Why Becoming A Developer Makes Me Want To Be A Better Writer

I know that this is strange. Trust me, it feels strange. But, for some reason learning to become a software developer has also made me want to be a better writer.

Maybe it is the inordinate amount of time I have been spending in coffee shops. Maybe it is the freedom that comes with building something from the ground up. Maybe it is the joy of being able to do work that I am passionate about. I can’t quite put my finger on this connection….but somehow it exists.

It started out small. More like, I have been coding all day non stop so lets take a break and publish a blog post. But the it grew. It started to turn into reading and writing about technology, going through challenges, making a way for myself. Now I see that this urge to write, to be a writer is becoming a real thing on its own. Not in opposition to my work as a developer, but as a compliment to it.

It could be that in order to make the transition to being a software developer, I had to find the words to motivate myself. It could be that my experiences so far have shown me that there is nothing like helping others to see the path to make you feel your sacrifice is worthwhile. Whatever the connection, I believe that is intentional, and somehow related to my evolution as a software developer.

All I know is that I feel drawn to writing, enraptured by the thought of it. I want to do it more and more, and it is becoming a part of me. I think about it while I write code. What could I write about what I did today? Is there something of value that I could put out into the world? I even ponder writing my own books about learning rails as a beginner. I want to create the content that I wish I had a year ago when I was sitting in my office cube trying to figure out my place in the world.

I did a google (really it was duckduckgo) search to see if I was the only one (as I am so used to being).. What I found is that there are a good amount of people who characterize themselves as a writer and web developer. Really, they use those exact words. I found that comforting. Its nice to know that things so disparate may have a place together, even when you can’t see it.

So, I have decided the pursue writing with as much fever as web site development. They are not so much 2 sides of the same coin as they feel like almost the same thing. Maybe its true that programming is really another form of writing. I always loved linguistics and excelled at learning multiple languages. Why should this endeavor be any different.

I still have no idea how I will make time to do, everything. But that is the story of my life. In the end, I get it done, and find a new passion along the way. I think that is what keeps me motivated.