Excuses for not writing

Writing is lonely and boring.

 

I can write only in the morning, and I have to teach in the morning.

 

I can write only in the evening, and I’m too exhausted after a day of teaching.

 

I haven’t done enough research yet.

 

I haven’t analyzed all of my data.images-1

By the time I’m finished collecting and analyzing data, I’m not interested in writing up the results.

 

I’m a terrible writer.

 

I’m afraid to show anyone what I’ve written.

 

I can’t move on to the next sentence until the one I’m working on is perfect, and the one I’m working on is rarely perfect.

 

I can’t finish a draft.

 

I hate doing revisions.

 

I’m interested in too many things.

 

I’m no longer interested in my topic.

 

My students drain me of time and energy.

My kids drain me of time and energy.

I want to spend more time with my spouse/partner/kids/students.

I can’t write at home, because there are too many distractions.

I can’t write in my office, because there are too many distractions.

I don’t have the right kind of writing space.

The chair hurts my butt.

I can write only in airports.

I type too slowly.

It’s overwhelming to think about writing a book/journal article/paper, and I give up before I even start.

I have too many ideas and can’t commit to any of them.

My ideas aren’t good enough.

There are other things I need to write that have pressing deadlines (grant applications, reports, letters of recommendation), and they take up all of the time I have for writing.

I freeze when faced with a blank page.

The lawn has to be mowed.

I need to go for a run.

I have too much grading to do.

I can’t write during the school year.

I was going to write in the summer, but somehow classes started again.

I have a day job—teaching.

I have no unscheduled time.

I have too many e-mails to answer.

I need to know what all of my Facebook friends are doing.

Writing is lonely and boring.

The bove from Rachel Toor in the Chronicle of Higher Education. More at:http://chronicle.com/article/I-Dont-Write-Enough-Because/139875/

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *