Writing Samples — Avalynn Circe

Technical documentation, developer guides, API references, workflow docs, long-form explainers, and original pedagogy — written by a developer who understands the systems being documented.

Samples span audience types: engineers, educators, non-technical readers, and the space between. The final section demonstrates applied technical writing in a different register: complete teaching guides and reference cards for complex board games.

Published Work

01 JavaScript: The Parts Book · 378 Pages · Leanpub An independent technical reference for working JavaScript developers. Closures, scope, the event loop, promises, async/await, and array methods — written with precision for an audience that already knows how to code. 📖 Buy on Leanpub 📄 Read an Excerpt View on Leanpub →

Pedagogy

02 Why Before How. Pedagogy · Technical Education · Original Framework Most programming instruction starts with syntax — the visible, demonstrable surface of a language. The PARTS method starts somewhere earlier, and it changes everything about how learners build mental models. 📄 Read the Article 📖 See It in Practice Read Article →

Articles & Explainers

03 The Internet That Fixes Itself Explainer · General Audience Long-form explainer on mesh networking for non-technical readers. Covers backhaul, self-healing architecture, and real-world applications — no assumed knowledge required. Read Article → 04 RF System Failure Analysis · Technical Blog A technical blog post analyzing RF system failure modes for an enterprise wireless audience. Balances technical accuracy with accessibility for non-engineering stakeholders. Read Article → 05 JavaScript Grew Up. Here's What Changed. Tutorial · Developer Audience An introduction to Node.js for developers who already know browser JavaScript. Non-blocking I/O, modules, and building a first server — with working code examples throughout. Read Article → 06 Everything Is an Object. Explainer · General Audience Object-oriented programming — classes, instances, inheritance, encapsulation, and polymorphism — explained for non-developers using a single running example from first principles. Read Article → 07 No Side Effects. Explainer · General Audience Functional programming — pure functions, immutability, higher-order functions, and why treating computation like mathematics produces some of the most reliable code in existence. Read Article → 08 JavaScript: The Parts — Sample Chapters Book Excerpt · JavaScript A free excerpt from the book showing the PARTS method applied to core JavaScript concepts — closures, scope, and the event loop. See the pedagogy in practice. Read Excerpt →

Technical Documentation

09 Conference Submission API Integration Guide API Reference · Developer Docs A complete REST API reference: authentication, endpoint docs, request/response formats, error handling, rate limits, webhooks, and a changelog. Written for integration engineers. View Sample → 10 Nursing Pass System: Workflow & Integration Guide Workflow Doc · Healthcare Platform End-to-end workflow documentation for a HIPAA-adjacent clinical platform. Role definitions, pass lifecycle states, EHR integration flows, and audit requirements. View Sample → 11 JavaScript Event Loop & Async Patterns Developer Reference · JavaScript A conceptual reference covering the event loop, microtask and macrotask queues, promise execution order, async/await internals, and common timing bugs — with annotated code throughout. View Sample → 12 Node.js Developer Reference Technical Reference · Node.js A 12-section reference companion covering the Node standard library, HTTP servers, module systems, npm, environment variables, error handling, streams, and HTTP status codes. View Reference → 13 EBM Software — Complete Site Rebuild Website · Live Full redesign and rebuild of EBM Software's web presence. Content strategy, information architecture, copywriting, and front-end implementation. Visit Site → 14 AvalynnCirce.com — Portfolio Portfolio Site · Live Personal portfolio site — designed, written, and built independently. Project documentation, writing samples, and professional history. Visit Site →

Board Games

15 Guide to Terraforming Mars Complete Guide · Teaching Rulebook · Terraforming Mars A full teaching-first rulebook rewrite for complete newcomers. Progressive structure — story and tensions before rules, worked example turn, components tour, and a warm field-guide aesthetic that makes a famously dense game approachable. Read the Guide → 16 Terraforming Mars — Quick Reference Card Reference Card · Print-and-Play · Terraforming Mars Two identical player reference cards per letter page — print double-sided, cut in half. All 8 actions with costs, standard projects, tile rules, parameter bonuses, milestones, awards, scoring, and the four most commonly broken rules. View Reference → 17 Guide to The Reckoners Complete Guide · Teaching Rulebook · Cooperative Game A cooperative game guide built around the three core tensions the original rulebook never names: kill Epics, contain Steelheart, control Enforcement. Includes character mechanic profiles, Action Bracket visual explanation, worked sample turn, and Epic actions reference. Read the Guide → 18 The Reckoners — Quick Reference Card Reference Card · Print-and-Play · Cooperative Game Two identical player reference cards per letter page — print double-sided, cut in half. Round order, all dice faces, Epic actions, Steelheart rules, seven most commonly broken rules (including the die-splitting rule most tables get wrong), and the three strategic pressures. View Reference →