i try to write (or edit) my draft of a research article every day, though the time of day varies, as well as how long i work on it.
sometimes i face a screen full of LaTeX. other times i scrawl on pages of scratch paper, in preparation for the LaTeX days.
i might have written about this before but it's worth saying again, to those of you who are new to writing up your first paper or your dissertation: it's easy to feel as if you've accomplished nothing, despite sitting for hours in front of a screen. sometimes you have accomplished nothing, because the internet is addictive and full of diversions from work ..
.. i mean, why else would you be reading this? ..
.. but that's not the whole story. when you are working out maths for the first time, before you begin to write them, there are plenty of ways to measure your progress, such as how much paper you've recycled or how much chalk dust you've accumulated on your clothes.
with LaTeX and writeups, you don't see as much accumulation, and therefore it may feel like wasted time. often you are doing work and weighing many thoughts together. it's just that there may be no physical reminders that you have done so.
myself, i keep versions of writeups and occasionally i print out the newest version. it may kill trees, but being a pessimistic sort of mathematician, it reminds me that i have accomplished something, that i may be lazy but not a complete oaf.
i guess i'm writing this because i need to remind myself of these matters, when writing. lately i feel like i've been getting nowhere, that my thesis is pointless and serves no purpose, and that i don't know anything and will never make it as a mathematician.
i'm not going to deny or affirm those fears today. as for the writing, it goes. it serves a purpose. that's enough for me, now.
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