Viewing time: 4 mins. 47 secs. 

The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #155, which addresses burnout and boredom in writing. The post first ran on Sept. 18/20.

Transcript: 

How can you deal with burnout and boredom? That’s the topic I’m addressing today in The Write Question. I’m Daphne Gray-Grant, the Publication Coach, still in pandemic mode. 

I have a question from Syeda Mahnoor Raza, a student from Islamabad, Pakistan. Here’s what she’s asked by email…. 

“How would you deal with burnout and boredom while working on research and academic writing?” 

Thanks for your question, Syeda. Although both burnout and boredom begin with the letter B they don’t really have much in common. Let me take them one at a time. 

Burnout is a state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion caused by too much stress for too long. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. 

As the stress continues, you lose the interest and motivation that led you to take on your school work in the first place. You feel tired and defeated, as though you have no control over your work or perhaps even your life. 

In the academic world, burnout occurs when you work too much without enough time for socializing, relaxing or exercising. High-achievers, who are also perfectionists, are particularly vulnerable to burnout. So are pessimists.

To deal with burnout, try to create more balance in your life. In particular, focus on the parts of your life that bring you joy. This will likely mean paying more attention to friends and family and making sure you get enough exercise.

Also, make friends at school. Having strong social ties where you spend most of your time can help counter the effects of burnout.

Finally, take time off. Go on vacation, use up your sick days, ask for a temporary leave-of-absence, — do everything you can to remove yourself from the situation. Then, use the time away to get a better, healthier perspective. Consider counselling if necessary. I’ve written a blog post on burnout and I’ve included the link in the show notes below. 

The issue with boredom is quite different. It’s not a threatening condition. In fact, some people believe that boredom is a necessary precursor to creativity.

I’ve written a blog post on how to make writing less boring — see link in the show notes below. But let me recap three tips here.

First, game-ify your writing. Write — or research — with a timer and see how much you can achieve in 30 minutes. And the next time you work, try to accomplish more. It’s a good exercise to focus on the number of words, rather than the quality of them. This will help you avoid developing the very bad habit of editing WHILE you write. See link below. 

Second, figure out your best time for writing or researching. We’re all hard-wired to have certain times of day when we work better. If I have anything important to accomplish, I know I need to do it before 10 am. But some people might feel the same way about AFTER 10 pm. Write or research only at your most powerful time and use other times of day for other tasks. If you’re writing at your “best” time, you’re less likely to become bored.

Third, understand that sometimes, when we’re bored, the real problem is that our major muscles need exercise. Go for a walk or, if you have time, a swim or a bike ride. When you return to work, you’ll feel less bored.

Syeda, I know it might be tempting to see all writing problems as stemming from the same source. In fact they often have different causes. It’s worthwhile taking the time to figure out exactly what’s going on because then you’ll be better able to deal with it. 

Finally, let me wrap up with a quote from the British philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell.  

“Boredom is a vital problem for the moralist, since at least half the sins of mankind are caused by the fear of it.”

Syeda, while boredom is not necessarily a bad thing, burnout definitely is. You can even let yourself luxuriate in boredom a little bit. But don’t ever toy with burnout. If that’s the issue you’re facing, take immediate steps to deal with it. 

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If you’d like to learn more about how to make writing a happier and more rewarding process, check out my latest book Your Happy First Draft. I don’t sell it in bookstores or via Amazon. The only place to buy it is on my website, link on the screen below and in the show notes.  

Links  

How to save yourself from boredom while writing

How to prevent and recover from burnout

7 ways to stop editing while you write

Your Happy First Draft 

Viewing time: 5 mins. 17 secs.

The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #122, which discusses how to find a good plagiarism checker. The post first ran on Jan. 3/20.

Transcript: 

How do you find a good plagiarism checker? That’s the topic I’m addressing today in The Write Question. I’m Daphne Gray-Grant, the Publication Coach.

I have a question from Kazeem Sangonuga, who’s from Laos, Nigeria. Here’s what he’s asked via email: “Which software can I use to proofread my work and check for plagiarism as well?” 

Thanks for your question, Kazeem. I thought doing the research for today’s video would be easy-peasy. I estimated it might take me 20 minutes, another 10 minutes, so to run some tests and then, there’d just be the job of writing up my findings. 

Oh, boy. Was I ever wrong. Here’s what happened: 

First, I tried a software called EasyBib. They offer a free three-day trial, but they demand a credit card number first. I was prepared to give it to them, figuring I’d cancel the next day — but I wasn’t prepared for not being able to get into the website at all. I spend 10 minutes trying and then another 10 minutes looking for an email or phone number of a Help Desk. 

