Once More, With Feeling; Or, The Joys of Revisions

[a_sort_of_fractious_angel]

I'm slogging through my W.S. rewrite and have realized that my usual tricks aren't getting me where I'd like to go - so, instead of moping around, I figured I'd shoot a message out to you all. 

Are there any useful techniques you use when re-approaching work? Any weird habits that work really well?

I'm struggling with revising without starting something new - I've had the wonderful (but also horrible) experience of discovering work written on the stuff I'm working on that was written AFTER I'd produced this paper. As such, I'd like to reorient and incorporate this scholarship, but I also don't want to end up writing an entirely new paper in response to it.

I'm also focusing too much on details; instead of moving forward with larger revisions (like paragraph argument-flow & sentence-level corrections ), I'm trapped by single words. It's probably procrastination manifesting as a dogged pursuit of a synonym for the word "aim," but it's been 3 days and I gotta move past the "ew, ugh, why did I write tHiS, I canNOT lEt tHiS mONstRosity ExIsT?!" feeling and just get on with it. 

Me and my stitched-together monster of a paper would appreciate any and all tricks y'all have. and thanks in advance!

Edited July 30, 2017 by a_sort_of_fractious_angel

[Dr. Old Bill]

Sounds like you should get a second set of eyes on it. Once you read a document too many times, you lose all perspective and can't see the forest through the trees. Having others look over it, or just taking a few days away from it yourself, will ideally help you to regain perspective.

Also, completely for what it's worth, pretty much everyone thinks their WS and/or SOP looks like a disaster at some point. Sometimes that's legitimate, but usually it's just our INTJ/INFJ/INwhatever selves making life difficult for us.


P.S. Given the subject title, I'm highly disappointed that you didn't work in a reference to bunnies.

Edited July 30, 2017 by Old Bill

[cowgirlsdontcry]

2 hours ago, a_sort_of_fractious_angel said:

I'm slogging through my W.S. rewrite and have realized that my usual tricks aren't getting me where I'd like to go - so, instead of moping around, I figured I'd shoot a message out to you all. 

Are there any useful techniques you use when re-approaching work? Any weird habits that work really well?

I'm struggling with revising without starting something new - I've had the wonderful (but also horrible) experience of discovering work written on the stuff I'm working on that was written AFTER I'd produced this paper. As such, I'd like to reorient and incorporate this scholarship, but I also don't want to end up writing an entirely new paper in response to it.

I'm also focusing too much on details; instead of moving forward with larger revisions (like paragraph argument-flow & sentence-level corrections ), I'm trapped by single words. It's probably procrastination manifesting as a dogged pursuit of a synonym for the word "aim," but it's been 3 days and I gotta move past the "ew, ugh, why did I write tHiS, I canNOT lEt tHiS mONstRosity ExIsT?!" feeling and just get on with it. 

Me and my stitched-together monster of a paper would appreciate any and all tricks y'all have. and thanks in advance!

Totally get where you are. Do I want to save doc as it is and start a new doc that I scrapple with? Yes. If you're like me, you get very possessive over those words, you slaved over to write--no matter, that they all need to change. Saving the doc as a new WS doc allows me to know all my original words are safe!  The new doc is just that, a new doc. I reread the whole thing and saw places where I needed to expand, etc. Sometimes I needed to cut, and I was brutal with my cuts. Took me a month to rewrite the paper, but it was now worth sending off to recommenders asking for their comments, which I sometimes made or sometimes just rewrote the section to clarify what I was discussing. Papers are messy things. They grow and change with us. You will get there. Keep plugging away.

I work on one thing at a time. I make edits that are glaringly necessary first, without adding information. Sometimes, I feel reordering the paper is necessary as I want emphasis on a section to come before another, especially, if I know I'm going to be adding new material down the road. I make cuts the very last of major edits. Reread and polish.  When I received comments back from recommenders, I read them side by side and put all comments that were at odds into one doc. I saved those oppositional comments for the next round. Usually, they came as a result of my writing not being as clear as it could be. That usually means a rewrite of a section.  How you organize rewrites/edits/comments will be a personal thing. This is just mine.

[a_sort_of_fractious_angel]

1 hour ago, cowgirlsdontcry said:

Totally get where you are. Do I want to save doc as it is and start a new doc that I scrapple with? Yes. If you're like me, you get very possessive over those words, you slaved over to write--no matter, that they all need to change. Saving the doc as a new WS doc allows me to know all my original words are safe!  The new doc is just that, a new doc. I reread the whole thing and saw places where I needed to expand, etc. Sometimes I needed to cut, and I was brutal with my cuts. Took me a month to rewrite the paper, but it was now worth sending off to recommenders asking for their comments, which I sometimes made or sometimes just rewrote the section to clarify what I was discussing. Papers are messy things. They grow and change with us. You will get there. Keep plugging away.

