Write-up club?

[MarasmeAbsolu]

This is a very sorry post motivated mostly by my week of procrastination which means that January will go by without the much needed paper submissions i had planned for our upcoming mock-REF (and the frant applications i am meant to write).

I have a glute of manuscripts in need of completion, and several are rotting away due to lack of input (my fault - too little time and i bute more than i can chew)

Fancy joining me in a quest for more effective writing?

My goals for this first semester:
2 collaborative papers submitted, and sheperding three or four papers from two different phd students.
Plus starting the "BIG one" - manuscript for my giant cohort study. Still pondering what to do for that one.

What about you? What are your goals?

[Deianira]

I have two pieces waiting on a revise and resubmit, so those are my most essential research-writing goals. I have 2 conference papers (1 new, 1 half-new) to do by the summer too, but those are quicker.

I'm desperate to get some writing done during the teaching this semester, so if this thread helps, I'll join! Anything that works!

[iveburntthetoast]

I desperately need to push on with writing an article. I have a first draft 70% completed. Work is relatively quiet right now so I need to carve out some time each day to write.

My DD's are 7 & 9 and they're now pretty good at leaving me to work. I'm finding it so much easier to get on with stuff than a year ago. Except it's DD2's birthday party this afternoon so there'll be no work done today.

[MarasmeAbsolu]

Monday fail - stuck in meetings all day, which is so frustrating. Also means i ll be working on the nasty manuscript tonight :(

Goal of the week - completing version 1 and kicking it iff to the partner, out of my to-do-pile!

[MedSchoolRat]

Blocking out time to write, and ignore all other emails or requests, often the only way.

[MarasmeAbsolu]

The sad things in my life are called 1) teaching, and 2) feedback under two weeks. I find the game of compromise tiring: if I write, it is at the expense of the marking deadlines / my doctoral students who are finishing / needing edits on their thesis, or needing design input. If I don't, I get pissed off, and do it evenings and WEs, at the expense of the kids.

Whatever happens, someone moans - and the kids are much more tolerant than the students!

[iveburntthetoast]

I have to block off time to write. I find that straight to a coffee shop in the morning for an hour or so (& not opening my email) is the best approach.

[purplepandas]

I'm in, I need to get a first draft off a grant off. I also need to get a first draft of a paper out to colleagues by the end of Feb.

I totally get the marking/ research issue, very hard to do both. We are still in marking/moderating season as many are.

[MarasmeAbsolu]

Ok so our challenges list [should we make it S.M.A.R.T?]

Deianira re-write and re-submit x2 by ?? and conf paper x2 by summer
Iveburnt the 70% completed article by ??
purple grant draft by ?? and paper to colleague by Feb
marasme 3 collab papers out by mid feb + plan for "BIG ONE" by end Feb

Anyone else?

[purplepandas]

Sounds good to me. The comment about SMART made me laugh marasme.

Draft for me by 13/2
Paper by 28/2

I'm in. Good luck fellow writers :)

[badg3r]

Grr, I am battling with a beast of a paper at the moment do this thread is well timed! Have decided to work from home tomorrow with only two boxes of toffiffee for company. I have a shared office and between that and students/collaborations it is nigh on impossible to get an hour of uninterrupted done.
Then I have a resubmission on the pile next....
Goal for tomorrow: send out revised results section to co-author for their input. Wish me luck!!

[MarasmeAbsolu]

badg3r you have done that before i have refreshed the challenge list!

Good luck!

[SwissChristmasMuseum]

It's good to get a look at the other side of this. How narked do you get at over-zealous students working on projects which need your input asking you to take a look during the vacation, in the midst of all this?

[MarasmeAbsolu]

right now - very. I have shed loads to do, and no time, plus some health niggle on my mind which freak me out. Feeling rather fragile.

I have had an UG who was so obnoxious that she "reminded" me that her feedback was due the following monday - I was, at the time, at a family funeral, and had advised everyone in my group to leave me alone while I was off. It took a hell of a lot of restraint for me not to lose it.

I have a PhD student who insist on nagging me on social media (which is what we use in the group) daily. She knows noone else does it, but "needs" the constant contact and absolutely does not respect that I have my own work, which is independent from her studies she thinks she owns me, somehow

Again - it takes all the will in the world not to tell her how entitled and needy she is. Students do not get that 20 years of that kind of shit wears you out.

[SwissChristmasMuseum]

Do you ignore? If they realise their mistake and shut up do most of you still hold it against them? And should they really wait until the official start of classes or is the start of the semester ok?

[MarasmeAbsolu]

not sure what your question is re start of class / start of semester?
my UGs - most often on dissertation or in-depth studies - so no class per se.

PhDs - sadly, it's not a one off, beginning of the year thing - it's people you work with over several years (in that case, someone I have dealt with for 6 years, including undergrad, masters, employment and now PhD!). In that particular case, I know the beast, but find the behaviour really grating.

[anonymice]

Can I join ?
Goals before end of term
Write a book proposal
Finish ms of a single authored paper
Cowrite a paper developing an extant working paper and submit it
Write a conference presentation.
I don't have a permanent position ATM but I do have a four year old and a one year old so I tend to work evenings which are my worst time.....I am currently teaching three UG modules, writing an MA distance module and distance supervising the world's neediest MA student.

[SwissChristmasMuseum]

That's why it's difficult to tell when contacting is ok - the prof will have classes from the middle of the month but term officially started today.

[MarasmeAbsolu]

Anonymice that's a lot! you're on - will update the list later on tonight :)

SwissXmas never late evenings, never WEs or holidays is a good start!

[bigkidsdidit]

Hello all

Before Easter I need to:

• finish a draft of an almost-finished paper, send to other authors, do what they say, Submit
  

• analyse a massive batch of data for paper 2, map it all out with figures and a plan, send to other authors for input
  

• map out my first ever senior-author paper, plan what experiments I need to do for the remainder of the year.

[Deianira]

I had all these intentions, and then got buried in start of term teaching and admin, so I've done nothing!

I have a hideous semester coming up, so I think I'd better be realistic and leave myself plenty of time for my goals - for my 2 r&rs, I guess I'd like one done by the end of April, and the other by... mid-June? We have an Easter break somewhere between those things, which will hopefully prove useful!

[IrnBruTortie]

I can't wait for Easter - I do more writing at Easter than at any other time. I tell the students I am "off" for two weeks, put the kids in holiday clubs and just write. I have very little marking to do then...

[MarasmeAbsolu]

paper reject today
this bastard reviewer 3 has been at it again!

[anonymice]

what are you going to do with the paper Marasme? How annoying. Can it be submitted to another journal do you think? It's always reviewer three, isn't it...

[MarasmeAbsolu]

I am telling reviewer 3 to go fuck him/herself with his/her stupid suggestions



I am, of course, writing an impassioned yet passive aggressive letter to the editor, highlighting the positive feedback from reviewers 1&2, as well as the obvious vendetta that reviewer 3 has against our work.

[anonymice]

excellent. is it a sciences paper? not sure how that field works. In mine there are just some editors you would be very unwise to moot a certain theory (or critique of their theory) with....