These days it feels like every technical founder appreciates the value of writing – but that doesn’t mean it’s getting any easier to do. Many founders avoid writing like the plague, and I get it. As a technical writer, I’ve worked on all kinds of content, and the challenge is always the same: finding a good idea and communicating it clearly. For some, it comes naturally, but for the rest of us, it’s a Sisyphean task, every time.  

But here’s the thing: you don’t need to be a professional writer to create valuable content for your startup, consistently and easily. Technical writing is about sharing ideas and solving problems, and navigating the process is a skill that can absolutely be learned if you commit to it. In this article, I’ll share the framework I created to overcome three common writing obstacles that technical founders struggle with:

  1. Topic selection: I don’t know what to write about
  2. The cold start problem: I don’t know how to kick off 
  3. Following through: I don’t know how to keep going

I’ll include lots of examples at each stage so you can see what good looks like, too.

I don’t know what to write about

I’ve been there many times—staring at a blank page and grasping for an angle that feels worth exploring. But what I’ve realized is that we tend to take our best ideas for granted. I’ve talked myself out of writing something because it seemed too obvious or I found an existing article. But these ideas have value because of your unique perspective on them. Here are two ideas that might help you find a topic to get excited about.

What do you care about?

The first, most important question to ask yourself: in the context of your product and company, what do you care the most about? What problem did you set out to solve, what toolchain do you absolutely hate, and where do you think things are going? Though these may seem obvious to you, they’re not to everyone else.

If I’m not excited about a topic, I’ll struggle to write anything compelling. This is true for all writers–no one gets into the writing zone by focusing on SEO keywords or ticking off content checklists. We’re energized by problems that we care about, and when you care deeply about something, you will have strong opinions. That’s why I often suggest that founders start by writing about problems they’re most passionate about.

The easiest way to start–and often, the most overlooked–is to talk about your problem: what you set out to solve, what makes it gnarly, and why existing solutions don’t cut it. It may seem obvious to you since you think about it constantly, but it’s not obvious to everyone else. As Patrick McKenzie notes, there’s so much untapped demand for companies to explain their products in greater detail. I like to ask myself: what problems am I working on solving? Why are they interesting? Why do they matter?

Here are a few examples of founders doing problem-centric writing: 

One thing that has worked well for me is leaning into my opinions. A rule of thumb I use: if a topic excites (or aggravates) me in conversation, that’s a sign it’ll make for an impactful article. Your startup exists because you hold strong views on how things should work in your industry: share them! Articles I’ve bookmarked are extremely opinionated: Jaana Dogan’s wish list of things developers should know about databases; Jay Kreps’s treatise on the log; and Carl Sverre on not micromanaging data. 

Writing is hard enough; make it easier by picking a topic that you already care about.

Everything is a remix

Being original is an overrated and unnecessary condition to writing. Technical writing is less about being the first and more about remixing existing ideas to make them more accessible or relevant to different audiences. 

Consider the key forms of technical writing: tutorials, blog posts, white papers, and case studies each serve distinct purposes, from reducing onboarding friction to redefining concepts or workflows.

But these formats are flexible and modular. For example, Dagster’s post on using their own orchestration tool for internal analytics blends a tutorial with a case study. At Datafold, I helped publish a mini-site on data quality that combined the breadth of a white paper with the actionable insights of an ebook. Antithesis’ “how we’re different” section on their website remixes a typical sales assist document with a more fun, narrative based blog post style.

These hybrid approaches offer new ways to write while adding real value. So don’t overthink originality–there’s always a fresh way to present an idea, even if it’s been covered before. 

I don’t know how to start 

Settling on an interesting topic is just the first step. I commonly see founders get stuck when it comes time to actually put pen to paper, leading them to abandon great ideas. Here are a few tips to break out of your writer’s block and get started.

Talk to someone

For many brains, writing isn’t a natural medium of communication. To bridge that gap, start with talking, which certainly is. I’ve found it useful to ask aloud, “What am I trying to say here?”, and then answer myself while writing. If you’re in an office, pull aside a coworker and ask if they can give you some feedback on a blog post idea. If you’re at home, do it with whoever you’re living with. Or your cat. I call this Rubber Duck Writing.

I usually begin with bullet points to quickly capture the main ideas. For example, when writing about building a culture of data quality, I dug into why culture matters for technical systems. This led to key points like creating antifragile data infrastructure and fostering a craft mindset, which shaped the writing’s tone and structure. Similarly, the Analytics Engineering newsletter uses many of their industry conversations both as material and as the foundation for broader discussions on how teams can do data engineering. 

So, what do you really want to say? Tell me, and write exactly that. 

LLMs as a sparring partner

If you haven't tried them already, LLMs can be a helpful way to get some words down. Purpose-built tools like Cortex Click can even be fine-tuned on your product’s documentation and GitHub repositories to generate highly tailored content. 

However, I would definitely not recommend having AI generate an entire post without meaningful human input; it’s not a perfect substitute for areas where only you can provide crucial context. You’ll soon realize that it lacks the three critical elements you bring: opinion, tacit knowledge, and context–all of which are essential to writing something impactful. 

That said, LLMs are great for breaking through writer’s block. I like debating with ChatGPT to jumpstart the creative process. 

I don’t know how to keep going

It’s rare for me to finish writing in one sitting, and picking up a half-finished draft is always daunting. But I always remind myself: the writing doesn’t need to be perfect in order to generate conversation and make an impact. Ultimately it’s better to get something imperfect out there than to let it sit unfinished. 

Try experiments

When I’m stuck, I try experimenting to shake things up. I’ll swap headers, add a personal anecdote, or shift the tone to make it more conversational. The goal is simply to get things moving again and push the draft from my text editor and into the world. 

Remember, you're sharing a unique perspective, not chasing metrics. Once you publish, any feedback you get is a data point for future experiments, not a definitive measure of success. 

Get feedback

If I’m really stuck, I’ll take a break. Sometimes, the resistance means it’s not the right time. Other times, I’ve found that sending the draft to a friend or colleague can be productive. Ask them what works or what’s missing. I don’t always agree with their take, but the feedback is enormously helpful for getting over inertia and clarifying invisible obstacles, and provides just the nudge I need to finish it.

Break it down

You don’t need to write your entire blog post in one sitting. You don’t even need to write an entire section of your blog post in one sitting.One of the best ways to keep writing momentum going is to break the process into smaller, manageable chunks. I aim for 250 words per article per day – it’s low enough to feel doable and easy to fit between meetings. Before you know it, you’ll have finished multiple articles without even realizing it.

Get inspiration

I like to run through what I’ve saved to see if there’s anything that can serve as inspiration. You probably already have plenty of ideas from blog posts you’ve come across, your startup’s internal docs, or even recent customer emails. Michelle Ark’s inside story of how dbt shipped a new feature and Charles Cook’s frank assessment of how PostHog approached developer tool marketing are great examples of turning day-to-day work into interesting writing. Sometimes you just need to see the right words from someone else to know what to say yourself.