Interview: Michael Badger, Author of Scratch 1.4 Beginner’s Guide

Michael Badger is the author of the recently released Scratch 1.4 Beginner’s Guide which helps to learn programming while creating interactive stories, games, and multimedia projects using Scratch.

He has also authored Zenoss Core Network and System Monitoring

Michael is a technical communicator with a history of helping others use their computer software and technology efficiently. In his spare time, Michael enjoys reading computer books and blogging about
various technologies, fishing, growing pigs, raising honeybees, and tending to the family. His web site can be found at: http://www.badgerfiles.com

Packt: How did you find the overall experience of writing your book for Packt?
Michael:Writing is a somewhat lonely proposition, but I enjoyed the time alone with my thoughts, the Scratch cat, and stack of blocks. This loneliness doesn’t last forever and when I opened my box of newly printed books; it was almost akin to watching the birth of my son Cameron.

Packt: During the writing process, did you come across any issues/ difficulties that affected your writing and how did you overcome these?
Michael: My chapter deadlines fell on Wednesdays, which were impossible for me to hit. There’s something psychologically challenging about meeting a Wednesday deadline, so I missed most individual deadlines by four days or so. However, I worked it all out ahead of time with my project coordinator, so there weren’t any problems. However, I did build some extra time into my schedule, which allowed me to finish the entire first draft on time. Next time, all deadlines will fall on a Monday.

Packt: Whilst writing your book, did you find that it overshadowed personal life in any way? How did you deal with this?
Michael: I prioritized my personal to-do list, but in general, my family came first, my book second, and everything else came after. I did have to sacrifice many things that I would have normally liked to do, but I made the commitment to write a book and meet deadlines. It’s just a balancing act.

Packt: Was there anything interesting that happened during the writing of the book?
Michael: As I was finishing up the review process, the MIT team announced that the Scratch 1.4 beta would be available with the gold release within a month. That meant a new version of Scratch would be released concurrently with my book, which was based on the previous version. Even though the new version was a point release (1.3 to 1.4) there were significant interface and functionality changes. Computer books age quickly, but I didn’t want my book to be out of date the same day the book was released to the buying public. Therefore, I took an extra three weeks to update my screenshots and document the new functionality, such as webcam support, keyboard input via the ask and answer blocks, and additional string operations.

Packt: How did our Acquisition Editors help you - what kind of things did they help you with and how did they support you throughout the writing process?
Michael: My Acquisition Editor gave me five pages of comments on my first chapter under the premise that it was a good chapter with room for improvement. As a writer, you can’t ask for anything better than constructive criticism at an early stage so you can incorporate those changes as you write the next chapter. My Acquisition Editor also encouraged the use of humor and fun examples in the book. This book has more of my personality in it than my Zenoss book did. That makes it fun to write and fun to read.

Packt: Our authors usually have full-time jobs whilst writing for us. Was this the case for you and how did you approach managing your time?
Michael: I have a day job, so I tried to be as efficient as possible during the day so that I didn’t need to bring my day work home with, which meant I had a lot of working lunches. This allowed me to reserve late nights and weekends for writing. Weekends were my most productive times. With a big writing project, I felt it was necessary to be engaged with the writing process every day. I slipped a bit on this book, but I usually ended up writing 5 out of 7 days. I estimate that I spent between 10 and 20 hours a week writing this book, which includes all the non-writing time, such as research, project planning, and editing. I feel smarter for not having spent that time drowning in reality television.

Packt: What benefits did writing a book bring to your specialist area?
Michael: I consider technical communication to be my core competency above anything else. I can attribute this book with a couple of speaking engagements. I presented at Scratch Day Pennsylvania in 2009 http://day.scratch.mit.edu/ and will be presenting at Ohio Linux Fest 2009
http://www.ohiolinuxfest.org

Packt: Do you have any tips for other authors, or tricks that you learnt whilst writing, that you'd like to share?
Michael: Some of your best writing occurs when you’re not actively engaged in writing. Always have a pen available to jot down ideas as they occur; you never know when you’ll solve a nagging problem or craft the phrase that clearly explains a concept. Also, the best way to meet your deadline is to start writing. Words are cheap and you can discard them as easily as you write them, so write everything you can think of. Edit later.

Packt: Do you have any advice for other authors who may be interested in writing for Packt, but are still unsure?
Michael: I would recommend writing for Packt. They have a friendly group of editors and they're friendly to first time book authors. If you take up the challenge, it will be demanding but rewarding for your career, company, or personal growth. If you think you have a book in you, but still have some questions about how you’ll accomplish the whole project, I’d say look for a co-writer to collaborate with.

Packt: What projects, if any, are you working on at the moment?
Michael: I’m marketing my current book, and thinking about my next book project.

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