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The Not-Boring Tech Writer

The Not-Boring Tech Writer

Written by: Kate Mueller
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 Some people hear the phrase "technical writing" and think it must be boring. We're here to show the full complexity and awesomeness of being a tech writer. This podcast is for anyone who writes technical documentation of any kind, including those who may not feel comfortable calling themselves tech writers. Whether you create product documentation, support documentation, READMEs, or any other technical content—and whether you deal with imposter syndrome, lack formal training, or find yourself somewhere in the gray area between technical communications and general writing—there's a place for you here. Each month, we publish two episodes: an interview with an amazing guest focusing on useful skills or tools that can help you improve your tech writing skills, and a behind-the-scenes solo episode with host Kate Mueller about what she’s working on, struggling with, or thinking about in her daily tech writing life. The Not-Boring Tech Writer is generously sponsored by KnowledgeOwl, knowledge base software built for people who care, by people who care.© 2016-2026 KnowledgeOwl Careers Economics Personal Success
Episodes
  • Building a home for documentarians with Eric Holscher

    Building a home for documentarians with Eric Holscher
    Apr 16 2026
    In this episode, I talk with Eric Holscher, co-founder of Read the Docs and Write the Docs, about building and sustaining a community for people who care about documentation. We discuss the origin story of Write the Docs, how the conference and community have evolved over 13 years, the value of Lightning Talks and Unconference sessions for fostering organic connection, how AI is reshaping the role of technical writers and developers, and why supporting the institutions you care about matters now more than ever.—Eric and I discuss his path into caring about documentation, which started as a computer science student reading the Django documentation on a family vacation and discovering how well-written docs could transform his understanding. This experience, combined with his deep roots in the Python and Django open source communities, eventually led him to co-found Read the Docs in 2010 and Write the Docs in 2013. We talk about how Write the Docs was originally conceived as a conference for Read the Docs users but quickly took on a life of its own and eventually became a global community for anyone who cares about documentation. We also discuss the origin of the term "documentarian" as an identity for people who are passionate about docs regardless of their job title, and the value that comes from having a single word to describe that identity.We explore the conference elements that make Write the Docs feel different from other events, including Lightning Talks as an on-ramp for first-time speakers, Unconference sessions that let attendees organize discussions around what they're excited about, and Writing Day as a hands-on collaborative experience. I share how Writing Day is evolving this year to include skill-based tracks like Git workshops and resume/portfolio reviews to address the community's changing needs. We also discuss how the community's makeup has shifted over the years from a more developer-heavy audience to one that's primarily tech writers, and the intentional work that goes into keeping the conference broadly welcoming.We dig into Eric's values-driven approach to conference organizing, including keeping sponsors off the main stage, avoiding tool-specific talks that can feel like sales pitches, and defaulting to openness with resources like talk recordings and the Write the Docs topic index. We also touch on AI's impact on the tech writing profession, where Eric offers an optimistic perspective: because writing quality is harder to objectively test than code, the depth of understanding and explainability that writers bring may become even more valuable. The episode wraps up with a discussion of supporting the institutions you care about and the challenges of building sustainable community organizations.About Eric Holscher:Eric Holscher is the co-founder of Read the Docs, Write the Docs, and EthicalAds. While studying computer science at the University of Mary Washington, Eric's passion for documentation was sparked by reading the Django documentation on a family vacation and discovering how transformative well-written docs could be. He co-founded Read the Docs in 2010 as an open source documentation hosting platform, which has grown into his full-time work for over a decade. In 2013, he co-founded Write the Docs, which began as a conference for Read the Docs users but quickly evolved into a global community for anyone who cares about documentation, with conferences on multiple continents, a thriving Slack community, and local meetups worldwide. He also co-founded EthicalAds, a privacy-focused ad network, and helped start PyCascades, a Pacific Northwest Python conference. Eric lives in Bend, Oregon, and spends as much time as possible exploring the outdoors on foot or by bike. If you run into him at an event, remember the Pac-Man Rule: always leave room for someone else to join the circle.In this episode:[00:01:20]: Eric's origin story: discovering the power of documentation through Django docs on a family vacation[00:04:11]: Read the Docs, Write the Docs, and the confusing naming story[00:05:26]: The Write the Docs elevator pitch: a community for anyone who cares about documentation[00:09:20]: The origin and meaning of "documentarian" as a professional identity[00:12:09]: How Write the Docs got started in 2013[00:15:02]: The power of community in professional life and finding your people[00:20:49]: Conference structures that foster connection: Lightning Talks, Unconference sessions, and Writing Day[00:24:29]: Lightning Talks as a gateway to public speaking[00:29:03]: How the conference and community have evolved since 2013[00:33:14]: Navigating AI and the future of technical writing[00:34:36]: Why writers may be less at risk from AI than developers[00:38:48]: Writing Day's evolution: adding skill-based tracks like Git workshops and resume reviews[00:44:22]: Sponsor relationships and creating value without being extractive[00:47:41]: Lessons learned from building a values-driven community...
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Kate sounds off on lovable docs