All I could find was a Twitter account, so I posted a pointed tweet. They did not reply! Two days later, I finally found the name of the parent company and could locate a phone number. I called them to learn that they had already charged my card. But because of my strenuous objections, they agreed to reverse the charges. In any case, I don’t recommend EasyBib! 

After that, I decided to try a piece of software I already own, Grammarly. I entered one of my blog posts into it and in 20 seconds it reported “no plagiarism.” You might think I thought that was good news, but this column, link below, included a long quote from radio host Ira Glass. And this 204-word quote has been published many times on the Internet. To me, this was another example of why I put little faith in Grammarly. 

Next, I tried three pieces of free software. Their names were Dupli-checker, Paper Rater and Plagscan. See links below. 

Duplichecker said my piece was 9% plagiarized, although it didn’t catch the Ira Glass quote. Paper Rater said it was “maybe plagiarized” but didn’t give me any details. And, Plagscan said it was 74% plagiarized, but I had such a hard time reading their report, I couldn’t figure out what 74% they meant! 

And then I had a shocking realization… The column I was checking had already appeared on my website! That meant that every plagiarism checker should have recognized it as 100% plagiarized. I’m astonished that none of them did. 

Then I thought I’d try another service I use every week, ProWritingAid. I really like this software and I seemed to recall it had a plagiarism checker. Well, they do, but it turns out it costs more than I’m entitled to with my membership. 

After some thought, I decided that answering your question was worth $10 to me, so I bought $10 worth of plagiarism checks. But wouldn’t you know the software didn’t recognize the credits, so I had to email ProWritingAid for help. 

It turns out that my ProWritingAid account was linked to an old email address — one I no longer use very much — so it hadn’t seen my purchase of credits. Once I got that mess straightened out, the report told me my article was 50% plagiarized. 

Again, this was far less than the 100% it should have cited, but at least it underlined all the text I needed to review, which was better than what Plagscan did. 

Overall, I’m not terribly impressed with any of these plagiarism checkers. So I want to turn this question over to my readers and viewers. Are any of you aware of good plagiarism checking software? Please email me or post a comment on the YouTube channel. 

Finally, let me wrap up with a quote from Nigerian poet and writer Michael Bassey Johnson: “People can copy anything; your mode of dressing, the way you talk, walk, dance, sing, cry, but they will find it very hard to imitate the way you donate money.” 

Kazeem, I’m sorry I couldn’t identify better plagiarism-checking software for you. I’m guessing that you’re probably a student, so my number 1 suggestion is that you speak with one of your professors or your school library to get a good recommendation.

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If you’d like to learn how to stop procrastinating and make writing a happier more fulfilling process for yourself please take a look at my latest book Your Happy First Draft. I don’t sell it in bookstores or via Amazon. The only place to buy it is on my website, link below. 

Links: 

Column I used for testing 

Grammarly 

Dupli-checker

Paper Rater 

Plagscan 

Prowritingaid

Your Happy First Draft 

Viewing time: 5 mins. 32 secs.

The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #83, with advice on how to do efficient research. The post first ran on Feb. 1/19.

Transcript

Welcome to The Write Question, I’m Daphne Gray-Grant and my topic today is about how NOT to get bogged down by research.

I have a question from Ann Gomez the founding president of Clear Concept Inc, a productivity firm based in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Here’s what’s she’s asked.

“What is the best way to avoid getting bogged down in research?”

Thanks for your question, Ann. The type of writer who usually asks me this type of question is a grad student who’s desperate to finish their thesis or dissertation. In your case, however, I know your writing is strongly evidence-based so you likely face some of the same concerns as many grad students.

Here’s what I suggest:

First, make sure you never do your research at the same time you do your writing. They are two entirely separate jobs and if you try to mush them together you won’t accomplish either job terribly effectively. Do your research first, before you do any writing.

But before you do even that, I’m going to suggest you do a mindmap to try to reign in your research needs. As a time management expert, you’re undoubtedly familiar with Parkinson’s Law – the idea that work expands to fill available time.

Research is a bit like Parkinson’s Law on steroids. That’s because writers are often interested in what they want to write about. This means that they will want to follow every loose end that beckons them. Don’t allow this to happen to you!

Instead, clearly define your objective before you start researching. Mindmapping is a great way to achieve this goal and I include a number of links to videos on mindmapping, below.

I know it might feel scary to take a big subject — say Global Warming — and decide your argument is going to be: “I support a cap and trade approach to reducing emissions.” (Or, for that matter, “I don’t support a cap and trade approach.”) But if you focus on one highly specific point, you’ll reduce your research needs, dramatically.

Of course, this approach does presume some prior knowledge so you might want to read ONE source that can give you an overview of the issue before you make your decision. But keep this kind of reading to a bare minimum. And, guess what? If you discover later that you’ve made a mistake and you should be arguing — and therefore researching — a different point, well you can do that then.

