Occam's razor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razor). - I have researched for 30 years both in the academic and industrial fields. - I don't have the absolute truth. - I try to support my opinions with evidence. πŸ” - They are my opinions and are very subject to change. # My tools and secret sauces - I Have a (very) long list of draft articles. - I often skip the waiting queue and write about some inspirational source (and quote it). - I use a different template in all my series. - For example, I have an empty [Code Smell template](https://maximilianocontieri.com/series/code-smells). - I write Everywhere πŸ—ΊοΈ - I proofread all my articles with HemingwayApp, Grammarly, and Google Translate (all free) πŸ”‘ - I parse the markdown in my articles and convert them to HTML to republish on many platforms at once. - I heavily use the *canonical URL* tag to avoid search penalties. πŸ”Ž - I Follow very interesting people on Twitter and blogging platforms. ✨ - I take a new course every week, usually on a subject that is far away from my comfort zone. - I add many references and quotes to my articles. # Time management - I read a lot of articles early in the morning and bookmark them during the day. πŸŒ… - I use Trello, Inoreader, Pocket, and Obsidian. - I Use [The Pomodoro technique](https://maximilianocontieri.com/16-simple-tips-to-boost-your-productivity-x10) to focus when writing. πŸ… - I avoid perfection. I publish them when they are *ready*. - Then I make corrections following other people's comments. Even after months. - I [Garden](https://maximilianocontieri.com/today-i-learned-the-concept-of-gardening) my articles. # Dealing with Criticism - I have different opinions than many other developers. - Software Design is a creative activity. - My articles are *suggestions* and not rigid rules. - I try to have intelligent and polite discussions. - I have zero tolerance for hate speech and unprofessional comments. - I never feed the troll. # Common Criticism - I get the same comments over and over again, these are the common critics I get and my opinions: ## Opinions ### Revealed Truth - I don't have the same opinion as many people. - If you think [NULLs|Undefined|Singletons|...|Whatever] are awesome, I have a different point of view. ## Readability ### I need to see the complete code in a sheet - If you need to see long methods/scripts to understand your solution, that's fine. - I prefer to have small/reusable/testable functions. ### A 15 lines long method is not 'long' - IMHO, a 6 lines method is too long - You can always break them using [refactorings](https://maximilianocontieri.com/refactoring-002-extract-method). πŸ› οΈ - You don't need to see the big picture and the details at the same time. 🌳 - Trust your implementation and write good tests. ### The code in your articles is not Compiling/Working/has errors - I try to add code samples for clarity. - Most of the code snippets work. - Some of them are pseudo-code for educational purposes. πŸ‘¨β€πŸ« - I have used 25+ different languages in my articles. - Whenever possible, I test the code in a repl.it - I am not an expert in NONE of these languages. - Languages are accidental, and Software design is [essential](https://maximilianocontieri.com/no-silver-bullet). ### Why do you rotate the programming languages? I use different languages on purpose. Some Code Smells are language-dependent. Imagine what would happen if I write them in, for example, Javascript. Everyone would argue and associate Javascript with those languages. No language is perfect and that is my point. ### I Have a trick in *INSERT LANGUAGE* to improve the code. - Most of the articles are language-independent. - The solution tries to avoid language perks and cleverness. ## Performance ### Your solution is not performant/optimal/memory efficient - I write about backend business software. πŸ–₯️ - This is the domain I've been working on. - I know that some tasks require more performant solutions (for example DApps). - I will always choose long descriptive names over smart performance optimizations. - First, make the code right. βœ”οΈ - Then, optimize it *only if you have strong evidence*. - Complexity is not enough evidence. - You need a genuine benchmark in real use case scenarios. πŸ“ˆ - If I need to sort 20 elements in a collection, I will always choose bubble sort because it is easier to read. > [Premature optimization](https://maximilianocontieri.com/code-smell-20-premature-optimization) is the root of all evil. 😈 ## Anti-Patterns ### [Helpers](https://maximilianocontieri.com/code-smell-22-helpers), [DTOs](https://maximilianocontieri.com/code-smell-40-dtos), [Singletons](https://maximilianocontieri.com/code-smell-32-singletons), [Nulls](https://maximilianocontieri.com/code-smell-12-null), [Setters](https://maximilianocontieri.com/code-smell-28-setters), [Metaprogramming](https://maximilianocontieri.com/laziness-i-meta-programming), [Castings](https://maximilianocontieri.com/code-smell-69-big-bang-javascript-ridiculous-castings), [Comments](https://maximilianocontieri.com/code-smell-05-comment-abusers) are standard. πŸ™ˆ - I write a lot on these anti-patterns with the reasons why I think we should avoid them. - You can keep thinking they are good and that's fine. - My arguments against them are in all articles. - I reply polite comments about them. ### Your solutions have too many indirections - [Coupling](https://maximilianocontieri.com/coupling-the-one-and-only-software-design-problem) is our worst enemy. πŸ™… - We need to avoid direct relationships. ### I Hate the word 'Code Smell' - I didn't coin it. I was [Martin Fowler](https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html). ### You have too many rules and constraints - There is just one rule -- Always follow the [bijection](https://maximilianocontieri.com/the-one-and-only-software-design-principle) πŸ”€