The most essential skill
for your career, startup, and personal growth

I was very uneasy about which topic to choose next.
After much consideration, I decided to write about, well, writing.

Why did I choose the topic of writing?

Most of my readers today are engineers.

I have been writing software since 8th grade, or for over thirty years. Writing code is the most important skill for software engineers.
That's true enough, but not entirely.

I have seen so many engineers who do not know how to communicate.

An engineer should write a lot, especially in compliance-driven environments such as those in my niche, autonomous driving, or aerospace (SpaceX, Boeing, etc.).

Examples include design proposals, requirements, architectural documentation, and frequent summaries for the bosses.

The last one is often omitted, but it is essential. You can be tolling for months, but if you do not communicate it, then during the promotion time, you will get dreaded “meets expectations” or something equivalent.

If you plan to launch a startup, writing is everything.
You will write short-form for social media and long-form on the blog.
You will write dozens of elevator pitches and presentations.
Later, you will write investor updates and employee letters.
Every word will count.

Finally, in your personal life, you might enchant your future partner with charm, good looks, and the message: “Yo, you wanna come over tonight?”
But, then, the chance is no, you will not.
You might have to “work” the relationship in writing a long time before it becomes something more.

And please, do not copy my style of love poems, as they can get very depressing.

Clarity of mind

The art of writing goes in hand with clarity of mind.

As you might have heard, “writing is re-writing,” so by the time you hit the save or send button, hopefully, you will become an expert storyteller on the given subject.

You should keep a journal, blog, or penpal—somewhere to write down and refine your thoughts. Once you write down an idea and edit it a few times, you will be fluent when asked about the same subject next time.

Fluency in the subject indicates intelligence, which leads to advancement. The person does not have to know you wrote a thousand-word blog post on it last week.

Writing down everything that matters is a better habit than watching a senseless movie in the evening.

How do I write my posts?

Countless people have told me, “I am not good at writing,” when asked if they write. Let me share how I overcome this insecurity.

I have a natural process of writing that is common sense, and many writers use it.

First, I save a placeholder blog post note after I get an interesting tidbit of information while reading a book, watching a YouTube video, or talking to someone. I usually do this via the phone. I write down the URL and bullet points I want to remember.

I have hundreds of undeveloped placeholders, so my blog is a mess, but that is OK. It is part of the process.

Next, I sit down, usually early in the morning, and develop the idea.
At this point, it is a brain dump. I write everything that comes to my mind.
I do not worry about the style of formatting.

The next is to leave the article alone, at least for 24 hours. I sleep on it. I let it ruminate.

In the next session, I clean it up.
As Stephen King wrote, I cut out all the ugly pieces. I try to simplify the language, too.

I usually have to leave the post alone again as I always find something wrong I have missed.

At this point, the piece of writing is readable. The rest is a lot of practice.

At this point, I would like to recommend the book “On Writing” by Stephen King. It is the best reference on how to write effectively. I do not like his books, but he knows how to write effectively. You will unlearn everything schools taught you.
Actually, no, I do not just recommend it. You must have it.

The Art of Storytelling

Storytelling is difficult for me.
I have done technical writing my whole adult life, and most posts were about technology.

The era of dry technical posts is over. They will be replaced by AI.
I have a blog post about it—if you care, please click “reply,” and I will include it in the following email.

All of us will have to learn not just how to write effectively but how to storytell.

I will write more on this in the future if you want me to, too, but now I would recommend another good book:

Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling by Matthew Dicks

Summary on writing

I hope you found this post interesting.
I don't know if the post is too long or lacks enough detail. I am looking for your feedback.

I hope it will spark some ideas and maybe make you do something to improve your life.
I get an incentive if you sign up for the same platform I use now.
https://www.beehiiv.com/?via=uki

I haven't figured out how to get more subscribers yet, so the organic growth is all I am counting on.

If you found it interesting,
please forward this email to your friends.

Please keep reading; there is more below.

Re-naming of the blog and email service.

Please read this post:
https://ukidlucas.substack.com/p/re-naming-of-the-blog

Please let me know your interests.

I get emails with your feedback. It will help me write better.

Poem of the week

I am taking a huge risk here. Most people do not care for poetry.

Thank you for your responses!

After sending the first email, I received quite a few nice and encouraging responses from my readers.

This is precisely what I was hoping for — to build a community and engage in intellectual exchange.

I also had a few people unsubscribe. I am sorry to let them go after only one email.

Respectfully,

Uki D. Lucas