What is a writing day?¶

Our Writing Day is modeled after the concept of “code sprints” or “hackathons”, which are common in open-source conferences. The main goal is to get interesting people in the same room and have them work towards shared goals.

To make the most out of the Writing Day, we recommend that you either come with a project, or be ready and willing to contribute to someone else’s project.

Here are some examples of projects that you might want to work on:

• Open-source software documentation
• General documentation writing
• Best practices manual (for your project or the world)
• Blog posts
• Tips and tricks
• Great works of fiction
• Love letters
• The Write the Docs website and guides

This adds up to a room full of smart people sharing your problems, your passion, and your goals. Be ready to learn some new things and to teach others what you know.

Even if you feel that you don’t know that much, or don’t have the right skills or experience, or have never attended an event like Writing Day before, you’ll be surprised how much you can share.

Have a project you want to work on?¶

During the introduction, we invite people to give a project summary in the Stage chat. The Writing Day coorindator will post a link to the project overviews in the Google sheet.

As you prepare your project, consider what information and tasks people might need to help you with your idea and why people might want to work with you on it.

Remember that people will come and go during writing day, and you might not accomplish everything you set out to during the day. This is normal for events like these, and many projects continue after writing day.

Want to contribute to an existing project?¶

Please make sure that your internet connection is stable if you want to participate in video/audio conversations. We’ll be creating and editing content, so make sure that you have the tools you need to contribute.

If at any time you get stuck with new concepts and tools, remember you are in a room full of friendly people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Feel free to ask if anyone can help or ask a staff member or volunteer to help you find someone to help.

Can’t find a project you want to contribute to?¶

Maybe this means you have a project to add to the Google sheet, it’s never too late.

If not, check out the Writing Day page, which has some ideas and links to projects you might be interested in. And if none of these make you curious, you’re always welcome to work on your own projects as space allows. We’re happy to have you with us today!