I find that Claude deliberately gives long documents and designs to burn up credits. You ask for carousel content, you end up getting the whole design. You ask for a new section in your document and end up getting the whole document edited. And this unnecessarily burns the credits. Eh, this was just a rant. Anyone else facing the same issue?
I've been writing technical content professionally for 7+ years, including docs, blogs, API references, and release notes, the works. So, I figured I'd share the same ideas here that might help others.
These aren't generic "write clearly" tips. These are the things I had to unlearn, relearn, or get burned by before they actually clicked.
1. Ask "what does this sentence do?" before you publish it.
Every sentence in a technical blog should earn its place. If it doesn't explain a concept, move the reader to the next step, or add context that prevents a mistake. Cut it.
2. Precision beats volume every time.
"In order to be able to initiate the process" → "To start the process." Your reader isn't here to admire your prose. They need to do something. Get out of their way.
3. The first draft proves you understood the topic. The edit proves you understood the reader.
I do two passes on everything. First pass: logic gaps, missing context, wrong assumptions. Second pass: sentence-level precision. Treating them as one pass is where most writers leave quality on the table.
4. Know what to cut and what NOT to cut.
This one took me years. A sentence that looks "extra" might be the one that prevents a production incident. Caveats, edge cases, "why this step matters," these aren't fat. A screenshot caption that just repeats what the screenshot shows? That's fat. Learn the difference.
5. If you can't write a clean heading for a section, you don't fully understand it yet.
Structure is a thinking tool. If a section resists being titled, that's a signal. It is most probably a comprehension problem. Go back to the source material.
6. Edit for your least technical reader, write for your most technical one.
The smartest person in the room still appreciates clarity. The less experienced person needs it. You don't dumb things down, but you make them precise enough that nobody misreads them.
I am curious to know which writing habit changed things most for you?
I recently started writing on Substack and, honestly, would like to connect with my like-minded audience, but I have been having a bit of trouble gaining subscribers. What can I do about that? And I have done everything basic articles say, like commenting and engaging with other accounts, being consistent in posting notes, etc.