Things were going so well this semester. I was staying caught up. I felt like I was doing a good job with lectures, even though one was a new prep. I was even saying things like, "Oh wow, is it already week 7? Time is flying!"
But then, BAM. I feel swamped with grading (gave two midterms on Tuesday). I also have several other grading and reviewing chores stacking up. And I still haven't sent out that paper I'm writing with the undergrad student, not to mention my other several writing projects. Now I'm starting to turn that corner and wonder, when is this semester ever going to end?
Eeks. I wish I could just pull an all-nighter, like I could in college and grad school. I really could clean off my to-do list in one night, at least the grading--not the writing. My key to publishing success has been to just keep plugging away, working on it consistently (not such a secret, really).
And along that train of thought--I never understood about my grad students (or my friends back in grad school) who congratulate themselves on finishing a paper or chapter, by which they mean getting to the conclusion. It is all in the editing for me. It means little to have "finished" a paper. The editing takes longer than the "writing."
Amen to your last comment. H and I agonize over the rewrite...
ReplyDeleteYes, amen to your last comment. I never understood why my colleagues would say the same thing..since really finishing a paper or chapter means having completed the "editing". This part in my mind takes much longer and is in some ways harder and more time consuming than the "writing".
ReplyDeleteI've stewed on this post for almost three weeks now and finally have a response on my blog.
ReplyDelete