Hoping you had a productive week with lots of success to report! This week, I thought it would be timely to talk about stopping work. Given that no piece of work is ever perfected, knowing when to stop - when investment is far exceeding any possible returns - is a really useful skill for a writer.
Do you find it easy to send work off to be read/reviewed?
How do you know when it's time to stop?
The answer depends in part on the stage of the work. My PhD supervisor always told me to send him a chapter when I thought it was OK but still needed some work, because that way I'd be more open to his suggestions (and waste less time lovingly polishing sentences that he would recommend I cut entirely, making my progress to submission faster). On the other hand, it seems positively rude when I get a paper to referee from a journal and it's full of typos, inconsistencies etc., yet SOMEONE decided that that piece of work was 'done' and it was time to stop. Avice, or the sharing of ones own inability to stop (or QUITE reach the stopping point for those of us who feel a piece should be well-edited before submitting to a journal, but dislike the editing process intensely...), or other thoughts?
Roll call:
Amanda@ladyscientist: no goal set
Amstr (writing account): 1) revise abstract and outline,
send to writing partner; 2) read 2 articles, 3) skim a pile of articles and
organize useful quotes by topic. Bonus: write some of the draft.
Bardiac: no goal setContingent Cassandra: make progress on lecture & grading, finish annual activities report (not really "writing," but necessary, and may pave the way for finishing the chapter in the last 2 weeks of the month)
Dame Eleanor Hull: At least one hour of research a day. Focus on polishing translation chunk; finish grooming companion-piece and send it in. Further MMP-1 work would be desirable but not essential this week.
Danne: 1) write first thing in the morning and 2) work on my PhD for at least three hours a day.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell: Finish the survey questions for article B, and do half of the questions for article Q.
Good Enough Woman: Write the conference proposal, order sources from ILL, make a plan for the next couple of months, do taxes!
heu mihi: Read through Kzoo draft; fix what's easy; list what needs doing.
humming42: I will publicize the survey and remind myself that I have research projects looming out there that I love. Right now, though, I think I need to give myself over to getting through the rest of the semester.
JaneB: a) continue to do something research-like first every day, b) write up what I've done so far with the simulations, outline what the next step is (I am embarrassingly bad at parking computer stuff on a downhill slope) and outline the paper they're going to turn into and c) finish the damn draft of the wretched paper with the MSc student.
Jason: no goal set
Jodi: FINISH THE CHAPTER. No matter what.
kiwi2: read and take notes on two papers a day for my exotic synthesis
kiwimedievalist/zcat_abroad: no goal set
luolin88: finish revisions on Monday; 1/2 hour writing on Friday
Matilda: no goal set
meansomething: Okay, this week ahead offers very little time to steal for writing, and I am traveling over the weekend, but I think I can commit to: 1) 3 12-minute sessions on TWTh and to being open to whatever interesting thoughts might visit me while I am traveling.
metheist: T/R 7hrs each. I should be able to finish the chapter.
nwgirl: no goal set
Pilgrim/Heretic: pet the project 5 minutes per day
profacero (Z): Spanish version of abstract, write and send.30 minutes a day.
Susan: no goal set
tracynicolrose: Revise Frameworks & BE drafts; get back into MS analysis.
Zabeel: Again, I have an external deadline, this time to submit a draft for an edited collection. So, the goal is to produce the fullest draft of this paper that I can.
Zabeel:
ReplyDeleteGoal: draft of new paper
Achieved: Yes, completed and sent off tonight (today was the deadline)
Analysis: I'm starting to feel a bit jaded. I've been swapping between short projects for a few weeks now, just doing whatever I can ("firefighting") to meet deadlines. This at least means that I'm getting some words down on paper, and some thoughts slightly more worked up, but I'd like to have the time to really sit down and actually finish something properly, so I'm going to get back to work on a half-finished article which has been languishing for too long and see if I can get somewhere with that.
Goal: revisit article and make plan of future work.