What you want to achieve is a kind of a research brief that is so deeply specific you’ll be able to say to yourself “no, I don’t need to read that now,” to anything that falls outside of the point you’re trying to make.

Note that I used the word “now.” Of course, you can read additional material later, on your own time, purely because it interests you.

I recall working with a doctoral student several years ago who told me she had 48 peer-reviewed papers she still wanted to read before finishing her dissertation. After some discussion, we agreed that she would read just the abstracts and then, on the basis of what the abstracts told her, limit herself to only 10 of the papers.

Yes, that 10 was an entirely arbitrary number and she found it hard to accept — until I suggested that she make an additional note to herself about any paper she might want to read — later — out of personal interest. As soon as she had that concept down, she was very happy. Oh, and she now has her PhD.

There’s also one other aspect of research that’s important: Having  a good system for storing it. I like the software Evernote because it’s really easy to use and it’s free to start. You have to pay for it only when your files reach a certain fairly large size. And even then it’s highly affordable – the basic version is $34.99 per year. Link below. (I’m not an affiliate, by the way.)

Academics might want to look into other software that will not only organize their research but that will also provide citations. What I’m talking about is richer and deeper than either EndNote or Mendeley. The software Citavi is a great solution, but it’s currently available for PCs only, although they hope to release a Mac version later in 2019. Link to Citvai, below. Again, I’m not an affiliate.

To summarize, you want to manage the research process and not have it manage you. Clearly defining your objectives at the beginning and having a good system for capturing the research will help you do that.

Finally, let me wrap up with a quote from the American doctor and scientist who led the Human Genome project, Francis Collins: “Research is so unpredictable. There are periods when nothing works and all your experiments are a disaster and all your hypotheses are wrong.”  

Thanks for the question, Ann! I think the unstated postscript to Collins’ quote is that we all need to live through those times when everything appears to be going wrong. But if you take the steps I’ve outlined, you’re not going to get bogged down and your end result is likely to be both satisfying and useful.

Links: 

Are you making any of these mindmapping mistakes (video)?

How can I solve a mindmapping block (video)? 

How can I mindmap my book? (video)? 

How to take an honest leap at mindmapping 

Evernote 

Citavi 

Reading time: Less than 5 minutes

Ever wondered how to overcome writing anxiety? If that’s an issue you face, here’s some detailed advice on how to respond…

While many people believe the most common health issue facing the developed world is depression, in fact, the biggest challenge is something else. It’s anxiety.

Anxiety disorders are, in fact, the most common form of mental illness in society, affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.

There are anxiety disorders in my family, although I’ve been lucky enough to escape that hammer. Still, I’ve worked with many clients who’ve had to deal with the specific and fearsome monster of writing anxiety.

Yes, it’s a real thing. Go to Google Scholar and you’ll get more than 2 million hits from peer-reviewed journals. I started thinking more about writing anxiety disorder when I read the lovely memoir by Mark Saltzman, The Man in The Empty Boat, outlining the author’s many-year struggle with writing anxiety.

What writing anxiety looks like

Writing anxiety disorder usually presents as physical symptoms: your palms start to sweat, your heart beats as though you’re in a marching band, you feel dizzy and light-headed.

Some people even get panic attacks. And of course, these physical symptoms quickly morph into a desire to procrastinate. Many anguished writers tell me they’re lazy, but I know this isn’t true.

Procrastination, in fact, is usually a logical and intelligent reaction to what life is throwing at you. For example, if you were told to hit your head against a brick wall — and actually did it — you’d probably get a headache and your head might bleed. Both troubling occurrences would make you want to procrastinate about hitting your head.

In other words, you’d be making an intelligent decision to procrastinate, not a lazy one.

The same is true of writers facing anxiety. They don’t want to write because the work makes them feel too uncomfortable to bear.

If you believe writing anxiety is a challenge you might face, here are nine ways to manage the issue:

1-Deal first with any physical challenges you’re facing

Pay particular attention to dehydration, hunger and lack of sleep. These may be the straws that break the camel’s back. I have an old friend who has hay fever (trust me, this story is relevant.) During the spring, when pollen is at its peak, he also finds he is allergic to beer and chocolate. Of course, he is allergic to beer and chocolate all year – cue sad violins — but he doesn’t feel the effects of these allergies when he’s not overwhelmed by hay fever.

Don’t let relatively easy-to-deal-with challenges — like getting enough food or sleep — tip you over into writing anxiety.

2-Start small — very small

Many anxious writers develop a raging case of writer’s block by expecting too much of themselves. They tell themselves they’re going to write for four hours tomorrow (it’s always tomorrow, of course), and then they become puzzled about why they resist the need to write so vehemently.

