Anyone else find writing challenging?

[Macrina]

I'm in the middle of big essay hell here so this may not be a post I would write at normal times, but..

I write well, I know I do, and I've heard this many times from profs, advisors, etc. But I find it really difficult to do, I get all angst-ridden and I avoid it, and I get bored partway through, etc etc etc. I love it when it "works" and when I'm editing/submitting, but I find the blank screen (or, even worse, the half-filled mess of a screen) to be really intimidating and I feel like I waste a lot of potentially productive time just messing around and avoiding getting stuff written.

Anyone else?

Any tips?

And does it get better with time/experience?

[SocGirl2013]

I think it's something you get the hang of with practice. I have been writing since my early teens - I spent all my free time writing it was my "hobby" as a kid. Now, spewing out 10, 20, 30 pages comes to me naturally. I almost always struggle more with content than languge. In college I had a hard time not writing over the world limit. The more you write, the more you have the ability to do so. And I can't stress this enough, don't avoid it, the only way to get used to writing is to write, every chance you get! Often getting started is the hardest part, once you do it should be much more fluid as you get more into the subject matter.

[MoJingly]

Oh goodness, yes.  I'm a good writer, but I'm slow.  Practice helps a lot, just like SocGirl said. Most people suggest to write a little every day, and then you always have snippets to edit/add/use. (Who actually does that, I don't know). 

 

I find it helpful to start way before the deadline.  I have to let things ferment in my brain a bit.  The further I get into grad school, though, the less time I have and (thankfully) need.  Once you write a few abstracts, or a few grants, you get the format and the language down, and things become easier. 

[NatureGurl]

I certainly do.

 

One of the things that I'm starting to figure out is that part of the reason why I hesitate to write is because I haven't fully worked out what I want to say yet. I know they say that writing something is a starting point. And while that helps, I would have to say that writing comes most easily to me when I've worked out what I want to say. Then, once I get it all out, I can go back and edit. So, what helps me is to think about the paper ahead of time and let ideas ferment. If I find myself starting at a blank screen, I'll do something else, like look for literature, or write my reference list. Sometimes, if I need inspiration, I'll go and read some of my favorite authors to get into a "writing" frame of mind.

[fuzzylogician]

One of the things that I'm starting to figure out is that part of the reason why I hesitate to write is because I haven't fully worked out what I want to say yet. I know they say that writing something is a starting point. And while that helps, I would have to say that writing comes most easily to me when I've worked out what I want to say. Then, once I get it all out, I can go back and edit. So, what helps me is to think about the paper ahead of time and let ideas ferment.

 

I have a similar process. I can't really write before I know what I want to say, but once I do, I am a fast writer. It normally helps me to start with handout and bullet-point lists that I can move around and turn into the outline of my paper. Before that, I sometimes either write out on paper or (preferably) on a blackboard everything that I know or think, in as much of an organized manner as I can, and when I am done brainstorming I will re-number my points, erase the board and start over until I feel like I have a good flow going. (It's partly why I love giving posters - I give the same shpiel over and over and at some point it solidifies as a good way of getting a certain material across.) At that point, I can start writing. When I write, I don't look back - I will jot down as notes any thoughts, problems, or things to look up, but my motto is keep going forward, no edits until I have a full draft going. At that point I may realize some things need to move around, be re-written, or taken out, but overall it saves a lot of time compared to constant re-edits of the same small text (which you then later might realize you're not even going to keep!). I have edit-buddies who will critique the hell out of my text, and I do the same for them. That's been one of the most helpful routines I've set - get a lot down on paper, don't look back, get feedback from others. Work with bullet-points and bite-size goals. Keep a nice list going, so you can cross all these things off the list! (I find that particularly satisfying.) If you are uninspired, walk away for a while. I have never been a fan of the "write a little every day" approach, it hasn't worked for me. It only frustrates me if I'm stuck and can't meet a daily goal, sometimes I just need some fresh perspective and a few days off to organize my thoughts. I think everybody has these off days, so I try not to take them too hard.

[neuropsych76]

I definitely find it challenging as well. I love writing non-academic things, but writing science is tough for me sometimes. I think the best thing to do is just write SOMETHING and go from there. Even if it's not that great, you'll have something to start with and can always go back and edit things to make it flow better.