Topic: I'm a polisher. I don't like to show people my work until I'm happy with it, and I'm quite prepared to spend (waste?) two days getting the footnotes right. Part of this is about "parking on a downhill slope", in that if I don't get it right on paper, I often forget what I was thinking about when I come back to it. But I actually think that a lot of this is counter-productive, as it often means that I end up "finishing" something several times, in that I'll get it into a good shape, and then tear it apart and rewrite. I wonder if this is an index of both having a lot of time to do research (and therefore many fewer time pressures than people who teach more, for example) and *always* wanting to make a good impression (surely the mark of a junior researcher!)
First of all, YAY for a submitted paper. GLOW OF ACHIEVEMENT winging its way to you.
DeleteWith you all the way on how demotivating fire-fighting can be... hope you get the article whipped into shape!
profacero (Z): Spanish version of abstract, write and send. 30 minutes a day.
ReplyDeletePart of Spanish version of abstract is done and it is good. Also found place to resubmit abstract B for conference A -- I had submitted 2 but abstract A got in and you cannot give 2 papers at that conference. Did some small but good research for abstract B.
Analysis: heavy teaching/service week again, and heavy week figuring out personal finances. Still, there is some research writing progress, so it is all fine.
Goal for next week: finish and submit both abstracts.
Stopping: I don't have a problem with this re writing. In fact, re writing/research I do not have problems. All the problems people have with writing/research, I have with teaching/service. On these, I stop when the time is up, therefore start too late so I will have some other time left. I should think about this, figure out how to stop since then I will be able to start anytime, and plan my life better.
"Still, there is some research writing progress, so it is all fine." Excellent! That for me is the great help of the writing group - it reminds me that even tiny bits of progress are real, and they matter, and they ADD UP.
DeleteIt's always interesting to see how the same problems occur in different parts of the job... they really are pretty inter-tangled.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteLast goals: I did not check-in last week.
Achieved: I have revised my paper, but not finished.
Analysis: It seems I have been a little bit tired of revising my paper. It is difficult to motivate me to work on a paper which I think is not very good and no time or don't know how to make it better. It has taken me very long time to write up but still I cannot think it good, yet anyway I have to submit and it will be published. I should be happy anyway when I finally submit, but not entirely happy.
Next goals: revise my plan for a new paper.
Revising is a good start, but it's easy to get bored with work that just isn't inspiring... (says she. Expert at Getting Bored). Is the new paper going to be more fun?
DeleteYes, I hope so. That is a part of the theme which I have been working on for a very long time. Maybe I will have to work hard, however it is not a theoretical but a more down-to-earth one, on which I can work better.
Deletegoals for last week: a) continue to do something research-like first every day, b) write up what I've done so far with the simulations, outline what the next step is (I am embarrassingly bad at parking computer stuff on a downhill slope) and outline the paper they're going to turn into and c) finish the damn draft of the wretched paper with the MSc student.
ReplyDeleteachieved: a) I did something research-related every day, not always first because I had some slow-starting mornings, but this is pretty much achieved, keeping up the momentum from the break. b) hmm. I wrote up what I'd done. I redid a few bits. I made a list of what next, then I started DOING the what next... this paper doesn NOT want to be parked. OVER-achieved. c) Nope, didn't touch it. This paper does not want to be worked on. Also, there is a d): that many-authored paper I was working on earlier in the group? I finally got the final figure fixed, got permission from the journal to submit it even though it's slightly too long, and it's GONE! Submitted! OFF MY DESK! \o\ /o/ \o\ /o/ happy arm waving!
analysis: given various stressful events and the return of the students, I'm pretty happy with this week's progress. I just wish I was better at finishing stuff rather than flitting around between projects, but in semester time I'll take any progress as good.
goals for next week: a) outline the results and discussion sections for the Paper That Wants To Be Written, and b) spend time with the Stupid MSc Paper - let's say three lots of ten minutes, as a goal.
on topic: see above. I am GOOD at doing the first 50-60% of the work, OK at the next 20-30%, but that last 10-20% that makes something submittable is HORRIBLE and REALLY HARD and ::pout:: I hate it. Hoping for lots of helpful tips!
Sounds like a pretty productive week, all things considered.
DeleteTotally with you on those percentages. Totes.
