Staring At A Blank Page

To me, the hardest part of writing a manuscript is staring at the blank page on my computer. Here are a few tips for how to avoid staring at the white screen of death for embarrassing amounts of time.

• Work on your figures. Leave plenty of time because it always takes longer than you think it will. Like way way longer.

• Make an outline - then slowly fill in that outline until it becomes more and more detailed.

• Write your manuscript like a bedtime story. Start with once upon a time and just write and write and write. Then spend lots of time editing.

• Write each point in super short sentences (like six word sentences). Write what you have to say in these super short and choppy sentences, re-order according to logical flow, then later work on your prose.

• Write your manuscript in this order: figures, figure legends, methods, results, discussion, introduction, abstract.