Last winter I wrote about finally finishing an article after working on it for about seven years (you can read about that here). I am now in the position of finding and working new writing projects. Although I love research and working out new lines of thinking, I much prefer the revision process to getting started. A blank page is daunting!
Many students don't like the fact that I assign the essay topic and direction. But what would you write about if I just said, "Go off and write an argumentative essay"? How would you make key decisions: What is the topic of this essay? What is the scope of this essay? What other voices and sources should I bring in? To whom should I imagine I am writing? What is the central question I want to explore? At one point should I stop reading and start writing? If you think about all of these choices, you might thank me for limiting your options some!
Since I'm no longer a student, no one is telling me what to write, or giving me deadlines. My writing is all self directed and that actually makes it harder to get started. Right now, I'm trying to make a start on several different projects: a conference paper, a new course,two journal articles, and revisions to a longer book project. I'm a bit overwhelmed as I try to bite off little chunks of this work, and do the research, narrow my focus, and find my arguments.
Some of what I do might be useful for you to consider as you get started on your first paper for this class. For example, I spent some time this weekend talking over one of my ideas for a new course with someone. It sharpened my focus and let me see some unproductive directions and dead ends. I also keep a notebook handy whenever I read anything--even if it's not "officially" research. No matter what I read, I find that ideas crop up that I can use in my own writing and I want to capture them right away. In fact, I keep my notebook handy all the time since relevant ideas tend to appear in the most unusual places. While riding the bus, or waiting at an appointment, I often work on idea maps--just words clusters or lists that I later review when I am actually writing.
Since I try to do bits of writing and thinking all through each day, when I sit down to write, I don't have to face a truly blank page. It takes a bit of the pressure off . . .
I like pens and paper notebooks for all of this, but can the many tiny new devices we all carry now help us keep track of our thinking as well as helping us keep track of--and in touch with--the people in our lives?
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