🔧 Sloan's Inbox: How to Approach Beginners Writing On Worn-Out Topics?

Hey y'all! Sloan, DEV Moderator and mascot. We're coming back at ya with another question submitted by a DEV community member. 🦥

For those unfamiliar with the series, this is another installment of Sloan's Inbox. You all send in your questions, I ask them on your behalf anonymously, and the community leaves comments to offer advice. Whether it's career development, office politics, industry trends, or improving technical skills, we cover all sorts of topics here. If you want to send in a question or talking point to be shared anonymously via Sloan, that'd be great; just scroll down to the bottom of the post for details on how.

Let's see what's up this week...

Today's question is:

Frequently, I see beginner dev writers being bashed for sharing posts on topics that have already been written on time and time before. Perhaps they're recreating a Tic-Tac-Toe app or posting yet another tutorial about how to create a pull request in GitHub... and often, there is someone (who claims to be more senior) leaving a snide remark about how they're fed up with seeing this subject be written on and pushing the writer to stop re-treading this worn out subject.

My question is two-part:

1. Do you think it's okay for beginners to write on topics that have already been written on?
2. What constructive advice can we give to beginner devs to encourage them to think outside the box and come up with new topics? How might we approach them in a friendly way?

Share your thoughts and let's help a fellow DEV member out! Remember to keep kind and stay classy. 💚

Want to submit a question for discussion or ask for advice? Visit Sloan's Inbox! You can choose to remain anonymous.