The heart of the problem is they’re expecting too much of themselves. When I accept people into my writing group, I encourage them to begin with writing no more than 15 minutes of writing a day. The small goal reduces negative feelings and dramatically increases their odds of success. And that makes them far more likely to succeed the next day.

As well, lower the stakes by promising yourself that all you need to write is a crappy rough draft.

3-Use writing rituals

Rituals such as time of day at which you write, the place where you write, or what you do before you write will all help make writing seem like a supportive and friendly habit, rather than a burden.

Such rituals — whether they require having a super clean desk, or having your pencils sharpened just so — decrease stress, increase your power and make the writing process seem easier.

4-Try some new tactics

But if the rituals are no longer working for you, then change them. If you’ve typically written at your desk, then take your laptop and write under a tree. Or in a library. Or in a coffee shop.

If you usually write for 30 minutes, try 15. Or five. Or even one. (There’s no amount of writing time that’s too small. Writing even 20 words is still and accomplishment, and always better than writing zero words.)

5-Get some exercise

The great thing about exercise is that it will help to get rid of the adrenaline that makes your heart beat faster, because you can control physical symptoms with physical activity. Even better, exercise will also release the so-called “happy hormones” otherwise known as endorphins that will make you feel more relaxed and comfortable.

You don’t have to run five miles. Even a brisk 20-minute walk will help. Make the exercise something you enjoy, rather than dread. And if you’re of the school of thought that all exercise is loathsome (I know my father-in-law felt this way) then start with exercising for a single minute. Soon enough, you’ll be able to increase that time, ever so gradually.

6-Stop judging yourself

Many people with writing anxiety disorder suffer acutely under the unwaveringly harsh judgement they make of themselves and their writing. Instead of trying to convince yourself that you’re “not a bad writer,” I suggest you simply shut down the urge to evaluate.

Don’t allow yourself to even consider the notion of whether your writing is good, bad or indifferent. When you’re writing, your only job is to write, not to evaluate. I’ve written before about how to break the habit of editing while you write. Breaking this habit is especially important for anyone facing writing anxiety. The time for evaluating should come only after writing and after incubating. In other words, procrastinate about editing!

7-Meditate

I know some people think that meditation is really hard, perhaps even a little bit frightening. First, understand that meditating is not about “emptying” your mind, it’s more about observing it. Also, it’s possible (indeed, wise) to start very small – with no more than five minutes.

Many writers find meditation to be a supremely helpful practice. I give detailed instructions in another blog post and I also encourage you to check out the book 10% Happier by Dan Harris. But if mediation seems too much for you, consider simply monitoring your breathing.

8-Consider Cognitive Behavioural Therapy techniques

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT treats a wide range of disorders, including anxiety, depression, phobias, addictions and insomnia. It is often more successful than drugs and, even better, has never been turned into a multi-million-dollar industry because the psychiatrist who developed the treatment didn’t choose to trademark it.

CBT is not a type of positive thinking. Instead, it focuses on challenging your negative thoughts and making a rational plan for how to face them.

So, for example, if you feel unable to write because the project feels too big and overwhelming for you, you learn to divide the project into smaller, more manageable steps. Or you learn to review articles you’ve successfully written in the past, to buoy your spirits.

You don’t even have to see a therapist to do CBT. There’s a tremendous workbook called Mind Over Mood, that can teach you to do it for yourself. In a previous post, I’ve outlined a 7-step procedure given in the book that will help writers manage their own negative automatic thoughts.

Try it! This process really works.

9-Understand that everyone encounters obstacles while writing

Everyone faces the same problem you’re struggling with. Even professional writers. Don’t adopt a “poor little me,” or an “I’m the only person in the world who feels this way,” attitude. Facing blocks, dealing with problems, struggling with words and sentences are the name of the game for all writers. This is just what we do.

Consider yourself an apprentice and understand that, like all apprentices, you need to learn how to deal with specific challenges. This need doesn’t make you inept or a bad writer. It just makes you someone who needs to learn more.

You can learn to manage writing anxiety

Don’t try to overcome writing anxiety. Instead learn about managing writing anxiety. We all get better — at everything — with practice. Negative or difficult experiences don’t have to box you into a corner.

Instead, let writing be an escape for you. Something you do to express yourself and to play. Don’t let writing anxiety stop you from getting the practice you need to become a better and more confident writer.

This is a substantially updated version of a post that first appeared on my blog June 16/20.

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My video podcast last week addressed how to stay committed to your book. Go here to see the video or read the transcript, and you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel.

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Need some help developing a sustainable writing routine? Learn more about my Get It Done program. If you already know you want to apply, go directly to the application form and you’ll hear back from me within 24 hours. 