I work on one thing at a time. I make edits that are glaringly necessary first, without adding information. Sometimes, I feel reordering the paper is necessary as I want emphasis on a section to come before another, especially, if I know I'm going to be adding new material down the road. I make cuts the very last of major edits. Reread and polish.  When I received comments back from recommenders, I read them side by side and put all comments that were at odds into one doc. I saved those oppositional comments for the next round. Usually, they came as a result of my writing not being as clear as it could be. That usually means a rewrite of a section.  How you organize rewrites/edits/comments will be a personal thing. This is just mine.

These are great ideas - the physical (electronic?) clearing of the slate. I like that a lot. Also, I think you're spot-on with cutting; that may be what's bugging me now. I'm good at seeing what can go but as I don't have something immediate to put in its place, I don't want to cut the old stuff. I'll keep chugging along with separate documents. ALSO! That's a great way to run comments alongside one another (from different people) - I've always been very confused as to how one does that without getting lost in the comments, but I really like the idea of putting opposing ones together and figuring them out that way. Far more efficient than sending out drafts to one person at a time. 

2 hours ago, Old Bill said:

Sounds like you should get a second set of eyes on it. Once you read a document too many times, you lose all perspective and can't see the forest through the trees. Having others look over it, or just taking a few days away from it yourself, will ideally help you to regain perspective.

Also, completely for what it's worth, pretty much everyone thinks their WS and/or SOP looks like a disaster at some point. Sometimes that's legitimate, but usually it's just our INTJ/INFJ/INwhatever selves making life difficult for us.


P.S. Given the subject title, I'm highly disappointed that you didn't work in a reference to bunnies.

I'm getting thwapped in the face by branches but also this paper reads like some prime Kanye West lyrics, so off to a friend it goes. 

[cowgirlsdontcry]

23 minutes ago, a_sort_of_fractious_angel said:

These are great ideas - the physical (electronic?) clearing of the slate. I like that a lot. Also, I think you're spot-on with cutting; that may be what's bugging me now. I'm good at seeing what can go but as I don't have something immediate to put in its place, I don't want to cut the old stuff. I'll keep chugging along with separate documents. ALSO! That's a great way to run comments alongside one another (from different people) - I've always been very confused as to how one does that without getting lost in the comments, but I really like the idea of putting opposing ones together and figuring them out that way. Far more efficient than sending out drafts to one person at a time. 

You go girl! Papers are ALWAYS messy things and in some state of fluctuation if they are good. It always seems overwhelming, but you will get there.

[a_sort_of_fractious_angel]

2 minutes ago, cowgirlsdontcry said:

You go girl! Papers are ALWAYS messy things and in some state of fluctuation if they are good. It always seems overwhelming, but you will get there.

Thank you! Oofda, that makes me feel so much better. I hope all is well with you and that settling into your new home and program goes well (it's like SOON right? 8/1?)

[cowgirlsdontcry]

Tomorrow is moving day. I also have an assignment due for orientation (syllabus, literacy narrative assignment & lesson plan) due Tuesday. Mostly done, but will be going over that on Tuesday before submitting. Teaching orientation starts August 14. Classes start Aug 23. I have a hard schedule on Mondays. Both of my classes are on Monday, as well as teaching two classes. I start at 9:00 and don't stop until 4:30. So need to take a bottle of water and protein bars with me. Let me know how it's going with you too. I will be watching the board!

[a_sort_of_fractious_angel]

22 hours ago, cowgirlsdontcry said:

Tomorrow is moving day. I also have an assignment due for orientation (syllabus, literacy narrative assignment & lesson plan) due Tuesday. Mostly done, but will be going over that on Tuesday before submitting. Teaching orientation starts August 14. Classes start Aug 23. I have a hard schedule on Mondays. Both of my classes are on Monday, as well as teaching two classes. I start at 9:00 and don't stop until 4:30. So need to take a bottle of water and protein bars with me. Let me know how it's going with you too. I will be watching the board!

GOOD LUCK! That's so exciting and I hope that Monday schedule (that is a lot!) helps power your week forward in exciting ways! And thank you! I'll be sure to keep you in the loop! 

[guest56436]

This is what you do:

If you use word, put up your paper on one side and a blank document on the other. Then proceed to rewrite every sentence of your paper. Doesn't mean every component of the sentence changes (in fact, sometimes whole sentences even survive). Sentences can always be written more clearly and succinctly. Then pay attention to each paragraph. Then pay attention to how sections flow.

Start with the concrete. Move to the bigger picture. Word choice is obviously important in writing but at the end of the day sentences and paragraphs convey thoughts, not words. Words are mearly just vessels to get you there.

Edited August 20, 2017 by Comparativist