How I Write My Blog: The Complete Process

In this blog, I'm excited to share the complete process I use to craft my blog posts. My approach uniquely blends structured blogging with personal journaling two methods that serve distinct purposes. While blogging allows me to share valuable insights, technical details, and devlogs with you, journaling is my personal space to reflect on my thoughts, mental health, and personal growth. Over time, these two approaches have evolved into a system that harnesses both creativity and precision.

Step 1: Topic Selection

The journey begins with selecting the right topic. Every day, I accumulate a wealth of notes currently around 7,750 and still growing. This steady stream of thoughts, ideas, and reflections is my personal reservoir of inspiration. When I sense the urge to write, I dive into these notes. I carefully shuffle through them, asking myself:

• "Can I turn this into a blog post?"
• "Would this be better suited as a personal journal entry?"
• "Is there a technical concept here that others would find valuable?"
• "Does this reflect a personal breakthrough worth documenting?"

This method allows me to uncover hidden gems within my daily musings. Sometimes, a single note or a fleeting thought sparks an idea that becomes the seed of an entire blog post or a reflective journal entry. It's an organic process where inspiration meets introspection.

I use a combination of tools for note-taking, including Obsidian for structured notes, voice Notes for quick captures, and a custom CLI tool I built that lets me jot down thoughts directly from my terminal while coding.

Step 2: Note Taking and Categorization

Once I have a potential topic, I further refine my idea by revisiting both my detailed daily notes and my curated weekly journal entries. Here's how I approach it:

Differentiating Content Types:

I first determine whether the post will be a technical blog, a devlog, or a more personal journal entry. For technical topics, I invest hours into research to ensure that my post is accurate and insightful. Devlogs usually stem from my day-to-day experiences and development challenges, while personal journal entries capture my emotions, mental state, and personal reflections.

For technical posts, I create a dedicated research folder with subfolders for:

• Code snippets and examples
• Reference materials and documentation
• Diagrams and visual aids
• Previous related work

Using My Private Journals:

My weekly journal entries are stored securely on my local PC and are encrypted for privacy. They're not public, but they serve as a rich resource for ideas. I revisit these entries to see if any recurring themes or significant events can be transformed into a meaningful post.

I've developed a tagging system within my journals that helps me quickly identify potential blog material:

• #TechInsight for technical observations
• #DevChallenge for coding problems I've solved
• #PersonalGrowth for reflections on my journey
• #BlogIdea for explicit notes about future content

Context Gathering:

To streamline the process, I have two AI systems I work with. I have a cloud-based large language model that's trained on my entire digital footprint, including my journals, messages, and other personal data. This helps with deep context retrieval. However, for the actual writing process, I use ChatGPT 4.5, which is completely different and not trained on my personal data.

My process includes:

1. Using my personal LLM for initial context gathering and insight extraction
2. Switching to ChatGPT 4.5 for the actual writing and refinement process
3. Maintaining a balance between personalized insights and general writing quality

Step 3: Crafting the Outline

After gathering my notes and determining the direction of the post, I begin the outlining phase. Here's where the creative challenge intensifies:

Structured vs. Unstructured Outlines:

For technical blogs, my outlines tend to be clear and well-organized because the research forms a solid backbone for the post. However, when it comes to personal journals or devlogs, the outline can sometimes be a wild mix of ideas. The emotional weight and spontaneous nature of my thoughts often make the outline appear unstructured a raw reflection of my inner dialogue.

My technical outlines typically follow this pattern:

1. Introduction to the problem or concept
2. Background and context
3. Technical deep-dive with code examples
4. Challenges encountered and solutions found
5. Lessons learned and best practices
6. Conclusion with next steps

For personal entries, I embrace a more fluid structure that follows my emotional journey:

• Initial observations or feelings
• Deeper reflections on why I feel this way
• Connections to past experiences
• Insights gained and growth opportunities
• Action steps or mindset shifts

The Role of ChatGPT 4.5:

Writing an outline is one of the hardest parts of the process. While I have a personal LLM trained on my data, for the actual writing process, I use ChatGPT 4.5. My initial outline usually starts as a bit of gibberish filled with grammar and spelling mistakes, or simply too free-flowing. ChatGPT helps transform this into something coherent.

