“Writing is something that you have to do, but it can also a pretty daunting task with high stakes! Something that really helped me get my writing going back when I was a grad student was to define “writing” broadly. I read this book by Stephen King, and he said something that really resonated with me: “Every time I’m thinking about writing, I’m writing.” That really stuck with me! Now, by the time I actually sit down to write a paper, I’ve already worked on it a lot. That work happens sort of naturally in the shower or when I’m riding my bike or driving my car. I start by figuring out what the punch line of my story is. Then I think: what are effective figures that communicate this story? Then I work on the figures and I call this “writing”! Before I even start writing sentences, I have a brainstorming session with myself to identify key words, ideas, and results I want or need to emphasize. Then I draw the connections between them. By the time I have done all that, I have a solid structure to follow to write the paper without having written a word.”
“Writing is something that you have to do, but it can also a pretty daunting task with high stakes! Something that really helped me get my writing going back when I was a grad student was to define “writing” broadly. I read this book by Stephen King, and he said something that really resonated with me: “Every time I’m thinking about writing, I’m writing.” That really stuck with me! Now, by the time I actually sit down to write a paper, I’ve already worked on it a lot. That work happens sort of naturally in the shower or when I’m riding my bike or driving my car. I start by figuring out what the punch line of my story is. Then I think: what are effective figures that communicate this story? Then I work on the figures and I call this “writing”! Before I even start writing sentences, I have a brainstorming session with myself to identify key words, ideas, and results I want or need to emphasize. Then I draw the connections between them. By the time I have done all that, I have a solid structure to follow to write the paper without having written a word.”