DeleteLast week's goal: make progress on lecture & grading, finish annual activities report (not really "writing," but necessary, and may pave the way for finishing the chapter in the last 2 weeks of the month)
ReplyDeleteAccomplished: a bit of progress on lecture; medium progress on grading; time set aside tomorrow to do annual activities report (but checking in today because I'm planning to into the office tomorrow, and I don't use Cassandra's account on campus).
Analysis: keeping my head above water, but barely (nose above, at least). April is the cruelest month, especially in academia.
Goal for next week: finish & give lecture; continue grading; regroup/plan final push on chapter (including, if necessary, asking for a 1-2 week extension well in advance of the May 1 deadline. That's more professional, right?)
Topic: is probably germane to the question of whether I'm going to "finish" the chapter by the May 1 deadline. I tend to be pretty careful about what I send off, mostly to maximize chances of having work accepted, and because it does, indeed, seem like the polite/collegial thing to do (not wasting others' time, etc.), as well as the one that won't leave me embarrassed when i receive feedback. But I think this draft could go out a bit rough/underdeveloped (though well proofread). It's not yet accepted, but the book proposal as a whole is, and I'm pretty sure that there will be another round of editing (if only to make the pieces fit together), and that the main thing at this point is to deliver what was promised in terms of content and length. Also, realistically, this piece needs to be decent, but it's not one on which I hope to make my reputation. So, I guess I'm filing the topic away mentally as something useful to keep in mind as I plan and head into the home stretch. Thanks!
Keeping your nose above water in April is pretty good going!
DeleteI think asking for an extension before the deadline is more professional... it also makes me feel like an organised person who plans their work ahead, even though I don't...
I might as well check in; if I get any more done this weekend, I'll put it on next week's account.
ReplyDeleteLast goals: At least one hour of research a day. Focus on polishing translation chunk; finish grooming companion-piece and send it in. Further MMP-1 work would be desirable but not essential this week.
Achieved: yes to the one hour (well, on average), in fact, probably more (on average); translation, not at all; companion-piece, no. But I have done quite a bit of work on MMP-1, mainly reading/transcribing wills and looking up people mentioned in them. I'm starting a spreadsheet.
You can tell what work I'm really obsessed with.
Next goal: polish 1000 lines of translation and send it to my team. Review the companion-piece against the journal's style sheet and send it. Allow self 15 minutes a day with MMP-1.
Topic: for me, essays seem to remain a mess for a very, very long time and then all of a sudden, they are done. This is partly because I leave notes in brackets in the text for a long time, because I want to make sure that I know what I'm saying in the notes and how it relates to the main text; actually creating the footnotes and double-spacing changes the appearance remarkably. I'm finished when I can't see what else I could do to improve a piece of writing. That may mean simply that I'm too close to the piece. In doing the companion-piece revisions, I have been appalled at the flabby, wordy writing in some passages, and have taken the opportunity to re-phrase more succinctly. It always happens, and I think happens to most of us.
Steady progress is great, especially at this point in the year, even if it on isn't quite what you intended. And much sympathy on the not-doing-what-you-should-do-to-finish-a-piece - work in earlier stages is just more interesting and needy than the finishing, even though a piece really isn't done until it's shared...
DeleteLast week's goal: T/R 7hrs each. I should be able to finish the chapter.
ReplyDeleteAccomplished: I did not get the chapter finished. This is my most troublesome chapter because it's the first time that I've dealt with straight archival records (probate records and company records) and not printed source. I spent the week reading current theories on gesture. I also located a 2013 article on a gesture that I address in this chapter. At first I thought, oh no I've been scooped. However, the author clarified a few points that I was struggling with--good. He also had a few points that I disagree with, and have already written about in the chapter--again good.
Next week's goal: incorporate the new ideas about gesture into my chapter.
Sounds like a really useful week's work, even if it hasn't quite got you where you intended to be. We talked a few weeks ago about how time goals and task goals were useful at different stages in writing; this is a classic example of achieving the time goal even if you didn't meet the task goal, so you still get to feel accomplished!
DeleteYay archival research, though!
DeleteSounds like the 2013 article you found will be useful rather than problematic. Good!
