That's what made computer magazines so much fun in the 1980s.
Every month there would be small projects (fractals, colliding galaxies, small games) that would teach you a new subject and be small enough that you could type in.
Also the Beagle Bros software and books for the Apple // series. They even had a semi regular "contest" where readers would submit "two-liners" which they'd then judge and distribute via floppy. That culture grew and cemented my love of the hobby, I loved and miss it.
Haha yeah! When I was a kid before we could afford a computer, I would type magazine programs out on a type writer. I remember that I had to keep starting over because I would make a mistake, but that was okay because the program was short enough I was confident I could get through without any mistakes eventually.
Every month there would be small projects (fractals, colliding galaxies, small games) that would teach you a new subject and be small enough that you could type in.