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Have you struggled with how to overcome writing anxiety? We can all learn from each other so, please share your thoughts with my readers and me in the “comments” section below. Anyone who comments on today’s post (or any others) by Aug. 31/23 will be put in a draw for a digital copy of my first book, 8 1/2 Steps to Writing Faster, Better. Please, scroll down to the comments, directly underneath the “related posts” links, below. Note that you don’t have to join Disqus to post. See here to learn how to post as a guest. It’s easy!

Viewing time: 3 mins. 48 secs. 

The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #29, describing reverse engineering for writers. The post first ran on Aug. 25/17.

Transcript: 

Welcome to The Write Question, I’m Daphne Gray-Grant. If you’re a writer, math and science may hold a particular terror for you. But I’m going to try to persuade to embrace your inner engineer.

Today’s question comes from Judith Benz, an academic based in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Let’s hear what she’s asked:

[recording] Hi Daphne, I was wondering if you can offer me some advice regarding the following: I find I have a hard time managing writing projects of say three months. I seem to plug away at the task every day but all of sudden the deadline has crept up on me and I’m nowhere near finished. Thank you for your feedback.

Thanks for the question, Judith. Twenty-five years ago, when I was a journalist in daily newspapers, a three-month deadline sounded like an unimaginable luxury. I was lucky if I got three hours!

Today, however, I’m self-employed and doing a slightly different kind of work and I face longer term deadlines all the time. And I now understand they are not as easy as they look. It’s so tempting to delay and procrastinate! Even worse, it’s so easy to work incredibly hard and STILL not finish on time.

When I edited a book 25 years ago, I learned the trick of reverse engineering. It has saved me so many times.

So how do you do it? Start by writing down the date of your ultimate deadline. Then go two days before that, and consider this your actual deadline. These extra two days are designed to give you a cushion if anything goes wrong. But be sure to treat this new day as the “real” deadline.

Next, figure out every step you have to take before finishing the project. This list of things to do will be slightly different for everyone, but let me show you what my list looks like:

• Think about the project
• Read and do research
• Mindmap
• Write a crappy first draft
• Let the draft incubate (at least two days)
• Edit the crappy first draft
• Share the revised draft with colleagues to get feedback
• Do a final edit, incorporating feedback
• Do a copy edit (checking spelling, grammar etc.)
• And finally, do a last proofread, looking for typos

Now, here’s the reverse engineering part — turn your list upside down and attach a deadline to every task. Before you can do this you must also sort out how much time you’re going to need to devote to each step. After all of that, your list might look something like this.

• Do final proofread, looking for typos [1 day: Aug 18]
• Do copy edit (checking spelling, grammar etc.) [1 day: Aug 17]
• Do final edit, incorporating feedback [1 week: Aug 10 to 17]
• Share revised draft with colleagues for feedback [3 weeks: July 20 – Aug 17]
• Edit crappy first draft [3 weeks: June 29 to July 20]
• Let draft incubate (at least two days) [June 27 to 29]
• Write a crappy first draft [two weeks: June 13 to June 27]
• Mindmap [one day: June 12]
• Read and do research [2 weeks: May 29 to June 12]
• Think about the project [1 week: May 22 to May 29]

The reason reverse engineering works is because it holds you accountable throughout the process. Without regular deadlines for a project like this, I wouldn’t have felt any anxiety which would have been good. But I might not have had any urgency, which would have been bad.

If you’re failing to accomplish steps along the way, this timetable will make you aware of this problem. Then, you’ll be able to make decisions that will still help you meet the ultimate deadline. Maybe you need to tighten your focus or otherwise cut some corners? Maybe you need to devote more daily time to this project. If you reverse engineer your project early enough in the process your life will be easier and the material you’re writing will be better.

Finally, while we’re on the subject of reverse engineering, let me wrap up with a quote from noted cognitive scientist and popular author Steven Pinker: “Writers acquire their technique by spotting, savoring, and reverse-engineering examples of good prose.”

Thanks for your question, Judith. Good luck with building your project from the ground up!

Viewing time: 3 mins. 37 secs. 

The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #28, defining the term free writing and describing why you should stay away from it. The post first ran on Aug. 18/17.

Transcript:

Welcome to The Write Question, I’m Daphne Gray-Grant. Today we’re talking about the free writing — and the unexpected cost you’ll sometimes pay for it.

Today I’m answering a question from student Nicole Deranleau, from Vancouver, British Columbia. Here’s her question:

I find I have to do a lot of free writing before I can figure out the thesis to any paper I need to complete. But to help me think, I need to write, a lot. If I have a 2,500-word paper to write, I might write 1,500 words or more of, essentially, free-writing, before I figure out a thesis. The struggle in my academic writing comes in the teasing out what I’m asked to write about from all the reading I just finished. Can you suggest a way to make this process faster?

Thanks for the question, Nicole.

