I write news articles in addition to code, and a fellow writer gave me a simple piece of advice that I think applies to both disciplines. It has to do with plan

I write news articles in addition to code, and a fellow writer gave me a simple piece of advice that I think applies to both disciplines. It has to do with planning -- but not over-thinking -- your work. Before you start writing, sit down with a friend in a bar and explain to him exactly what you're trying to say and do. If you can't communicate your idea in a concise, conversational way, then you're not ready to start writing. Applied to code, I suppose this is similar to the concept of Rubber Ducky Debugging: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging