Scared to start writing?

Often, I have students who struggle getting started writing. Whether it’s a research article, an abstract, or their dissertation proposal, they just can’t get started. Some of it might be procrastination – the feeling that it will be easier when there is some time pressure. (And no, you don’t do your best work under pressure; rather, you just do work.) But I think a lot of it comes down to fear.

Fear comes from a lot of places. The fear that what you write won’t be good. The fear that what you write will be wrong. The fear that your mentor will be upset with your efforts. The fear that you will demonstrate that you don’t deserve to be a graduate student. You might be surprised that even as a faculty member, I have these fears, too. Whenever I have to share my writing, there is always a feeling of unease. However, I can’t make my writing better without putting something on the page. The same goes for you!

You just need to write. Some people like to outline their work. If that works for you, start there. If you're not an outline person, take another approach. Personally, I like to think about main ideas and find information that I might use to support those thoughts. Later, I go back and rearrange as needed to follow a more logical structure. I also write a sentence I think can be supported by literature and end with a note to myself at the end of the sentence that says: (cite). At some point, I go looking for an appropriate citation. If I can't find one, I know I need to re-work that idea.

You just need to write. You don’t have to write in order! This is one of most helpful pieces of advice I was given as a student. You can write the results before the methods and the discussion before the introduction, if you want. I like to write the methods as I'm conducting the study to make sure I don't forget anything; this gives you a jump-start on the manuscript when it comes time to begin. I often write the introduction last because the introduction is the preview to the story you plan to tell. Until I knew the ending of the story, I couldn’t write the preview!

You just need to write. It probably won’t be good. It will need to be edited. YOU should do the first round of editing. (I'm editing this again right now!) Take a break from your work, come back the next day, and read it. Does it make sense? It might need to be rewritten or rearranged. When you’re in the middle of writing, you know what you’re thinking. When you come back to it, you can experience your writing more like the first-time reader. What isn’t clear? Does this sentence need to go before that sentence? I edit my own work multiple times before it’s ready to be seen by the world.

Psychologists will tell you that fear is a terrible long-term motivator. Unless you’re being chased by a bear, fear won’t sustain you long-term and can lead to burn-out. Look at the feedback on your writing as an opportunity to improve. You WILL improve! Academic writing is a skill that you can develop. If you need some help, contact us at Absolutely English!

#academicwriting #gradstudentlife