How to Write a Book About Testing? Take a Look Behind the Scenes!
Discover the behind-the-scenes journey of writing a book on effective testing and TDD, exploring my writing process, tools used, and upcoming content.
Welcome to a behind-the-scenes look at my journey crafting a book on how to write good tests and practicing Test-Driven Development (TDD). As a passionate writer, I'm excited to share my insights, experiences, and the tools I've used to create a comprehensive book on this technical topic. In this blog post, we'll explore the book's current status, the tools that have shaped my writing process, and what you can expect in the upcoming weeks and months. So, buckle up and join me as we delve into the world of book writing!
Current Status
I'm thrilled to share a snapshot of my progress and what I've learned about book writing. The book is taking shape nicely and is nearing completion, with only a few chapters left to write. However, there's still work to be done, including heavy editing and writing a few missing chapters.
Some of the completed chapters have exceeded my expectations, and I'm rather happy with the content and structure. Nonetheless, I believe there's always room for improvement, and I plan to enhance these chapters with more examples, better explanations, and possibly graphics to make the concepts more accessible.
One significant decision I've made during this process is switching from Cypress to Playwright for the "Building the Perfect Test Environment" chapter. Playwright's UI mode and simplified setup, including the ability to use async/await, make it an ideal choice for everybody who wants to get serious about testing. Therefore I decided to feature it in my book.
While some chapters are nearly complete, a few still require considerable work. For instance, the "Designing Effective Application Tests" chapter remains empty, and I plan to make it a comprehensive guide on this topic. Additionally, the "Unit Testing" and "Test-Driven Development" chapters need further editing and refinement to ensure they meet the high standards I've set for this book.
Tools Used
While writing this book, I experimented with various tools to find the perfect combination that suits my needs and enhances my productivity. In this section, I'll share the tools I've used and the reasons behind my choices.
Initially, I started writing the book using Scrivener, a powerful tool with many features for structuring and organizing content. However, Scrivener was too complex for my taste, and its lack of Markdown support was a significant drawback. The shortcomings of Scrivener led me to discover Ulysses, which has since become my go-to tool for writing and editing the book.
Ulysses offers a minimal interface, Markdown support, and an intuitive way to break down chapters into smaller pieces. This streamlined approach has made maintaining an overview of the book's structure and progress easier. Although Ulysses' code highlighting feature can be slightly quirky, it's a minor inconvenience compared to its overall benefits.
To overcome writer's block and generate content ideas, I've found ChatGPT to be an invaluable resource. By providing a few keywords or an incomplete sentence, ChatGPT helps me create outlines and draft paragraphs, which I can then refine and polish.
Grammarly has been another essential tool in my writing toolkit, especially as a non-native English speaker. It assists me in fixing grammar issues, finding better phrasing, and ensuring my writing is clear and concise.
Lastly, I've been using DeepL for translation assistance whenever I need to convert a phrase or concept from my native language, German, into English. This tool has proven to be quite handy in maintaining the accuracy and clarity of my writing in my second language.
The combination of Ulysses, ChatGPT, Grammarly, and DeepL has formed the backbone of my writing process, allowing me to create high-quality content for my book even as a non-native speaker.
What's Next?
As I continue working on the book, I'd like to share my plans and expectations for the upcoming weeks and months. My primary focus will be editing and finalizing the missing chapters, ensuring the content is polished and comprehensive.
Soon, you can look forward to a newsletter on effective application testing, which will be the last complete chapter I'll publish via my newsletter before the book's release. While I'll dedicate more time to editing, please note that I may not release new newsletters as frequently as before.
Once the editing phase is complete, I will release the book's first version (beta) to my subscribers. This initial release will provide valuable feedback and insights, helping me refine the content and make any necessary adjustments.
In addition to the book, I'm excited to create videos on Test-Driven Development to better demonstrate the concepts in action. Visual examples, particularly for TDD, will help readers better understand the methodology and its real-world applications. I will produce these after the book's release, so stay tuned for more content on testing!
Wrapping It Up
Writing this book on testing and TDD has been a rewarding journey filled with learning and growth. I hope you've gained insights into my writing process, tools, and progress through this behind-the-scenes glimpse. As we move, I'm eager to share the final product and the accompanying videos to enhance your understanding of efficient and reliable software development through practicing TDD.
Stay tuned for my upcoming newsletter on effective application testing, the book's first release for subscribers, and instructional videos showcasing the power of TDD in real-world scenarios. Thank you for joining me on this adventure, and I encourage you to watch out for more updates and content about testing and Test-Driven Development.