But Writing is Scary!

 Yes it is. Writing is not easy, especially the kind of high-stakes persuasive writing you need to do in a literature review. For many of us, it can also be scary and this fear can be paralyzing.  The task looms before us – huge, terribly important, but somehow still not started. Instead of sitting down and just digging into the task, we anxiously hurl obstacles at it: But how do I start?! I can’t start if I don’t know how!! I’ve never done anything like this before, so I can’t do it now! This wasn’t really covered in the one session we had on literature reviews! My mind goes blank every time I try to start! Or: I have all these notes, but now what?? They taught us how to search for articles, but what am I supposed to actually write?!! I have now been staring at this cursor for over an hour! I’ll never finish at this rate! and so on.  Many of us will have similar cascading thoughts when it comes to writing our literature review.

I was just about to say there is no magic wand I can wave to help with this, but maybe there is. I have been reading the most wonderful book lately, The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz (Vermilion 2019, first published in 1959). While addressed to success in work more generally, much of what he says, and one thing in particular, applies to writing successful literature reviews: ‘action cures fear’ (263). The corollary is also true: worrying about your task instead of doing it and finding excuses not to do it will only increase your fear, making it that much harder to start (262). So if you are experiencing the very common and very understandable fear of writing, act. Just start.  

Well, okay, I can hear you saying. Very inspiring. But the thorny question of how is still there. To help you with this, I share here 4 strategies I have developed over the years – and still use – whenever I am dealing with one of my oh-my-God-this-task-is-so-huge-I-can’t-possibly-start bouts, which I can assure you I still have.

1. Use a free-writing technique. Set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes, and just start writing. Do not worry about grammar or spelling at this stage, or about whether what you are writing is any good, or about whether you are making any real progress. Don't worry at all. Just write about anything that relates to your literature review.   When the timer rings, you will probably find that you are on your way and have some direction for the day’s writing.

2. If you are not yet on your way after step (1), read what you have written, ONE SENTENCE AT TIME, in a random order. Take a separate sheet of paper, and actually write out a sentence you have written, and then answer these questions about it. Is it useful to your review? If so, how? Is it a main point? Is it evidence of a main point? Does it fit into a pattern or trend you have already discovered in the literature? Does it go counter to what you think so far? Does it suggest something you have to do, or read, or learn? Or maybe it is not useful?  Or perhaps you don’t know yet? When you have finished with that sentence go on to another one, again in a random order. This may seem laborious, but what you are doing here is thinking systematically about what you have generated, and this will help you find your focus.

3. Remind yourself that you do not have to write your entire literature review of 10,000-20,000 words (depending on the size of your project) in one day.  What you have to do in one day is the work of that day.  Plan that work. Set yourself specific goals.  For some people, this might be writing a certain number of words, maybe 1,000 a day. For others, the task might be more functional, such as re-drafting a certain section, or reading and annotating 3 articles, or nailing down what a particular technical term means so that you can discuss it in your review with confidence. Whatever the task is, make sure it is specific. Having something like Work on literature review on your to-do list only introduces a barrier, as you then have to figure out what to work on before you can start (and may thus put off starting).

4. Try the card-sorting and thematic coding techniques I have talked about in an earlier post. Quote or paraphrase the findings from 10 or so studies on separate cards – ONE finding per card (not one study per card – one finding per card). Then shuffle your cards and start sorting the findings, putting like with like.  What patterns begin to emerge that relate to why your research question should be asked? Name those patterns and write them down so that you can start completing this frame: My research question needs to be asked because . . . .  By doing this, you generate material that you can then work into a draft. 

I wish you all happy and productive writing! 😊✍If you try any of these, or come up with any of your own just-start strategies, leave a comment and let me know. I would love to hear from you.