To free write, you write continuously for a predetermined amount of time without any regard for spelling, grammar, or even subject matter.

It’s a technique popularized by Julia Cameron and is not intended to help you figure things out. Instead, it’s meant to give yourself a chance to vent and to spark your creativity.

If you don’t know anything about free writing, you should have a look at another video where I talk about it. I’ve provided the link to it below.

But I don’t think you’re actually doing what’s called free writing. Instead, I believe you’re practicing what some might call “exploratory writing” or even “experimental writing.”  With this kind of work, you’re trying to figure out your point while you do the writing. I’ve noticed that many academics use this kind of approach and — I’m sorry to say this — but I think it’s a bad idea.

The work of writing — and editing — all those sentences add up. This is very time-consuming – you even acknowledge that yourself. It’s not surprising you’re getting frustrated by the process.

Instead of writing to figure out what you think, I suggest you just, simply… think. Go for a walk, get away from your desk and let the ideas percolate at the back of your brain. You don’t have to write things down to figure them out. You just need the time and space for thinking.

Then, AFTER you’ve done the thinking, go back to your computer and make notes. If you’ve done the thinking first, I know you’ll find the writing a lot faster and a lot easier.

Here’s another idea if the writing you’re working on requires a lot of research: Keep a research diary. In this document, you should record more than just the findings of the research. You should also include your feelings about those findings. Do you agree with the other author? Why or why not?

Remember, academic work is not just about regurgitating what others have told you. It also requires adding something new to the conversation – your opinion. If you force yourself to record your opinion every day, you’ll get better at producing it. And, best of all, you’ll avoid writer’s block.

Finally, here is a quote from writer, actor and producer Jeff Bollow: “Writing is not an activity. It’s not something you sit down at the keyboard, and just start doing. That’s called ‘typing.’ Typing is an activity … Writing is a process. And if you start thinking of it as a process, life gets so much easier.”

Thanks for your question, Nicole. Good luck with reducing the amount of time you spend writing and increasing the amount of time you spend thinking.

Links: 

Video describing free writing

Viewing time: 4 minutes and 16 seconds

The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #22, addressing how to better organize research. The post first ran on June 23/17.

Transcript: 

Welcome to The Write Question, the video podcast designed to answer your questions about writing. I’m Daphne Gray-Grant.

Today I’m answering a question about research from Master’s student Jonneke Jorissen, who lives in the Netherlands. Here’s the question.

[recording] I have found it very important to first do my research and then start writing in contrast to what I have been told — to start writing as soon as possible. But I’m struggling to organize my materials. I have found that if I just summarize what I read and put it in a big pile, it’s hard to find what I have summarized later on, when I need it. I also find I tend to forget the things I have already read. So, I’m wanting to ask you if you have any tips on how to organize your material. 

Thanks for the question, Jonneke.

I have three tools I can suggest for anyone writing a thesis or a book.

The first tool is Evernote. This remarkable piece of software is the best tool I’ve ever discovered to organize research and keep it trackable.

Evernote is a web-based system that started operating in California in 2008. By 2016, it had some 200 million users. There are Evernote versions for both PCs and Macs and you can even install it on mobile devices so you have access to it all the time.

Evernote allows you to save notes. These notes can be anything — a web page a document you’ve scanned, some information you’ve scribbled to yourself in a Word document. You can then store these notes in digital notebooks.

I created about a dozen notebooks when I started using Evernote. But it didn’t take me long to realize I was creating way too much work for myself. You’re far better off if you keep the notebooks to a minimum and focus instead on your tags — they’re little labels you apply to each note.

Regarding tags, I suggest you use a lot of them. I try to assign at least three tags to every note and double that for some important ones. This gives me multiple entry points. If I don’t remember one of the tags, I’ll likely remember another.

The best other thing I like about Evernote is that it allows you to save webpages with a single click. 

It took me about a week to get used to using Evernote. But it’s been a very worthwhile investment. The basic service is free — until you hit the monthly upload limit of 60 MB. But when I decided to become a serious user I didn’t object to the affordable annual fee of $89.99. I swear Evernote is not a sponsor of this video, I just really love the app.

The second tool I want to suggest is starting a research diary. Every day you research, take a brief bit of time to flip through what you’ve read and write your own REFLECTIONS on it. This is not just a summary of what the other researchers and academics have said. Instead, it’s your REACTION to this information. You can even file these notes in Evernote as well. The big benefit of keeping a research diary is it will get you thinking and writing early in the process so you’re less likely to suffer from writer’s block.

The third tool I suggest you use is mindmapping. I talk about mindmapping a lot so I won’t dwell on it here. But it’s a really useful way of inspiring yourself to write when you get to that stage. I’ve included some links below that will explain the hows and whys of mindmapping.