    Kate sounds off on lovable docs
    Apr 2 2026
    In this solo episode, I share my latest content updates progress and reflect on my takeaways from Jacob Moses’ interview (S3:E32). I also share some thoughts on applying concepts about lovable neighborhoods to documentation.—I updated the KnowledgeOwl Support Knowledge Base (Support KB) to create all the documentation for our new Owl Analytics Export API, including API endpoint documentation and a public Postman collection of the endpoint. I also wrote a release note and documentation for several new import tools, including HubSpot and a generic CSV importer. My change management toolkit is more or less ready for release, which will happen in two phases: a larger toolkit released for KnowledgeOwl customers only, and a more streamlined version released to the general public. I’ll share more once that streamlined version is available so you can check it out if you’d like!I reflect on my interview with Jacob Moses, especially all the skills he took from his tech writing career and used in his real estate development work at Care Block. I share five ideas that came up in our discussion around neighborhoods and community development that are equally applicable to documentation:You don’t necessarily have to plow a lot of resources into big changes to have a big impact on your reader experience.Have conversations–or at least, bear witness to conversations–where your readers are most comfortable having those conversations.Don’t just copy and paste best practices or templates from other places; use them as starting points and iterate as you go.Incorporate documentation into your customer and employee onboarding.Support readers who have differing levels of engagement styles.I also dig a lot deeper into the idea of lovable neighbors and lovable documentation, sharing some insights from Henrik Kniberg’s blog post on earliest testable/usable/lovable products and trying to apply those principles to documentation. I argue that documentation can be one of the most lovable parts of your product or company, and that if we recognize that premise, we should identify ways that readers will feel loved by our documentation to focus our efforts on. I tie this to Kelton Noyes’ changes to new employee orientation and ramp-up time shared in S3:E28, where he reduced onboarding and ramp-up from three weeks of training plus a three month ramp-up period down to two weeks total.I also argue that the idea of reciprocity can help guide us toward more lovable docs, quoting Jacob: “If you build a lovable place, it will be loved in return by whomever you’re leasing the home to.” Our readers won’t love our docs unless we do, so we should focus on building documentation we know our readers need and doing it in a way that is thorough and lovely.I close by reflecting on the idea of if my documentation is a neighborhood, what kind of neighborhood would it be and how does that change what I prioritize?In this episode:[00:01:03]: Progress updates[00:03:47]: Reflections on how Jacob Moses has transferred his tech writing skills to real estate development[00:08:22]: Five principles of building good neighborhoods that apply to building good documentation[00:16:09]: Reflections on the idea of lovabilityResources discussed in this episode:KnowledgeOwl Owl Analytics Export API documentationKnowledgeOwl import documentationFrom tech writing to building lovable neighborhoods with Jacob Moses (S3:E32)Skill #3: Creating Just-in-Time Documentation (S1:E3)Advocating for docs and choosing tools with Kelton Noyes (S3:E28)Making sense of MVP (Minimum Viable Product) – and why I prefer Earliest Testable/Usable/Lovable by Henrik KnibergDiátaxisThe Seven-Action Documentation Model by Fabrizio Ferri-BenedettiJoin the discussion by replying on Bluesky —Contact The Not-Boring Tech Writer team:We love hearing your ideas for episode topics, guests, or general feedback:Email: tnbtw@knowledgeowl.comthenotboringtechwriter.comLinkedInBlueskyGuest suggestions formContact Kate Mueller:knowledgewithsass.comLinkedInBlueskyContact KnowledgeOwl:knowledgeowl.comLinkedIn
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    32 mins
  • From tech writing to building lovable neighborhoods with Jacob Moses

