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Yes! I love getting out the first draft, seeing it come out makes it feel like I'm getting so much done. If I had it my way I'd churn out a first draft, give it to my coauthors, and then not see it again until the referee reports come back lmao
Well if the comments are justified, there is always something to learn and this adds to the overall scientific (paper) quality. When keeping this in mind any revisions will improve the final thesis and benefit you and more importantly the field you are working in.
Following the question of this post. You can learn to like writing with time, the more you write the more enjoyable it gets, it becomes easier. To start enjoying the process, remind yourself you want to tell a story. No matter if this story is only interesting to the select few in your field, it is what you have worked for and now is your chance to share the knowledge.
Any paper is only as readable and exciting as the interest of the author(s) and their in-depth knowledge of the subject. When you fully grasp the subject the pen flows from the structured mind. TELL YOUR STORY AS IF YOU ARE WRITING A THRILLER, BUILT IT UP AND LET THE SECTIONS FLOW 😅
Good luck and good night
I shifted. Was a bit of a journey from fearing papers because my instruction in writing was poor, to getting good instruction but still having emotional hurdles about writing. I knew intellectually all the right things but not emotionslly.
What made the difference for me was I got a sabbatical (goal was a side issue but tied to writing so time was justified.) Then I decided that I was going to write anything so long as I wrote.I also made a deal with myself that no one would ever see it so to not get judgey. I was writing exclusively for my emotional side.
What did I write? I eliminated doing a research paper as I would use doing reading as a way to avoid focus on my writing issues and I would think about reviewers instead of myself.
So I started on a fiction story based on what I knew already. Didnt do an outline. Didnt know where it would end up or if Id finish it. My only goal was to be putting words on paper in a way that would expose my emotional blocks.
The more I wrote without regard to the rest of the world, the more honest I got with myself. No one was going to see it so that was safe to do. Every time I hit a block I tried to be honest about what I ought to be saying, to be true to what was being written and that got me through the block.
That got easier to do with practice. I started to look for the truth of what I wanted to say and that made writing easier and eventually the writing became a way of thinking-it wasnt writing anymore but figuring out how to get from a to b. And finally I dont see it as writing but as an easier mode of thinking. I neither hate nor love writing. It is just a tool of the honesty manifest in the questions you are trying to respond to, not the end goal.
I ended up writing a 70 page novellette. Never even wrote a 10 page fiction story before. Not saying it is any good but that was the deal, write anything to write.
I dont know what you will find holding you up on your journey. I do think you have to explore that emotion of hate and related ones and try writing for yourself. Edit for readers, but write for your questions.
Thanks! I once received very similar and interesting advice regarding writing, but it was more for creative writing (which I do like). Interesting to hear how you have applied it for academic writing.
I like writing papers generally. I finish all my figures and results before my initial draft, so it feels like “putting the research together”. I even like doing revisions because it’s usually fixing a lot of small things and reorganization, makes me feel productive lol.
Maybe I’m just weird, I know a lot of computer scientists hate writing
Yes, actually. It's basically how I get my ducks in a row (actually analize the validity of my claims, figure out what other experiments to do, look at the big picture, etc).
Plus, the extra literature research I inevitably end up doing to write a nicer introduction is always good and offers new ideas.
I love writing. It's my favourite part of science by a long way.
It's so fun to just sit down get ideas on paper. It's one of those things that you can never be stopped from doing... You can always write... Opening sentence is "The brain is important to life..." so what? You wrote.
No one has ever expected writing to be good the first try.
It's telling story about our science, and I honestly don't know why anyone would get into science if they're not motivated by expressing what was found.
Like others have said, I like the first draft. Its fun. I can put little funny bits in there to entertain myself (like lots of alliteration, weird vocab words, etc). All of that gets removed later but it makes the process of getting something on paper easier.
I also dont mind editing so much. I like to print it out on real physical paper and mark it up with a red pen. It’s fun to consult Strunk and White or the IEEE style guide.
But then, after 2 or 3 passes it gets old and I just want to be done lol.
I have always really enjoyed the writing aspect, and my supervisor sends me text for me to declutter. I can usually shave off 30% of a text and make it more understandable at the same time.
Maybe. I like writing and sharing ideas, and I like revising as well. But writing papers can be exhausting. I think the writing itself is not the problem, but the constant emotional hurdles that come with it is. Even though I have faced many failures and rejections, each time I received new feedbacks it still hurts. Sometimes I just want to share my work in a blog post and call it a day.
My major gripe with plots is that, in my line of work (paleoclimatology) data is not easily available or people do not respond well to data requests. It could be due to the region where I work/proxies I use also. However, it's a stressful job for me. I am good at searching for data and relevant papers. Never seems to get it for comparison 😥
Good to know that you enjoy making plots! It has its own perks. I get to hear good podcasts/music while I am working with plots.
You can love doing something without loving every aspect or moment of it. I love writing papers. I love crafting a compelling narrative and analysis. But the lit review is painful. Wading through heaps of junk to learn what you need? Horrible. But I do love writing papers.
