When someone says they want to write a technical book, I take a hammer and slam it on the aspiring author’s thumb and ask “How do you like that?” If the answer is, “Very much! May I have another.” This person is ready to write a technical book. Sure, writing a book always starts off full of exciting possibilities. But it soon devolves into drudgery and pain with the constant question of whether the time spent is worth it when weighed against all your other obligations and opportunities in life. But no matter how much I sometimes hate...