    From tech writing to building lovable neighborhoods with Jacob Moses
    Mar 19 2026
    In this episode, I talk with Jacob Moses, the founder and original host of The Not-Boring Tech Writer podcast, about how the skills and values he developed as a tech writer have shaped his journey into community development and real estate. We discuss his concept of building "lovable places," how user-centered thinking and empathy translate from documentation to neighborhood development, the power of tight feedback loops and self-service documentation for tenants and clients, and how the Write the Docs Pac-Man rule has changed his life and his work.—Jacob and I discuss his path from studying technical communication at the University of North Texas to founding The Not-Boring Tech Writer podcast in 2016 to his current work as owner of Care Block Development, a real estate development company specializing in historic rehabs in Denton, Texas. Throughout his career transitions, Jacob has carried core tech writing values with him, including user empathy, iterative improvement, and the importance of tight feedback loops. We explore how Care Block's mission of building "lovable places" connects to ideas about product lovability in the software world and why solvency matters for any organization that wants to do good work for the people it serves.We dig into the ways Jacob applies tech writing skills and principles in his real estate and community development work. He walks us through examples like creating onboarding documentation for new tenants with laminated cards and QR codes, offering multiple communication paths for work orders to accommodate different engagement preferences, and providing self-help guides for emergency situations. On the general contracting side, he shares how he uses project management software to give clients real-time transparency into the estimating process, a move that was counterintuitive to others in his industry but aligned with his commitment to centering humans in every interaction.We also discuss the Strong Towns approach to public investment, which centers on humbly observing where people struggle, doing the next small thing to address that struggle, and repeating. Jacob connects this to tech writing's iterative, user-centered mindset and to Elinor Ostrom's concept of "cheap talk," which emphasizes meeting people where they are and letting them communicate in ways that feel comfortable. We touch on AI's role in documentation and the irreplaceable value of human empathy, and Jacob shares the piece of advice that has most impacted his life and work: the Write the Docs Pac-Man rule of always leaving room for another person to join the circle.About Jacob Moses:Jacob Moses is the founder and original host of The Not-Boring Tech Writer podcast, which he launched in 2016 to celebrate tech writers and push back against the stereotype that technical writing is boring. He studied technical communication at the University of North Texas, and his first gig out of college was as a tech writer at Rainmaker Digital (formerly Copyblogger Media). Since then, he's carried the skills and values he cultivated as a tech writer into community development and real estate.Today, Jacob is owner of Care Block Development, a real estate development company that acquires, rehabs, and manages historic buildings in Denton, Texas. Pairing historic preservation with thoughtful improvements, Care Block honors the culture of the neighborhoods in which it works to create lovable places for the people it serves. He's also the owner of Sardinha, a premium tinned seafood pop-up pushing premium tins in Denton. If you need a tinfish plug in Denton, Jacob is your guy.In this episode:[00:01:00]: Jacob's origin story: a chance meeting at a coffee shop that led to tech writing[00:08:06]: From Blue Bag Market to affordable housing to Care Block Development[00:10:11]: Care Block's mission: building lovable places through historic rehabs[00:13:51]: Lovability as a concept for software, documentation, and community[00:24:51]: Tenant onboarding documentation: laminated cards, QR codes, and multiple communication paths[00:27:59]: Self-service documentation and accommodating different engagement preferences[00:31:33]: Using project management software for transparency in the general contracting process[00:37:15]: Tech writing skills that translate beyond documentation[00:40:13]: The Strong Towns approach: observe, do the next small thing, repeat[00:41:20]: Elinor Ostrom's "cheap talk" and meeting people where they are[00:45:38]: Humility, listening, and centering the end user as the expert[00:51:02]: AI, empathy, and what makes good documentation good[00:54:19]: Resource recommendations: Bird by Bird, Death and Life of Great American Cities, and more[00:59:46]: Best advice: the Write the Docs Pac-Man ruleResources discussed in this episode:The Pac-Man Rule at conferences by Eric HolscherStrong TownsBooks:Governing the Commons by Elinor OstromBird by Bird by Anne LamottJoe Jones by Anne LamottThe Death and Life of Great ...
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    1 hr and 7 mins
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