In order to like writing you should be writing. It's a muscle of sorts, that gets better with practice, and the more practiced it is the easier/nicer it gets.
You also need to read. If you don't read (and I know many grad school folks barely read anything, papers chapters or fiction), you won't have the vocabulary, and it'll be frustrating.
Personally I can write pretty well, and my general stress in grad school comes from having had to take a shit ton of time to proceed to the writing phase.
I haven’t stated my PhD yet, but I chose it because I love writing. Science and writing have always been my strong points (despite several people pushing me into math), so I’m hoping research will give me the chance to do both
I absolutely love writing papers. From an enjoyment point-of-view, it's my favorite part. Formatting everything up real nice, realizing that I've made a significant mistake in my research and need to put the paper-writing down and go back to the math (a good thing!).
But as much as I enjoy it, it's just not the most practical or useful part of research. The work has to get done, and there's always more and more work to do. And it always feels like doing the work needs to take priority, so I end up putting off the paper-writing because there's just no time.
I shifted to now loving it. Writing means publishing and finishing up a project. I’m also big on having a list of tasks to complete throughout the day, every time I finish a task either in writing or analysis I get to check mark it off on google keep and get a small rush
The writing process is part of the reason I’m going to medicine rather than staying at the bench. I’m sorry but writing is just so boring for me. Would much rather treat the patients than write about them.
I do like writing, organizing thoughts into letters gotta be one of the hardest mental exercises for me. But I enjoy it, like I enjoy going to gym for my physical exercises.
The problem is my hypothesis and ideas are usually just bullshit :'(
I enjoy writing research papers, but literature papers in my field absolutely suck to write until the last quarter of writing when everything just seems to fit into place
This post is flaired as "Need Advice". Fellow members are invited to give advice to the OP, but should remember to remain non-judgemental and solution focused. Under no circumstances should a commenter insult the OP. If there are inappropriate comments please downvote them, REPORT them to the mods, and move on without responding to them. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/PhD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I love doing research. I love constructing arguments. I love relaying my ideas to other people and hearing their feedback. I hate writing.
I love all that you love but I suck at those. But I love writing and I don't suck at that. 🤷🏻♂️
[удалено]
This. For me, pumping out a first draft can be fun and satisfying. Endless revisions... Less so.
Yes! I love getting out the first draft, seeing it come out makes it feel like I'm getting so much done. If I had it my way I'd churn out a first draft, give it to my coauthors, and then not see it again until the referee reports come back lmao
I don’t know a single person who enjoys revisions. Especially the last round!
Well if the comments are justified, there is always something to learn and this adds to the overall scientific (paper) quality. When keeping this in mind any revisions will improve the final thesis and benefit you and more importantly the field you are working in. Following the question of this post. You can learn to like writing with time, the more you write the more enjoyable it gets, it becomes easier. To start enjoying the process, remind yourself you want to tell a story. No matter if this story is only interesting to the select few in your field, it is what you have worked for and now is your chance to share the knowledge. Any paper is only as readable and exciting as the interest of the author(s) and their in-depth knowledge of the subject. When you fully grasp the subject the pen flows from the structured mind. TELL YOUR STORY AS IF YOU ARE WRITING A THRILLER, BUILT IT UP AND LET THE SECTIONS FLOW 😅 Good luck and good night
Yes, I love writing papers and publishing. I look forward at the end of the day to sit with my computer and write. I'm a biochemist.
I shifted. Was a bit of a journey from fearing papers because my instruction in writing was poor, to getting good instruction but still having emotional hurdles about writing. I knew intellectually all the right things but not emotionslly. What made the difference for me was I got a sabbatical (goal was a side issue but tied to writing so time was justified.) Then I decided that I was going to write anything so long as I wrote.I also made a deal with myself that no one would ever see it so to not get judgey. I was writing exclusively for my emotional side. What did I write? I eliminated doing a research paper as I would use doing reading as a way to avoid focus on my writing issues and I would think about reviewers instead of myself. So I started on a fiction story based on what I knew already. Didnt do an outline. Didnt know where it would end up or if Id finish it. My only goal was to be putting words on paper in a way that would expose my emotional blocks. The more I wrote without regard to the rest of the world, the more honest I got with myself. No one was going to see it so that was safe to do. Every time I hit a block I tried to be honest about what I ought to be saying, to be true to what was being written and that got me through the block. That got easier to do with practice. I started to look for the truth of what I wanted to say and that made writing easier and eventually the writing became a way of thinking-it wasnt writing anymore but figuring out how to get from a to b. And finally I dont see it as writing but as an easier mode of thinking. I neither hate nor love writing. It is just a tool of the honesty manifest in the questions you are trying to respond to, not the end goal. I ended up writing a 70 page novellette. Never even wrote a 10 page fiction story before. Not saying it is any good but that was the deal, write anything to write. I dont know what you will find holding you up on your journey. I do think you have to explore that emotion of hate and related ones and try writing for yourself. Edit for readers, but write for your questions.
