Gathering Material is the Most Laborious Part of the Writing Process

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

My full name is Valerii Udodov, but all my friends and colleagues call me Val. I live and work in Melbourne, Australia. I like to code and draw diagrams on the whiteboard :) And this is what I do for a living. Currently, I work as a Lead Consultant at Lexicon Digital.

In my free time, I like to be outdoors, running, cycling, hiking, you name it… I like to read, especially about space and astronauts. Although I don’t like fiction books of any kind :)

Interesting! What was your latest Hackernoon Top story about?

It was mostly about JavaScript and its runtime. And how single-threaded not compiled language stays so efficient. We touched base on asynchronicity (what a hard word to spell), Browser API and overall execution sequencing.

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

Yeah, I had a few articles on similar topics. JavaScript, Web Browsers and its internals. Although I often write about application architecture and different practices in software development. I’m a big fan of domain-driven design and event-driven architecture, hence I write about it :)

Finally, I like to try new things in software and sometimes write about my experiments with one or another technology.

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

It depends… Mostly depends on how big and complicated the topic I’ve chosen. Usually, I have few stages.

Preparation. I’m trying to finalize the topic I’m going to focus on. Often I start an article thinking I’m going to write about one thing but end up writing about something else, although it will probably be not too far from the original topic. At least somehow related. Let’s say I try to define the mainline of the article.

Material. I gather and shape the material. This is the most laborious part of the process. All these characters, all these facts must come together in a meaningful, friendly, not too formal, yet informative way.

Finalization. Checking the flow, spelling, grammar, etc. Boring… :P

Drawing. Most of my articles have some sort of diagram or something. This is the last stage where I draw final diagrams, choose or double-check picturesPublish. Reading one last time and hitting the button!

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?

Finish the article. It is pretty easy to start an article, especially when you are excited about something, but it is hard to finalize and finish it. Make sure it looks good and reads well.

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

I’m feeling like I’m in a good spot now. I’ve started a new position as a software consultant not too long ago. I’ve never worked as a consultant before. Currently, I’m trying to understand whether this role fits me well and probably will decide from there…

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

I like beer, Belgium beer. 🍺

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

Sure, as I said before I like outdoor activities (running, cycling, etc) and reading. I love travelling, unfortunately, it was a hard thing to do lately… I like bikes 🏍, I really enjoy a good day-long ride through the Aussie windy roads.

What can the Hacker Noon community expect to read from you next?

I’d love to do few more in-depth JavaScript-related topics. Probably something about memory, garbage collection. Maybe something relates to architecture as well…

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

Thanks for having me here and providing such a great platform to share…