Q: Why is it so hard to FINISH a paper? I find that final step of polishing all the paragraphs incredibly difficult.
Monique: The things that most interest you in the project, as a biologist, are probably not at play at the end of writing a paper. It is likely that what interests you is asking the research questions, designing the study, analyzing the data – those are the exciting parts of doing biology. What is left at the end of the writing process is probably not tapping into the biologist in you – it is tapping into the writer in you. Some people find those writing issues interesting, but they are not biology. By that point in the process, you may feel done with the idea and have probably moved on to new ideas that are competing for your attention. That’s probably why it feels so hard.
Amy: It is so hard to banish those perfectionist tendencies! It helps me to step away from my writing and come back to it with fresh eyes – I often realize it is better than I thought.
Jennifer: Finishing a paper can be a challenge for me because I don’t enjoy the editing stage of writing. What I find most helpful for the final push is the Pomodoro method. First, I make a list of the remaining tasks I need to complete (ex: “review footnotes on page 3”; “add reviewer 2’s suggestion for a reference to X source”; “revise conclusion for clarity and conciseness”). Then I choose 1 task from the list, set a timer (for me, it’s 25 minutes), and work on that one task during the allotted time. This strategy helps me stay focused on each individual task remaining to get the project submitted, stay motivated because the final edits are in short bursts, and allows me to make progress step by step.
Meet the Writers
Jennifer Ahern-Dodson, Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition, is Director of Outreach in Duke’s Thompson Writing Program and directs the Faculty Write Program. Her current project focuses on metacognition and faculty writers.
Monique Dufour, Ph.D. in History, is an assistant professor at Virginia Tech and Director of graduate student professional development. She runs the “You Can Write It!” program and podcast and often leads writing and teaching workshops for faculty and graduate students at Duke, where she began her career as a Mellon Writing Fellow. She is currently working on a book, Sustainable Teaching: Time Management for Passionate Educators.
Amy Sayle, Ph.D. in Epidemiology, was one of the first scientists hired to teach in Duke’s Thompson Writing Program. She is currently a science communicator at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center who, in addition to presenting planetarium shows, writes for their science blog. For fun, she writes Young Adult fiction.
Join the conversation: What helps you finish up your writing projects? Leave a comment below!
