Do these scenarios look familiar to you? Depending on where you are in writing your latest paper, you’ve probably experienced each of these feelings at least once. Your mood, your stage in the research process, even how close the deadline is, will affect how you write and how you feel about writing. Whatever it is you are working on, SSRN has an eLibrary that can help!
1) The 10 Minute Motivation Trap
Sometimes you know exactly what you want to say until it comes time to churn thoughts into words. Feeling motivated is great, but it takes more than a positive attitude to get a comprehensive paper written. When you do feel motivated, get yourself to a keyboard immediately, but continue to work through the slump when that energy boost fails you too soon.
2) All Nighter – In The Zone
Flow: a wonderful experience for writers. It’s that moment when you get working and the genius just seems to spill out of you. While you are in the zone you can pull all nighters, even reach seemingly impossible deadlines.
3) All You Need Is Time
As much as we wish the world would melt away when we are trying to focus on our researching, that just doesn’t seem to happen. Sometimes you end up with only one actual day a week when you can focus on your writing and editing. Make that day count.
4) Does This Count As Research?
Admit it, you distract yourself, and sometimes you try to justify it. I’ll save you needing to ask the question, it doesn’t count as research. Although, if it inspires you, gets you motivated, or helps you write, it might very well be worth the time you’re putting into it.
5) Thinking About Writing
When writing haunts your very dreams. Everything you do, you think that you should be writing instead. You get writer’s guilt for not writing enough, no matter what you do. Perhaps it is a sign that what you are working on is particularly important. Keep at it! Try not to let the writing goblins get to you. Don’t believe in writing goblins? Try ignoring the need to write a few more weeks and they just might catch up to you.
Nobody writes the same way all of the time. What are some of the different experiences you have while writing? Are they unique to you, or something you feel other researchers can relate to? #SSRN to share your thoughts on Twitter.