Finally, let me wrap up with a quote from Albert Einstein: “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it? ”

Thanks for your question, Jonneke. Good luck with organizing your research and earning that coveted degree.

Thanks so much for watching. If YOU have a question, you can email, tweet, or skype me. You can find the details in the description below along with any resources I’ve mentioned. And don’t forget to like and subscribe to the video.

Links: 

Evernote

The case against outlining (why mindmapping is better)

How to create a mindmap

Viewing time: 3 mins. 16 seconds

The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #10, about whether it makes sense to write in your first language, which first ran on March 24/17.

Transcript:

Welcome to The Write Question, the video-podcast designed to answer your questions about writing. I’m Daphne Gray-Grant.

Today I have a question from Chen Wei, who is a PhD student at an American Ivy League university. Here is what she asked me: “I have a question about writing bilingually. I was trying to follow your advice that I should write as fast as possible and leave more time for editing. English is my second language and I found this has played a big role in slowing down my writing process.  I feel it takes much longer for me to think or write things down than if I use my native language. A few years ago, I tried to write the first draft in Chinese and then translate/edit it into English. I found I could write faster and also think more deeply and clearly than if I write in English. I wonder what you think of this method of writing in my native language first and then translating. Thank you.

Thanks, Chen. That’s a really interesting question. Aside from my own time learning French, I haven’t personally accomplished the incredibly difficult task of a PhD in a second language. So I spoke to my English-speaking friend Greg who went through a very similar experience to yours.

He did his PhD in Italy. When he arrived in Rome, he says, “I only spoke Italian at parties and in restaurants.” But he does have a bit of a flair for languages so — after a six-week intensive course — he took his classes in Italian but had permission to write his essays in English. For his dissertation, however, he was required to submit it in Italian. So, he wrote the all-important text in English and had it translated by an Italian graduate student familiar with his topic.

Of course writing is easier in your native language, that makes perfect sense to me. And of course writing in a second language will help improve your fluency in that language. Both of those statements are true, so I guess it comes down to a question of priority:

Which is more important to you? Getting your thesis finished? Or improving your fluency in English. Both are laudable goals but you need to choose one of them. Having gone through the hell of a thesis myself, I would choose that option, just to get the thing finished.

You’ve done something amazing by learning a second language. Now you’re finishing the equally amazing task of earning a PhD from a prestigious school. Cut yourself a break! Don’t try to accomplish too much at once.

And just in case you’re interested, I’ve linked down below to a New Yorker piece by an author — Jhumpa Lahiri — who already spoke two languages and who took on the task of writing a third.

Finally, let me wrap up with a quote from psycholinguist Frank Smith. He said: “One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.”

Good luck with your writing, Chen…or your translating, whichever you choose.

Thanks so much for watching. If YOU have a question, you can email, tweet, or skype me. You can find the details in the description below along with any resources I’ve mentioned. And don’t forget to like and subscribe to the video.

Links: 

New Yorker story by Jhumpa Lahiri

7 ways non-native English speakers can improve their writing

Viewing time: 3 minutes and 32 seconds

How to break procrastinating habits? The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of the issue #5, about how to stop procrastinating, which ran on Feb. 17/17.

Transcript:

Welcome to The Write Question, the video-podcast designed to answer your questions about writing. I’m Daphne Gray-Grant.

Today I have a question from Bethany Lynch from Seattle, Washington. She’s a Master’s student in English and her question relates to her desire to break procrastinating habit. Here’s what she wrote: “I have to write my thesis. How do I break my terrible habit of procrastinating about everything?”

When I wrote my own thesis back in 1979 it was a deeply traumatic event. I delayed and procrastinated and even sought an extension, which my professor refused to give me. I finally finished the project by locking myself in a room and writing for three days straight with no sleep. Even though I did it, I DON’T recommend that approach.

For anyone who struggles with procrastination, I have three tips:

#1: Do your hardest work first thing in the morning. This is because we all have the most willpower first thing in the day. Research by American Professor Roy Baumeister has shown that SLEEP resets our stores of willpower. I like to imagine our willpower as an hourglass that’s turned over after every sleep. And as soon as it’s turned over the millions of small decisions we need to make every day cause more sand to tumble through the hourglass. And I’m not talking major decisions! I’m talking about dumb little ones — like what clothes to wear, what to eat for breakfast and what route to take to work. So, if writing your thesis is going to take willpower then work on it first thing in the morning, when you have most of that precious commodity.

#2: Use mini-goals. Do you know the famous joke, “how do you eat an elephant?” Answer: one bite at a time. Writing a thesis is the same thing. I don’t know how long your thesis needs to be but let me guess you’ll require at least 40,000 words. You can’t write that in two days — no one can. Instead, give yourself a small and reasonable DAILY goal that you can do over a stretch of time. For example, if you write 450 words a day for 88 days you’ll have 40,000 words in three months. I know you’re an English student but get out your calculator and do some really easy math to make this work!

