Writing the Writing Process

Think. Think. Think…

Start. Word. Blank document. Flashing cursor. Still blank document. Exit. Save. Draft 1.

Files. Double click. Blank draft 1 opens. I start writing the cover page to feel better about myself. I might insert an empty page after it for where the table of context will come in. Ohh, and page numbers, because if I don’t insert them now I will forget. Now I spend half an hour trying to remember how to start numbering the pages without including the cover, table of content, and everything that comes before the abstract. I am tired. Exit. Save. Draft 2.

Files. Double click. Draft 2. Move down to get past the cover and the empty pages serving as place holders. The table of content will probably be one of the things done at the very end of the paper, but having the place holder there will make you feel better every time you open the document, because you will have to scroll down, and that will make you feel as if you have content. After some scrolling you reach the actual outline. You actually wrote each one of those headlines on a separate page (to feel even better). You start adding a few lines under each section, and that is enough for today. Exit. Save. Draft 3.

How is your paper going?

Not bad. I have three drafts.

Coffee. Files. Double click. Draft 3. Methods. All of it. Exit. Save. Draft 4.

Review session

You need to expand on your method. Also, don’t forget to mention somewhere that it is IRB approved.

Mendeley crashing. Google scholar. No access. University’s Library website.

Data Analysis. Excel. Blank workbook. Some graphs. Exit. Save.

Chai. Files. Double click. Import from excel. Draft 4.

Files. Double click. Work on results. Still draft 4.

Background and Introduction. Mendeley is working. Literature review is not going anywhere.

Revision... Draft X. Revision. Draft Y. Revision. Draft Z. Deadline. Submitted.