Biophysical Society Bulletin | November 2021

Career Development

“ReadMe” When StuckWhileWriting As a graduate student, I often struggle with writing papers, abstracts for confer- ences, and presentations. I tend to have negative thoughts that create a complete “writer’s block” inmy head and lead to procrastination. Of course, procrastinating to avoid the emotions I feel when writing only leads tomore stress and anxiety as important work is left undone!

therefore, your biophysics knowledge does have many gaps and is not entirely structured starting fromhigh school onward. You indeed have a lot to learn, and this is what a PhD program is—a learning platform for you. By reading more papers on a relevant subject, you can bridge the gaps in knowledge andmake your written thoughts more logical and coherent with a big picture of the research in the lab. “I will never finish this PhD.” Not true again! A full 99% of people who reach year 8 (just like you) finish their PhD within the next year or two, and so will you. You have already passed your preliminary examination with flying colors and your proposed research projects satis- fied the committee completely. No going back, only forward! “My writing is juvenile, oversimplified, and lazy.” Your first draft might not be great, but if you have two or three (or ten) edits on top of it, you are capable of construct- ing complex but coherent sentences that flow and convey the message clearly. Remember the first-year composition award! “I am all alone in the writing process, and I simply cannot work alone.” You are not writing alone: your principal investigator supports you every step of the way. They love editing and making suggestions as long as you play your part and meet them halfway. You are lucky to have them as your supervisor. They will proofread all your writing. You also have a very supportive family who are your biggest fans. They believe in your ability to do great things in the world. They are inspired by you and your perseverance every day. Remember to be kind to yourself. You are not terrible at writ- ing: it is an essential part of your thought process and your life! Lower your head and begin writing. . . the rest will fall into place. — Molly Cule

If you ever feel this way, youmight find it helpful to take a closer look at your negative thoughts and challenge the way you think. Take the following conversation, for example, betweenme and myself about some common thoughts I have when I sit down to write. “I hate writing.” That is not true—you like writing emails and short notes because you love communicating with people, whether it’s about science, life, or feelings. You also enjoy doing brief write-ups for your fam- ily and friends with data you found about all sorts of topics: taxes, vaccines, flight tickets, college programs, and trips. You love writ- ing lists of things and tasks. You cannot plan anything or make an important decision without making a written report about it first. “I am a bad writer.” This is not valid. Judging by the fact that people respond to your messages and emails and nod their heads when reading what you wrote, you are reasonably good at communicating your thoughts in writing. Also, remember that you received an award during your master’s program in the first-year composition in English class among international students. “I am a complete fraud in science (or more precisely biophys- ics); that’s why I have a hard time writing about the research I’mdoing.” You do have a background in accelerator physics (undergrad plus a one-year contract job) andmedical physics (master’s thesis);

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