When in grad school, it really helps to like writing papers. I say (write) this as I sit at my desk at close to 10 PM on a Friday night with seven different pieces of paper or articles and my laptop in front of me. Six of the papers are related to the paper I'm writing: two readings, my notes from the relevant lecture, my outline for this paper, my outline of general course theories, and, crucially, the assignment. The seventh is my to-do list; "Draft org. paper" is currently the top item.
Why is paper-writing such a useful enjoyed skill? Well, it's Friday night. It's close to 10 PM. I'm writing a paper. I've missed going out for happy hour / dinner / evening adventures with friends to write this paper. I've had four friends invite me to the aforementioned evening gathering. I still chose to write the paper ("chose" because it's due Monday and I have a friend flying in to visit for the entire weekend). On the plus side, I've had a good Friday night.
Though my initial enthusiasm for this particular assignment was quite low, it has grown as I've actually worked through the process. First, the readings were a rich source of content related to the given prompt. Second, I got to apply organizational frameworks - what could be more fun? (Okay, maybe a Friday night with friends would edge that out slightly.) Third, my attempt at writing has gone well thus far and I'm liking the output. Given that most of us will spend at least one Friday night / entire weekend writing papers during our time in grad school, it's much simpler to enjoy the process.
No comments:
Post a Comment