If you’re writing about a project, use this outline to help you organize your post. Make a copy of this document and fill in the blanks. Timebox this activity to 45 minutes. If you need more time, that’s ok, but let’s aim for 45 mins.

INTRO

  1. **For this project, I created ________________________ because ____________________________________.**Let’s get right to the point. What did you make and why did you make it?
  2. **I used _________________, _____________________, and ____________________.**What were the tools you used to create this? Name technologies, libraries, languages, frameworks. Be specific.
  3. **This project is important because ________________________.**Let’s go beyond your project. Why might the reader be interested in this? Does it solve a problem they might be familiar with? Is it visually pleasing or creative in some way? Is it an example of how to apply a particular pattern? Try and connect your project to a bigger picture.

BODY

  1. I started by _____________________. Then I had to _________________________. After that, _______________________. Etc.Walk us through your journey of creating the project. Start from the beginning and take us through the end. You don’t have to include every detail of every step in the final post. Instead, jot down the main stages of building so that we have a sense of what it was like for you to make. Use the next step to zoom in on the technical challenges you encountered along the way.
  2. Write down 3-5 technical challenges you had to overcome to create this project. A technical challenge can be about your own learning, like using a new tool, figuring out a bug, or implementing a new pattern. It can also be about the walls you hitting along the way, like using a tool with poor documentation, working with an incomplete data set, or having to use an outdated library to solve a particular problem. Think about any stumbling blocks you encountered. What were some moments that were frustrating where you had to push a bit harder to get through?Technical Challenge 1 Problem: _______________________ Solution: _______________________ Lesson learned: _________________Technical Challenge 2 Problem: _______________________ Solution: _______________________ Lesson learned: _________________Technical Challenge 3 Problem: _______________________ Solution: _______________________ Lesson learned: _________________
  3. Evaluate your challenges and pick the strongest three. We’ll flush these out next week. Consider if your challenge is:
    1. Relatable: Is this a technical challenge that you think your reader could empathize and connect with?
    2. Showing off your skills: Does it showcase your technical knowledge and abilities?
    3. Showing off your potential: If your project is small or simple, and you don’t think it’s technically impressive, does it show off your potential? Does it display your resourcefulness or creativity? If you’re looking for a job, or think you might in the future, this is a good place to highlight your passion, persistence, and problem solving skills. Use this challenge as a way to say, “I figured this out because I’m smart and crafty, and I can apply that to other problems too!”

CONCLUSION

  1. Results: What are the results of your project? What’s the final version look like? If there’s a live demo the reader can view, include a link. If there isn’t, include a screenshot or short demo video. If the code is publicly available, include a link to the repo.
  2. Takeaways: You’ve discussed your lessons learned for each technical challenge, but what were your big picture takeaways? Any lessons you want to highlight or conclude with?
  3. What’s next? Do you plan on doing more with this project? Did it inspire you to create something else? Did it make you want to learn more about a particular language or framework? Let your readers know what’s next.
  4. Resources: Now that your readers have gone on this project journey with you, what should they check out next? If you have other blog posts, projects, or suggested reading, this is a good place to include them.

MAKE IT YOURS:

Now that you’ve gotten the pieces of your post down on paper, let’s see if we can take your answers and expand on them. You don’t have to be an expert to reach someone and make a difference in their coding journey. Just be yourself and be as helpful as possible. Here are a few ways that you can add your unique perspective to your post: