I've been writing articles for Dzone for almost three years now, and I think it's an opportunity to share with you my personal feedback on this experience. And to share with you the idea that everyone should write articles!

What I Gained From Writing

There are several interests to write. The first and simplest is that the more you write, the easier and faster it is for you to write emails, documentation, etc... For example, for an inspiring article idea, I can write a 1000-word article in half an hour, including proofreading. This is equivalent to four pages of a book. At this rate, it would take me 20 hours to write a 160-page book. Of course, I wouldn't be able to do that, staying inspired on 160 pages is impossible, but it shows you how much more productive (but also more quality) you can be when you get used to writing. So, of course, my very first articles were catastrophic, with a screwed-up, unreadable plan, and the very first one remained in draft status. But you quickly gain in quality, readability, and productivity when you get into the habit of writing regularly.

It also allowed me to frame my thinking, and to be much more able to clearly explain a subject to someone else. Once you've written your article, you should talk about it, because you've had the opportunity to put your ideas in the right order. This is very useful if you need to write documentation, powerpoint slides, or if you need to sell something to someone. The other gain that can be obtained by writing is literally to discover new ideas yourself. By writing, you develop your reflection, your argumentation, and this can lead to brand new ideas that you would not otherwise have thought of. Also, you discover the gaps in your thinking, and the writing gives you time to discover your gaps for yourself.

There Is Nothing to Lose by Writing, on the Contrary

Writing articles is also an opportunity to confront yourself with others, and to enrich your thinking. Of course, you will get negative feedback, but don't think they're all relevant! Those who comment on your article are not the same people who wrote it... It takes a form of courage (and sometimes calm...), but what is certain is that you have made progress in writing it. Even when your article is really bad, you will make progress. So don't be shy, it's no use, especially since everything happens on the net. Sometimes, you will be particularly proud of your article. This allowed me to participate in a few white papers, tweets with mention of recognized companies, or complimentary comments. Honestly, it's hard to ignore pleasure in this kind of situation. But don't do it for the glory, do it for yourself and for the audience you are targeting. Because writing an article is one of the best ways to progress personally. I can only advise you to write for Dzone, it's simple and accessible to all good wills!