*This article summarizes my experience as a writer during the pandemic year 2021.*

Below you will find lots of resources and tools and my method and tips for heavy writing.

## My Background

* I have a degree in computer science. 👨🏽‍🔬
* 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. 🔍
* They are my opinions and are very subject to change.

## 11 tools and secret sauces


 1. I Have a (very) long list of draft articles.
 2. I often skip the waiting queue and write about some inspirational source (and cite it).
 3. I use a different template in all my series.
 4. For example, I have an empty [Code Smell template](https://maximilianocontieri.com/series/code-smells).
 5. I write Everywhere 🗺️
 6. I proofread all my articles with HemingwayApp, Grammarly, and Google Translate (all free) 🔡
 7. I parse the markdown in my articles and convert them to HTML to republish on many platforms at once.
 8. I heavily use the *canonical URL* tag to avoid search penalties. 🔎
 9. I Follow very interesting people on Twitter and blogging platforms. ✨
10. I take a new course every week, usually on a subject that is far away from my comfort zone.
11. I add many references and quotes to my articles.

## 6 Tips for Time Management


1. I read a lot of articles early in the morning and bookmark them during the day. 🌅
2. I use Trello, Inoreader, Pocket, and Obsidian.
3. I Use [The Pomodoro technique](https://hackernoon.com/top-16-tips-to-quickly-boost-your-productivity-in-2021-lr2v340x) to focus when writing. 🍅
4. I avoid perfection. I publish them when they are *ready*.
5. Then I make corrections with other people's comments. Even after months.
6. 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 smart 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, so these are the common critics I get and my opinions.

## 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.

### 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. 👨‍🏫
* I have used 25+ different languages in my articles.
* I am not an expert in ANY of these languages.
* Languages are accidental, Software design is [essential](https://hackernoon.com/there-are-no-silver-bullets-for-this-werewolf-2t213woi).

### I Have a trick in *INSERT LANGUAGE* to improve the code.

Most of the articles are language-independent. The solutions try to avoid language perks and cleverness.

### Your solution is not performant/optimal

* I write about backend business software. 🖥️
* This is the domain I've been working on.
* I am aware 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. ✔️
* Then, optimize it *only if you have strong evidence*.
* Complexity is not enough evidence.
* You need a real benchmark in real use case scenarios. 📈
* 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. 😈

### [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://hackernoon.com/laziness-chapter-i-meta-programming-6s4l300e), [Castings](https://maximilianocontieri.com/code-smell-69-big-bang-javascript-ridiculous-castings), [Comments](https://maximilianocontieri.com/code-smell-05-comment-abusers) are standard. 🙈

* 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.

### 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).  🛠️
* You don't need to see the big picture and the details at the same time. 🌳
* Trust your implementation and write good tests.

### Your solutions have too many indirections

* [Coupling](https://hackernoon.com/coupling-the-one-and-only-software-designing-problem-9z5a321h) is our worst enemy. 🙅
* We need to avoid direct relationships.

### You have too many rules and constraints

> There is just one rule: Always follow the [bijection](https://hackernoon.com/the-one-and-only-software-design-principle-1x983ylp) 🔀

\


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Winner of Noonies 2020 for the award Hacker Noon Contributor of the Year - REFACTORING.

2020 - Hacker Noon Contributor of the Year in REFACTORING

2022 - HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - Clean Code

2022 - HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - Debugging

2022 - HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - Github

2022 - HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - Machine Learning

2022 - HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - Quality Assurance

2022 - HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - Refactoring

2022 - HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - Software Architecture

2022 - the Greatest Storyteller

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Nominated for 2022 - HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - Refactoring

Nominated for 2022 - HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - Quality Assurance

Nominated for 2022 - HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - Github

Nominated for 2022 - HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - Machine Learning

Nominated for 2022 - HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - Clean Code

Nominated for 2022 - HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - Software Architecture

Nominated for 2022 - the Greatest Storyteller

Nominated for 2022 - HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - Debugging

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I Wrote More than 90 Articles in 2021 and Here is What I Learned in a Nutshell

I Wrote More than 90 Articles in 2021 and Here is What I Learned in a Nutshell

Too Long; Didn't Read

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