This isn't a meme exactly. As I've struggled this year with my first manuscript, I've been wondering how other people write. I figure polling the academic blogosphere is the perfect way to find out.
I'd like to solicit posts about the nuts and bolts of writing. How do you get from blank page to submitted manuscript or grant? Do you outline? Do you go through many iterations or do you give birth to a nearly final draft after doing lots of prep in your head? Do you organize notes from all the relevant literature, or get your ideas down and fill in references later? Has your writing method changed as you've become more experienced? What are your tried and true techniques and what have you found just doesn't work?
Personally, I like to free write in sort of a stream-0f-consciousness way at first. I know the most of the basic literature in my head so I can get the skeleton of a draft written without lots of notes. When I feel stuck, I try to just get my thoughts on the page, even if they include slang or swear words or "blah blah blah" when I'm not sure of something. Once I have some text to work with, I start refining; I rewrite sentences, fill in references, and add new thoughts when I discover something I had forgotten in the literature. After the bulk of the document is in place, I cut sections out and paste them in a blank page so I can rework them without the distraction of the rest of the document. Usually, I make a new file called "cut material" so I can delete chunks of text that I know are unnecessary without second guessing myself, since they will still exist if I decide I still want them.
I don't think my method is particularly efficient and maybe not that effective, so I'd love to hear how others do it. If you are interested in sharing your writing habits, please leave a comment with a link to your post. If you don't have a blog but want to share how you get your writing done, long comments are always welcome here.
19 comments:
I use pretty much the same system you described... but I'm also working on my first manuscript. It's the same system I used for all my university papers, etc... Good topic idea!
Me too! I use this same method. This must be the way all new writers start. Although when I go back to rewrite I will sometimes make a written outline so I can see all my thoughts on one page. And I don't make a cut file. I'll sometimes have to dive back into the literature when I write the discussion. I've used a few different methods for my chapters. Most were how you described. One chapter I started with a basic outline and then would free write under each point eventually making a readable draft and removing the outline bullets. For two chapters I made all my plots first and then for the results I looked at each plot and just wrote about it, I guess this is similar to the free write style.
I can't wait to read what others do! Great post.
Great idea! I'll try to come up with something later in the week.
Great idea! I have been thinking about writing techniques and strategies a lot lately. I can't wait to see what everyone has to say. I'll post another comment when I have my post up.
As with the rest of my life, I don't have a specific strategy, just jotting down a bit here and there wherever inspiration takes me. Untill deadline is looming and I need to WRITE. NOW.
One of my current coauthors is very fond of bullet-point-outlines and since he is clearly my senior, that's how it will be for a couple of manuscripts in the near future. I have to get organized in other words. Damn.
In general, my strategy is similar to what you describe. I start to write things up -- rough methods, figures and descriptions, new ideas, references and whatever seems important to me at the time -- quite early in each project, so when it gets to the real paper writing I don't have to start from scratch. However, that rather serves as an outline; I don't think much of the report text actually makes it into a final manuscript. Yet I find it helps to have the ideas and concepts somewhere, and it definitely helps to get over the blank page quickly.
For my first paper, the boss sat down with me to make an outline (bullet points of what we were going to write about). We didn't do that for the second, so I don't know if this will continue. It was helpful in that I knew what he expected (somewhat, anyway), and it also gave my document some structure.
I almost always write the methods section first, since I can usually do that even before the results have been analyzed. But after that, I'm pretty meticulous about going in order--intro, methods (which are done), results, conclusion. Furthermore, I don't really leave a section until I'm pretty happy with it, although I'll sometimes leave a subsection for later if it's something well-contained.
I guess I just don't like to come back to do revisions very much, so I work on something until I'm satisfied with it, and that means I don't have to massively overhaul later.
Pretty different from everyone else, I guess.
My writing system is similar to yours... it's the same way I write code, too. All the important concepts first, then fill in the details.
I'm with the outline crew. I resisted outlines for years, but eight manuscripts (and a thesis!) later and I'm a total convert.
