Meet the Writer: HackerNoon's Contributor Juan Gonzalez—Tech Writer & Content Creator

So let’s start! Tell us a bit about yourself. For example, name, profession, and personal interests.

I’m Juan F. Gonzalez. A former video game nerd, former web developer, and current online writer/content creator. I’m one of those people who have a hard time describing themselves because of the multiple skills and interests they have.

In the immortal words of Liam Neeson…

I have a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a long career.

Now, I use that set of skills to help tech people learn new subjects faster and help tech startups (mostly SaaS) grow by avoiding common pitfalls, solving real problems, and using engaging content to differentiate themselves from the rest.

Interesting! What was your latest Hackernoon Top story about?

It’s the 2nd part of my “viral” tutorial about how to build an audio transcriber app using OpenAI Whisper and the GPT-3 APIs. It’s a topic I got the chance to learn about, and I thought it would be cool to not just keep it for myself but share the goodies with others.

I think it went viral because it is, to the best of my knowledge, the 1st tech tutorial that is written in 3 acts and told like a fantastic adventure (like Lord of the Rings for example).

Do you usually write on similar topics? If not, what do you usually write about?

Interestingly enough, it’s the 1st article that deviated a little from my normal content on this platform. I started writing about the mistakes that indie builders make and how to avoid them.

After that one, all other articles have been about demystifying the world of SaaS and helping folks get in and not quit too soon.

I’ve ghostwritten for some of your favorite HackerNoon personas as well…

SaaS and tech products are my main topics. But I also write for my personal blog and have contributed posts for other websites and communities related to web development & knowledge sharing.

Great! What is your usual writing routine like (if you have one?)

My routine has changed over the years. At the start, I woke up very early and wrote for 1 hour straight before starting the day. The next day I would look at it, and delete most of it because of how bland and boring it was.

I then moved on to doing it when I had the writing flow going and the posts almost wrote themselves. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen too often so I wrote very few and far in between.

Now, my writing routine (regardless if it’s in the morning or the evening) is taking a specific block of time, say 60 to 90 minutes, and creating an outline for the piece with the points I want to cover.

Next is racing against the clock putting all the research and info into the page in the different parts of the outline.

Once everything is done, in comes the ruthless editing part. And after that is adding the images, gifs, and story/movie references to make everything more fun & engaging.

Being a writer in tech can be a challenge. It’s not often our main role, but an addition to another one. What is the biggest challenge you have when it comes to writing?

I have faced many challenges, but funnily enough none of those have been, “I don’t know what to write about.” The opposite is true.

I think now the biggest challenge is keeping up the discipline to write for at least an hour a day. Even in those moments when it feels like a slog and I have to check dictionaries and thesaurus to know how to say what I want to say.

What is the next thing you hope to achieve in your career?

Call me crazy, but I think online learning needs a real revolution. And I’m talking in the broad sense. When people think about “online education” almost everyone associates it with school or college and people below a certain age.

That’s why I’m hoping to create some sort of platform where knowledge workers, solopreneurs, and lifelong learners can acquire new skills through online courses with elements of storytelling and gamification.

Minus all the references to traditional education like “lectures”, “quizzes”, “exams”, and “certifications.”

Wow, that’s admirable. Now, something more casual: What is your guilty pleasure of choice?

Hmm, guilty pleasures…

I suppose it’s losing entire evenings every now and then watching YouTube videos about influencer challenges, social experiments, or comedy shows.

Do you have a non-tech-related hobby? If yes, what is it?

Well, learning is my favorite hobby.

I also like going to the gym and the train often. Doing walks in nature, trips to the countryside, and taking part in old school, “analog” activities are what fills the rest of my waking time.

What can the HackerNoon community expect to read from you next?

You can expect more content around SaaS products/startups from an everyday perspective. Not only what cool things others are doing but how you can take part in that action.

I also want to write about AI but not in an “online influencer” kind of way. It’s more aimed at the curious, privacy-minded, and bootstrapped folks. The idea is to support the underdogs, not the big names that end up doing shady business to grow their profits.

I’ve been getting at least 1 article published per week, and I continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

What’s your opinion on HackerNoon as a platform for writers?

It’s a great platform in general. There’s been a couple of improvements to the editor since I started writing. The quality of the content posted, the vibe, and the nerdy references… all of it is awesome.

I only wish I had started writing here sooner and been in touch with the overall community.

Thanks for taking time to join our “Meet the writer” series. It was a pleasure. Do you have any closing words?

To all the aspiring tech (and non-tech) writers out there… take the leap, start writing, and preferably in a platform as cool and as welcoming as HackerNoon. I know how writing can feel very lonely and like a waste of time because no one reads your stuff. But here, it is different.

Take some time, even if it’s 1 or 2 hours a week to explore topics you’re interested in, and feed your curiosity. You never know what you’ll find, and it can be the gateway to a new career and new environment.

Stay curious, take chances, and keep going. You can succeed where others fail because they quit too soon.

See ya!