Deletegoal: publicize survey, think about research
ReplyDeleteachieved: I didn’t touch the survey but have thought a lot about research
analysis: End of semester crush continues, and I have not made time for writing and research. I don’t want to just give up, because I know I should be able to carve out 15 minutes a day for writing.
next week’s goal: Thus my goal, 15 minutes a day.
Comments: for whatever reason, I seem to not have trouble knowing when something is done. A lot of my writing projects come with deadlines, and that’s always a help.
Thinking is good, and translating it into action next week will be even better!
DeleteYeah, external deadlines help a LOT with the stopping problem - it's projects without them, or with fuzzy ones (like a lot of people's dissertations), that create the worst challenges I find for me and my collaborators. Any tips on what done looks like without a deadline?
Last week's goals: Revise Frameworks & BE drafts; get back into MS analysis
ReplyDeleteAccomplished: I revised both the Frameworks & BE draft but they are still pretty rough drafts; just barely got back into MS analysis (started creating new matrices for next step)
Analysis: While I made some progress I really could have done a lot more on my writing this week. I'm finding my motivation to do any kind of work to be very low as the semester is ending. I think I will need to take a break from everything once it is over to get my momentum going again.
Next week's goals: Finalize Frameworks for presentation; tackle citations in BE; continue with new MS matrices
"take a break from everything" - what a great idea. Is end of semester close for you?
DeleteAny progress is good, but it's frustrating to keep repeating that when you feel you should have done more, isn't it? Hope you have a better week as we head for the finishing line.
Week 15 April 15 2013
ReplyDeleteLast week’s goal: read and take notes on two papers a day for my exotic synthesis
Accomplished: five papers achieved, which is ok, given I had a one day course and one day of leave. Not that all of them were helpful!
Next goal: Again, read and take notes on two papers a day for my exotic synthesis. Also write 500 words this week, to start putting some ideas together.
Commentary: Slowly but surely. I’ve decided this is the best way for me to approach the exotic synthesis, and it seems to be working. I also decided to reimagine myself as Allan Wilson this week, reimagining him/me as decisive, clever, insightful, a figure of male authority; someone who gets on with the job. Certainly helpful in some of my indecisive, lack of confidence moments this week.
Topic: I find stopping difficult. Either, I write 90% of the paper and then want to stop- feeling tired of the huge amount of work required for the last 5% of the paper; or anxiety about finishing and submitting and then being vulnerable to the critique of reviewers (we have some reviewers in my field who write very destructive comments, as well as some who are professional and constructive, so waiting for reviews is a rather ghastly business) – or I overcompensate by keeping going beyond the point at which I should submit, uselessly tweaking sentences that are probably absolutely fine etc. I am trying to train myself not to do this.
Kiwi2 alias this week, Allan wilson.
Hi Allan! Yay for finding a way of working which is progressing that awkward paper! That's always satisfying, even if you don't quite hit your goal numbers - five is a lot more than none or 'just gazing at it'.
DeleteI empathise a lot with your comments on stopping - my field in STEM can also be like that. Any tips on training methods?
Amstr (writing account): 1) revise abstract and outline, send to writing partner; 2) read 2 articles, 3) skim a pile of articles and organize useful quotes by topic. Bonus: write some of the draft.
ReplyDeleteAccomplished: 1) yes. 2) read one article. 3) ha.
Analysis: I felt like I made a lot of progress with the thought work on the chapter outline. My writing partner gave everything two thumbs way up (and he's an honest one), and I figured out language that frames the dissertation as a whole. I got overwhelmed by two extra events during the week with the rest of my goals.
For next week: 1) write 1500 words (or more!!), 2) read 3 articles, 3) notes on 5 articles (or more), 4) make office functional and call electrician to put in safe outlets.
Wow! This sounds likes some great progress regarding the framework for the diss as a whole! That's awesome.
DeleteLast week's goals: Finish revisions Monday; 1/2 hour writing on Friday
ReplyDeleteAccomplished: Finished revisions on Tuesday; no writing on Friday
Analysis: Overcome by service tasks and non-productive procrastination.