For my ChatGPT system prompt, I include a specific checklist:

• Technical accuracy check
• Emotional authenticity verification for personal content
• Readability and flow assessment
• Addition of personal anecdotes, examples, or metaphors (add more metaphors!)
• Include code snippets if it's technical content
• SEO-friendly optimization without compromising quality
• Final proofreading for grammar and spelling

Evaluating and Iterating:

I carefully evaluate the initial draft of the outline, iterating on it until I feel that it captures the essence of what I want to express. Whether it's a technical deep dive or a raw personal reflection, the outline serves as the roadmap for the final post.

I typically go through 3-5 iterations of an outline before moving forward, asking myself:

• Does this flow logically?
• Have I covered all the important aspects?
• Is there a clear takeaway for the reader?
• Does this authentically represent my experience or knowledge?

Step 4: Transforming the Outline into a Full-Fledged Blog

With the outline in hand, I move to the final phase of content creation:

Feeding the Outline to ChatGPT 4.5:

I pass the rough outline to ChatGPT 4.5, using my specialized system prompt with the checklist mentioned earlier. This transforms my notes into a polished blog post that maintains my voice while improving structure and readability.

My transformation process with ChatGPT includes:

1. Initial expansion of outline points into full paragraphs
2. Addition of transitions between sections
3. Generation of examples, metaphors, and analogies to illustrate complex points
4. Refinement of technical explanations for clarity
5. Enhancement of personal anecdotes to create emotional connection

From Gibberish to Gold:

Even though my initial outline may seem chaotic, ChatGPT 4.5 helps transform it into a coherent, well-structured article. It's like watching a skilled potter take a lump of clay and shape it into a beautiful vase – the raw material is there, but the AI helps give it form and function.

The transformation process typically involves:

• Expanding bullet points into fully formed paragraphs
• Adding relevant examples and illustrations
• Ensuring technical accuracy while maintaining readability
• Preserving my authentic voice and perspective
• Balancing depth of content with accessibility

Final Edits and Personal Touch:

After ChatGPT refines the draft, I review and make final edits to ensure the post reflects both the factual accuracy needed for technical content and the personal nuances that make my devlogs or journal entries unique. This final pass ensures that the voice remains authentically mine while benefiting from the clarity provided by the AI.

My editing checklist includes:

1. Technical accuracy check (for technical posts)
2. Emotional authenticity verification (for personal posts)
3. Readability and flow assessment
4. Addition of personal anecdotes or examples
5. Inclusion of relevant images, diagrams, or code snippets
6. SEO optimization without compromising quality
7. Final proofreading for grammar and spelling

Step 5: Publishing and Reflection

The final stage of my process involves publishing the content and reflecting on it:

Publishing Workflow:

1. I format the post in Markdown and add it to my Next.js blog repository
2. I select appropriate tags and tags to help readers find related content
3. I schedule the post for publication, typically aiming for consistency with a Tuesday/Friday schedule
4. I prepare social media snippets to share the post across platforms

Post-Publication Reflection:

After publishing, I take time to reflect on the process and the content:

• What did I learn while writing this?
• How did the final post compare to my initial vision?
• What feedback did I receive, and how can I incorporate it?
• What topics naturally emerged that could become future posts?

This reflection becomes part of my journal, creating a virtuous cycle where published content feeds back into my personal note-taking system, generating new ideas and insights for future posts.

By combining the structure of technical blogging with the authenticity of personal journaling, I've created a writing process that feels both productive and meaningful. It allows me to share valuable content with you while continuing my own journey of growth and discovery.