#3: Give yourself frequent rewards. Now, this part of your homework isn’t painful — it’s fun! But it’s also important. The rewards don’t have to be expensive, either. If you’re an English student, I’m guessing you enjoy reading novels. So you can reward yourself with an hour’s worth of free reading — something UNRELATED to your thesis! — for every hour you spend writing. Or maybe you can go buy yourself a latte. Or go to a movie with a friend. Or go for a walk in one of those beautiful Seattle Parks. There are lots of presents you can give yourself that don’t cost very much money but that will still feel like a reward.  Just remember that you need to EARN the reward, so don’t give it to yourself until you’ve done the work.

Finally don’t forget the words of American aphorist Mason Cooly who said, “Procrastination makes easy things hard, and hard things harder.”

I’ll see you next week

Thanks for your question, Bethany. Good luck with your thesis. If YOU have a question for me, you can email, tweet, or skype me — details in the description. And don’t forget to like the video and subscribe so you can catch this podcast every week.

Link

Willpower and Roy Baumesiter

Viewing time: 4 mins. 46 secs.

The Write Question is a weekly video podcast all about writing. Today’s question focuses on whether it makes sense to change horses midstream. If you have a question you’d like me to answer you can email me at daphne@publicationcoach.com, tweet me @pubcoach, or leave a message for me at the Skype account, The Write Question.

Transcript: 

Welcome to The Write Question, I’m Daphne Gray-Grant and my topic today is about changing horses midstream.

I have a question from Isabel Bueno, a graduate student from Mexico City. Here’s what’s she’s asked.

[recording] “I have a question about a writing project. At some point it feels like I’m not fluent anymore in creativity. So at this point I’m usually looking for some sort of guide or indicators. How do you know whether it’s time to start over with the writing? Or, should I just keep on and maybe use other tools to get over the block?”

Thanks for your question, Isabel. I’ve never been a grad student myself but I think I’ve had a somewhat similar experience to what you describe. Some 40 years ago, I was completing my Bachelor of Arts in political science and I had to write an honours thesis.

I had spent several months on the topic, and I was really beginning to HATE it. It struck me as boring and dull and I felt as though I had nothing meaningful to say. Every day I had to work on it I became more desperate.

At the same time, for another political science class, I was doing some really interesting research with colleague of mine. Suddenly, I had a great idea! What if I changed topics and wrote my thesis on this interesting research project. I didn’t see how my professor could say no.

But he did. He told me it was too late to change horses. Do you know that American expression? It’s a metaphor and it means that you don’t want to get off one horse and onto another one when you’re knee deep in water, as this photo shows. If you tried to change horses at this point you’d not only get very wet but you’d also risk a terrible accident for both yourself and the horse.

I was really annoyed when my professor wouldn’t let me make the switch but even then I did kind of see his point. The new subject I was looking at would have required a great deal of additional research and all the research I’d already done would have gone to waste.

But here’s an even more interesting point that you may not have thought of. Psychologists used to believe that constraints were a barrier to creativity. But now they believe that constraints actually encourage your brain to be more creative. Why?

Well, when people face scarcity, they give themselves freedom to use resources in less conventional ways – because they have to. The situation demands a mental license that would otherwise remain untapped.

Creativity is not a personality trait — it’s not something we’re born with or without. It’s our response to certain situations. If you have a way around a problem — perhaps because of a professor who’s too accommodating — you won’t be inspired to use your creativity. My website has a special section devoted to creativity and I’ve provided a link to that below.

If you want to give your creativity a boost, I have a couple of suggestions for you. They might sound a little crazy but creativity isn’t improved by working harder. It’s enhanced by taking more breaks.

So…

• go for more walks
• spend more time in the natural world
• get plenty of sleep
• work in a large room, preferably one with a high ceiling (there’s evidence that large rooms help with creativity)
• get more exercise
• spend plenty of time with friends

I know this all sounds like the opposite to what you should be doing but if you want to boost your creativity, you need to get your nose out of the books and into real life.

Being creative means making unpredictable choices and to do that you need to be relaxed and unworried. Make sure you give yourself enough time to achieve that state of mind.

Finally, let me wrap up with a quote from the former president and CEO of Yahoo, Marissa Mayer: “Constraints shape and focus problems, and provide clear challenges to overcome as well as inspiration. Creativity loves constraints.”

Thanks for the question, Isabel! I know it’s hard writing a thesis or dissertation. To improve your creativity, take more breaks. Then, put your head down and get it finished. Then you’ll be able to move on to your next challenge.

Links: 

How to improve your creativity