I'd Rather Be Writing Podcast
Topics and issues for technical writers. Improve your technical communication role. Empower users with better documentation.
- Update frequency
- every 22 days
- Average duration
- 41 minutes
- Episodes
- 323
- Years Active
- 2006 - 2025
Recording of AI Book Club discussion about Kai-fu Lee's AI Superpowers
This is a recording of our <a href='/ai-book-club'>AI Book Club</a> session discussing Kai-Fu Lee's <a href='https://www.amazon.com/AI-Superpowers-China-Silicon-Valley/dp/132854639X'><i>AI Superpower…
01:01:01 |
Tue 19 Aug 2025
Will our next users be AI agents? The future of content delivery with Fabrice Lacroix, founder of Fluid Topics (podcast)
In this podcast, I chat with Fabrice Lacroix, founder of Fluid Topics, about the evolution of technical communication. Fabrice describes the industry's progression from (1) delivering static, monolit…
00:44:05 |
Sat 05 Jul 2025
AI Book Club recording and notes for The Singularity is Nearer, by Ray Kurzweil
This is a recording of our <a href='/ai-book-club'>AI Book Club</a> session discussing Ray Kurzweil's <a href='https://www.amazon.com/Singularity-Nearer-When-We-Merge/dp/1847928307'><i>The Singularit…
00:55:53 |
Sun 15 Jun 2025
Notes and discussion for Suleyman's <i>The Coming Wave: AI, Power, and Our Future</i> + AI Book Club recording and transcript
This post describes the key arguments and themes in <i><a href='https://www.amazon.com/Coming-Wave-Power-Our-Future/dp/0593593979'>The Coming Wave: AI, Power, and Our Future</a></i>, by Mustafa Suley…
00:59:33 |
Sat 17 May 2025
Notes and discussion for Jonathan Warner's <i>More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI</i> + AI Book Club recording
This post has notes and questions for discussion for <em><a href='https://www.amazon.com/More-Than-Words-Think-Writing/dp/1541605500'>More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI</a><…
00:59:40 |
Tue 15 Apr 2025
Rethinking traditional approaches to release notes -- recording of WTD Australia presentation
I gave a presentation to the Write the Docs Australia group on using AI to write release notes using file diffs, on Feb 16, 2025. Here's the recording, presentation description, and transcript.
00:56:52 |
Mon 17 Feb 2025
My 2025 trends predictions for tech comm
It's that time of year again when we take to analyzing trends. If you know me, you're probably gearing up for a load of AI-optimistic predictions because, as I've noted in previous posts like <a href…
00:21:17 |
Sun 05 Jan 2025
[Podcast] GenAI and Document360: Conversation with Saravana Kumar
This podcast explores GenAI in technical documentation scenarios, highlighting the AI features and capabilities provided in <a href='https://document360.com'>Document360</a>. I talk with <a href='htt…
00:49:36 |
Sun 06 Oct 2024
Podcast: Task decomposition and complex tree diagrams
This tutorial will help you understand task decomposition by guiding you through the process of creating a complex tree diagram that's too sophisticated for an AI tool to create at once. Whether you'…
00:18:38 |
Sun 28 Jul 2024
Podcast: Using long-token contexts to quality check an entire API doc set
One of the advantages of recent Gen AI updates is the massive token input context. When you can pass in an entire set of documentation as an input, you have a much stronger possibility for powerful p…
00:21:58 |
Sun 28 Jul 2024
Podcast: Using file diffs for better release notes in reference docs
You can use AI prompts when creating release notes for APIs by leveraging file diffs from regenerated reference documentation. The file diffs from version control tools provide a reliable, precise in…
00:17:31 |
Sun 28 Jul 2024
Podcast: Populating documentation templates using AI
In this tutorial, you'll learn how to use AI to populate documentation templates with the source material you've gathered. For example, API overviews often follow a highly structured template. This t…
00:22:47 |
Sun 28 Jul 2024
Podcast: Gathering source material for context input
One of the most successful strategies for using AI is to pass in an abundance of source material that can augument and inform the AI's responses. In this tutorial, I cover strategies for gathering th…
00:18:02 |
Sun 28 Jul 2024
Podcast: Creating high-fidelity, thematically organized notes from engineering meetings using AI
For AI tools to generate accurate information for documentation you're writing, you need to pass in source material. This usually means meeting with engineers and product managers to gather informati…
00:15:29 |
Sun 28 Jul 2024
[Podcast] Uncovering and communicating the value of your tech comm teams' work, with Keren Brown
In this podcast episode, I talk with Keren Brown, VP of Marketing and Value at Zoomin Software, about strategies for technical writers to demonstrate their value within their organizations, especiall…
00:47:32 |
Thu 30 May 2024
[Podcast] Breaking ground: New API documentation course at UW, with Bob Watson
In this podcast, I chat with <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/docsbydesign/'>Bob Watson</a> about an upcoming <a href='https://www.pce.uw.edu/specializations/api-documentation'>API documentation …
00:53:05 |
Fri 05 Jan 2024
My 2024 technical writing trends and predictions
I've been mulling over whether to write a trends post this year. There's so much uncertainty, it's hard to feel confident about how the tech writing profession will play out. But little trends-relate…
00:28:28 |
Mon 01 Jan 2024
Podcast: Notes and themes from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig
These are some notes and thoughts from reading Robert Pirsig's classic philosophical novel, <i>Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance</i>, published in 1974. My reading here focuses more on the te…
01:03:29 |
Fri 15 Dec 2023
Webinar recording: Experiments and use cases for AI from a tech writer’s perspective
I recently gave a webinar titled 'Experiments and use cases for AI from a tech writer’s perspective' on December 8, 2023. The webinar was sponsored by the STC Washington, DC - Baltimore Chapter. In t…
01:02:34 |
Wed 13 Dec 2023
30+ ways I’m using AI in everyday writing life as a technical writer, blogger, and curious human
In this post, I provide over 30 real-life examples of how I'm using AI on a daily basis, not just for technical writing tasks but more broadly in life, including summarizing content, explaining conce…
00:44:33 |
Mon 04 Dec 2023
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