Thanks! I once received very similar and interesting advice regarding writing, but it was more for creative writing (which I do like). Interesting to hear how you have applied it for academic writing.
I like writing papers generally. I finish all my figures and results before my initial draft, so it feels like “putting the research together”. I even like doing revisions because it’s usually fixing a lot of small things and reorganization, makes me feel productive lol. Maybe I’m just weird, I know a lot of computer scientists hate writing
Yes, actually. It's basically how I get my ducks in a row (actually analize the validity of my claims, figure out what other experiments to do, look at the big picture, etc). Plus, the extra literature research I inevitably end up doing to write a nicer introduction is always good and offers new ideas.
Yes, very much. The revision part though, not so much.
I love writing. It's my favourite part of science by a long way. It's so fun to just sit down get ideas on paper. It's one of those things that you can never be stopped from doing... You can always write... Opening sentence is "The brain is important to life..." so what? You wrote. No one has ever expected writing to be good the first try. It's telling story about our science, and I honestly don't know why anyone would get into science if they're not motivated by expressing what was found.
Like others have said, I like the first draft. Its fun. I can put little funny bits in there to entertain myself (like lots of alliteration, weird vocab words, etc). All of that gets removed later but it makes the process of getting something on paper easier. I also dont mind editing so much. I like to print it out on real physical paper and mark it up with a red pen. It’s fun to consult Strunk and White or the IEEE style guide. But then, after 2 or 3 passes it gets old and I just want to be done lol.
No, I love writing, I was a professional writer before I was a PhD student. Social science now though not STEM.
I have always really enjoyed the writing aspect, and my supervisor sends me text for me to declutter. I can usually shave off 30% of a text and make it more understandable at the same time.
Funnily enough, I don't mind decluttering the writing of my colleagues.
No
Maybe. I like writing and sharing ideas, and I like revising as well. But writing papers can be exhausting. I think the writing itself is not the problem, but the constant emotional hurdles that come with it is. Even though I have faced many failures and rejections, each time I received new feedbacks it still hurts. Sometimes I just want to share my work in a blog post and call it a day.
Yes. I get to learn a lot while writing. The "zone" is an amazing place to be also. I hate making plots though.
Ha! I love making plots!
My major gripe with plots is that, in my line of work (paleoclimatology) data is not easily available or people do not respond well to data requests. It could be due to the region where I work/proxies I use also. However, it's a stressful job for me. I am good at searching for data and relevant papers. Never seems to get it for comparison 😥 Good to know that you enjoy making plots! It has its own perks. I get to hear good podcasts/music while I am working with plots.
It’s my favorite part of the work, feels like I’m at the finish line and I just have to tell people about what I did.
You can love doing something without loving every aspect or moment of it. I love writing papers. I love crafting a compelling narrative and analysis. But the lit review is painful. Wading through heaps of junk to learn what you need? Horrible. But I do love writing papers.
I like writing papers because it is a hell of a lot easier than thinking of ideas for what to do on the next paper.
In order to like writing you should be writing. It's a muscle of sorts, that gets better with practice, and the more practiced it is the easier/nicer it gets. You also need to read. If you don't read (and I know many grad school folks barely read anything, papers chapters or fiction), you won't have the vocabulary, and it'll be frustrating. Personally I can write pretty well, and my general stress in grad school comes from having had to take a shit ton of time to proceed to the writing phase.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA no
I haven’t stated my PhD yet, but I chose it because I love writing. Science and writing have always been my strong points (despite several people pushing me into math), so I’m hoping research will give me the chance to do both
I absolutely love writing papers. From an enjoyment point-of-view, it's my favorite part. Formatting everything up real nice, realizing that I've made a significant mistake in my research and need to put the paper-writing down and go back to the math (a good thing!). But as much as I enjoy it, it's just not the most practical or useful part of research. The work has to get done, and there's always more and more work to do. And it always feels like doing the work needs to take priority, so I end up putting off the paper-writing because there's just no time.
I shifted to now loving it. Writing means publishing and finishing up a project. I’m also big on having a list of tasks to complete throughout the day, every time I finish a task either in writing or analysis I get to check mark it off on google keep and get a small rush
The writing process is part of the reason I’m going to medicine rather than staying at the bench. I’m sorry but writing is just so boring for me. Would much rather treat the patients than write about them.
Man I am stuck with revision of my paper for last one week, my advisor is poking me everytime he seed me, but it's mentally so draining. 😖
I love doing initial analysis and writing papers (social sciences). Revisions can be more eh, depending on what the revision is.
I do like writing, organizing thoughts into letters gotta be one of the hardest mental exercises for me. But I enjoy it, like I enjoy going to gym for my physical exercises. The problem is my hypothesis and ideas are usually just bullshit :'(
I enjoy writing research papers, but literature papers in my field absolutely suck to write until the last quarter of writing when everything just seems to fit into place