Hi everyone--apologies for yet another thread about the struggle to write, but I am really struggling here and wondered if anyone could give some refreshing advice. I just can't seem to get started. I think my expectations are too high, and I don't feel I've collated nearly enough data to start yet. Is it okay to tell my supervisor that I don't feel ready to write yet? Everytime I've made an attempt, I find it is sounding generic and it just makes me cringe!

Hmmmm1

it is hard for everyone to write and in my experience - particularly at first.

The hardest thing to write is when you are not sure what direction it is headed- like you have all the data but aren't sure what the hell it all means.

What to do is to try figure out what your story is, how it fits in with current literature

its all just a big story: Start - beginning - end

Doesn't matter what you have - your data is your data and you cant change that.

What I do if I'm struggling is to put it together one crappy paragraph after the other - at least then its written - write it ALL - then you can only improve on it - the hard thing is to get the story line.

don't do what a lot of folk do which is sit doing nothing because you are so unsure of the direction of their writing - it is very frustrating when you achieve nothing

I'll add - as for your supervisor

sometimes it helps to admit where you are - this really depends how easy going your supervisor is?

If they are approachable you should just ask him/her for advice - they are the ones who have written papers and grants before - and will know the best way to present your data

I think that this is a very natural way to feel about writing. Getting started is the hardest part. I think that there was a very eloquent quote from no less than Ernest Hemingway, on the difficulty of getting started... I was facing a block about writing tonight, and told myself, just type. Start, type ANYTHING, and when you get to 500 words, stop and call it good, if you want. Well, I think once you get going, it is much easier.

And at the risk of repeating myself ad nauseum on this point but only because I think that this is a critical piece of the writing process--do you have a method for how to develop your writing from creative stage to final edits--because you cannot do them all at once. There are many ways to do this out there--google the "Flowers Paradigm" and see what you think. It is what works for me. Others no doubt can tell you about other processes that might work for them.

I can't seem to find much on the flowers - do you know of any specific sites?

bellaz--I think it's perfectly okay to tell your sup how much you're struggling with this. In fact, I would definitely suggest it, as keeping him/her in the dark will only act to increase your anxiety (I presume that they've set you a task, and you're now biting your nails, dreading their email asking how you're getting on with the piece?) This is perfectly normal. We all struggle with this. In fact, I was talking to a seasoned academic last week who still has this anxiety about writing. I think this feeling becomes increasingly intense at PhD level due to the amount of material we are trying to assimilate.

If you are looking for more specific information on Flowers, I suggest googling Bryan Garner--yes, he is an American legal writer, but his suggestions on process and editing I think would go well in any sort of writing project. He has some books on writing and editing that can be purchased on line, and give some very specific tips on how to go about this, and his stuff seems to be based on the notion of the Flowers paradigm.

I am curious what other sorts of processes people use for constructing their writing projects--especially in the editing phase. Do people make use of any other sorts of processes that are along the lines ( notionally) of the Flowers paradigm?

There are some loose models of structure that may help: I try to think of the "inverted triangle" - you start very generic, and gradually narrow the writing down to a fine point.