It was never my goal to write about WordPress, but since I was a kid, I’ve consistently wanted to be a writer. Despite putting a ton of work into trying to be a science fiction writer, or a creative non-fiction writer, I was never particularly good at it.
One of the many things that my involvement in WordPress has given me, is that for the first time in my life I’m getting paid to write, and people read and respect what I write. That’s awesome, ya’ll are awesome, thank you.
In this meta-tutorial I’m going to share some tips, that will help you write awesome tutorials of any kind.
Know That You Have Something To Share
Yes, you really do.
If you’re a developer, write a technical tutorial about what you just did. If you’re a marketer, share a winning strategy. Whatever you do, share it. At the very least, you’ll have written it down before you forget it, but someone will find what you write useful.
What you write might now be earth-shatteringly unique, in fact it is probably not. But, we all learn differently, so your version might help someone in a way no other version can.
All that aside, you just have to stop telling yourself that you have nothing to share. Telling yourself that is why you don’t.
Seriously, just do it.
It’s good marketing, it’s a good way to give back, and it you’re like me, it’s a good way to learn or cement what you’ve learned.
It’s A Story & The Reader Is The Hero
Help me Obi Wan Kanobi you’re my only hope.
It might seem to you like a tutorial is just a list of steps to do something, but to write a good one, it needs the elements of a story. A story is a simple thing, with three basic parts.
Someone is one way, then something happens to them, then they are different. A story is a thing that happens to someone.
Most of my tutorials, before the first subheading, tell the reader what they will learn and in the last section tell them what they learned. In between the beginning and end they learn something new.
Tutorials are stories about you, the reader, wanting to learn something, trying that thing, and as a result being able to do that thing.
Context & Personal Experience
But what about Josh?
I try and interject myself into my tutorials as much as I can. Many of the articles I’ve written tell you why I figured out how to do what I’m about to share. It helps the reader understand the importance (or not for them) of what they are trying to learn.
I also think it makes the tutorial more relatable to provide a personal touch. In addition, a real story requires an inciting incident. The more engaging your tutorial is emotionally the more likely the reader is to internalize its message and remember you fondly for having offered it.
What Not To Worry About
“I will take the Ring,” [Frodo] said, “though I do not know the way.”
I probably could go on about a lot of other things, but I’m intentionally avoiding the most obvious suggestions. Instead I want to leave you with a few things not to worry about:
No one will read it.
Maybe not. But stick with it, audience comes in time. And besides that, this is a craft that requires practice. In the beginning, a lack of an audience is a marvelous thing.
I might be wrong.
Very true. The more you put yourself out there, the more likely someone is going to tell you you’re wrong. In many cases they will be spot on about how wrong you are. Is being told you are wrong the worse thing that could happen in your life?
I’ve been told I’m wrong on the internet a lot, often with good reason. Of all the bad things that have happened to me in my life, eh…
I don’t have time.
To be honest, me neither. But, writing is one of the more rewarding things I do, so I keep doing it. It might be that you should write a post a week, or that they more you write the easier it is for you to keep writing.
That all depends on who you are. Good writing exposes your true self. The quicker you find out how your true self relates to your writing, the more fantastic you’re writing will be.