Monday, January 12, 2009

Writer's block

Anyone know a good cure?

I'm trying to write what should be the last paper from my old, almost dead research program, but just can't raise the enthusiasm to get it done. I need to get this off my desk for a bunch of reasons, not the least of which being that one of my former undergrads worked her butt off collecting the data for this paper. She deserves the first authorship. She is now off at med school, so the writing is up to me.

I'd rather be writing about my new research...

10 comments:

Professor in Training said...

Chocolate always works for me. Well, actually it doesn't help writers block at all ... but it does make me feel better :)

Jeff Seale said...

you're asking the guy who has an 8 year old manuscript sitting on his desk waiting for one more paragraph to be added to the discussion?
Good luck...

JollyRgr said...

I have no idea....you could try alternating coffee and beer......you never know...:-)

Goose said...

Think of everything you have to look forward to with your new research program, and just write the darn thing! Of course, I've just got the last paper from my PhD accepted... Not a great role-model.

Arlenna said...

Oooh, alternating coffee and beer sounds like a great idea!!!

I have no good tactic--I too have a paper from my UNDERGRAD days that never quite made it in... that was about ten years ago...

JLK said...

This might sound stupid, but I think reading is the best cure for writer's block. If I have to write a research paper and can't get off the ground, I read other, midly related articles or articles by authors who just write really well.

Odyssey said...

PiT and JLK:
Reading with chocolate! Plus a race (see below).

JollyRgr and Arlenna:
I've tried writing with beer before. It wasn't publishable. Interesting to read, but not publishable...

Goose:
At least it was accepted. And you did have extenuating circumstances.

Milo:
Alright, let's race! My 2/3 of a paper to write versus your one paragraph. First to submit buys the beer next time we meet up.

JollyRgr said...

I'd go for 'interesting' over publishable anytime....:-)

Anonymous said...

OH man do I get this one!! Just have to grit your teeth and get it done.

Odyssey said...

DrDrA,
Perhaps I should wait for you to finish your series on writing. I wouldn't want to send out a manuscript that wasn't the best it could be. :-)