Goal for next week: 30 minutes on Tuesday and Thursday
Comments on "stopping": I've stopped too soon and I've held on too long. I'm going to stop this post without elaborating and try to get back to work.
progress! Finishing revisions is at least an item you can tick off a list!
DeleteGoal: Read through Kzoo draft; fix what's easy; list what needs doing.
ReplyDeleteAccomplished: Did it! It was a pretty easy goal, though.
Next week: Do what's on the to-do list. Finish the sucker, really.
Don't diminish your own achievement! One Glow of Achievement for setting a realistic goal and meeting it!
DeleteLast week's goals: Write the conference proposal, order sources from ILL, make a plan for the next couple of months, do taxes!
ReplyDeleteAccomplished: Wrote the conference proposal, did not order sources from ILL (but made a list), sketched some strategies for the next few weeks, and yes!
Analysis: This week felt good. I managed to meet or get ahead of some service deadlines, and I didn't have any essays in hand. Amazing. Next week will get busy (horribly so) and will stay that way, so it was great to have a reprieve this week after the conference, especially since I'm shifting gears with the research. I finally have a decent partial draft of Chapter 5 (which I have parked on a steep downhill slope), and now I want to to dig into a draft for Chapter 3.
Commentary: I tend to seek feedback for my dissertation chapters when I have about 25 pages. At that point, my basic argument and methods are emerging, and I find it's the perfect time to get feedback before I jump back in for further development. As for truly stopping, I don't know. I have only submitted one article, and I submitted it when I did mostly because my readers were contradicting each other, I had set a deadline for myself, and I felt ready to just sent it and see what would happen. One reviewer liked it; one hated it. Not bad. In hindsight though, I'm glad it was ultimately rejected. With time, I have gained more ideas about how to make it better.
Yay for a good week's work! Goal for next week?
DeleteWhoops!
DeleteGoal for next week: Spend a hour each M and W mornings reading secondary text, order two books from ILL.
Last week: 1) write first thing in the morning and 2) work on my PhD for at least three hours a day.
ReplyDeleteDone: mixed results - I wrote little and only worked 13 hours out of the 18+ I intended. However I was engaging with the project pretty much every day.
Next week: 1) write first thing in the morning and 2) work on my PhD for at least three hours a day.
I'm not all that motivated at the moment but am also still waiting for the new supervision to start, which should help after seven months of limbo.
Steady working is great! Hope your new supervision works as a great shot of enthusiasm!
DeleteGah! How did I forget to check in to my own group?
ReplyDeleteLast week: FINISH THE CHAPTER.
Accomplished: nope
Analysis: I'm so close I can taste it. I just need to look up my note's on one more source and I'm done. I can send it off. I just didn't have time to get to it this weekend because I started working at my summer job (waiting tables/bartending at the beach) this weekend.
Goal for next week: Seriously finish the chapter because this is ridiculous.
Comment: I'll be brief because probably no one is reading this, but I stop when I feel like I won't be embarrassed to show it to my supervisor, writing partner, or whoever gets the piece next. I'm not worried about perfection for chapter drafts going to my supervisor. I know it's his job to shred the chapter, so why aim for perfect and then have a breakdown when I get it back and it's dripping blood from all the comments? I actually feel rather zen saying that because it's so unlike my normal obsessive compunctions.
Almost forgot - my pseudonym for the week! I channeled my inner gangster and went with J. Worm. It was partly an homage to Jenny Wormald, whose work I deeply admire, and partly a reminder that my nephew (who we call "Worm" because he wiggled so much when I held in the hospital for basically the entire day and a half after he was born) loves me and thinks I'm awesome. Sometimes I need that reminder! Despite not finishing the chapter (seriously, I'm so close), I think the pseudonym worked. I bad-assed my way through the week - class, this chapter, work this weekend. It was great!
DeleteI'm reading! And impressed you've managed to learn to be Zen about PhD chapters. despite being explicitly told to do this, I didn't really learn it until several years later...
DeleteAnother PhD student passed that gem along to me when she was finishing writing. For some reason, it stuck. Trust me when I say that it is the only Zen thing in my life!
DeleteI want a summer job like that! O beach...!
Delete