I do a draft of a rough one, and then I keep it open while I write the paper (it helps that I have two monitors). I bold outline points once I'm done with them (or highlight them in Word). Most importantly, I constantly add and modify the outline.
As for making daily progress, I keep daily word (for journal articles) or page (for thesis) counts. It's admittedly masochistic, but it works for me.
Good luck!!!
Interesting! Thanks for your interest and input, All. I'm a little suprised how many of you have the same haphazard M.O. as me.
I didn't say in the original post that for the paper I'm working on, I started with the figures, then I wrote the methods, then discussion, and finally introduction. That was Acadamic Advisor's advice, but I would have done it the same way on my own. I could see that the intro would change as I developed the discussion, and it has. EGM has had the same experience. He spent heaps of time polishing an introduction he thinks will be almost completely deleted by the time the paper is done. sad.
I write the methods first since I think it's the easiest part. I like to have a skeleton of an Intro written before the discussion because I feel it gives me a framework to go by.
I also wanted to say that my husband, after making the figures and thinking up a plan will write the abstract first. I always learned to write this last but he says the abstract is like a mini paper so it helps him to organize his thought and he can basically write the paper from the abstract. I guess that is similar to writing an outline.
I work the same way as ecogeofemme and I have been writing papers for over 25 years. Start with the figures and tables and write the paper around them. I also go on the "writing diet" to get over the inertia of starting to write. The diet works like this: when I start on a ms I must write a minimum of 15 minutes every day (excluding days off, such as weekends) before I allow myself to go home. I can get my 15 min in first thing or do it as the last thing, but I can't go home until I do it. Although this sounds ridiculous (not enough time spent to accomplish much, right?) it works really well for me and many others because we find that our minds are constantly working bit by bit on issues and also, even though the minimum is 15 min, the reality is that without the weight of "I must write for the next two hours" on our shoulders, we actually do write for the next two hours. Give the writing diet a try for at least 2 weeks before you abandon it. It doesn't work for everyone, just for most.
I have the top-down approach as well. Glad you asked the blogosphere advice on this - I will be reading it closely!
Hi!
I start with the main figure, the one that encapsulates the entire point of the paper. Then I write the Results section around that figure. Then I usually write the Methods section (although sometimes I write that first... they tend to be fairly straightforward). Then I write the Introduction, setting up the big point, and last is the Discussion. Oh, actually last is the Abstracts... I hate writing them for some reason.
Thanks for an interesting prompt - just in time for the summer writing season (sorry, 'vacation') for those of us in faculty jobs. I've written a long post over on my (very new) blog - hope it works!
http://what-was-i-doing.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-i-write.html
Not a huge addition over here... but I bothered wirting it! (before seeing all the nice comments here... that's being late)
http://candidatemodels.blogspot.com/2008/06/whats-your-point.html
Here is my input: Ping!
Great topic! I'm completely backlogged with catching up on blogging so it might take me a while...but I'll definitely write one!
Here are a couple of rules I learned from professional writers, including scientists, and used them myself as well as with students trying to write papers, reports, etc. There's no magic to writing.
1. Write anything about your topic, anyway you can do it, but write, write, write, ... When stumped, (and all of us go blank) write a list of single words, then two words, three, etc. until you get to a sentence, etc. (I learned the list thing from Ray Bradbury's book on writing. James Michner, Steven King, and many other authors say in their books on writing that they use this and similar tips to write as work, not inspiration.)
2. Set a time and place to write and follow that plan compulsively irrespective of the world around you.
3. Scientific writing follows formuli; select and follow a formula used by an author who published in a top peer reviewed journal an article similar to your topic or research. Keep creativity to your research design, not to your writing.
4. Count words, pages, or something else of importance to you, but count and record your count every day.
5. There's more, but these basic rules will keep you writing until you develop you own writing process.
Best wishes, and welcome to academic writing! It's a great life few people have the chance to enjoy.
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