Never underestimate the power of a simple conversation with a colleague.
If somebody asks, "What's the most interesting aspect of your research? What is something exciting that you've found? Why is that exciting?", and you can answer them with enthusiasm and clarity, then you may be in for a surprise. That there, dear sir/madam, was the abstract for that paper you've been struggling to write. You've been stuck in an endless sea of kind-of useful phrases and insights that feel disjointed, but now you see the connections.
Pro-tip? Tell that person to wait a second, and run for a paper and pen/phone/laptop/anything you can write on, because you might start articulating the things you've been struggling to write for so long, only to forget exactly what you said or how you said it 5 minutes later!
If somebody asks, "What's the most interesting aspect of your research? What is something exciting that you've found? Why is that exciting?", and you can answer them with enthusiasm and clarity, then you may be in for a surprise. That there, dear sir/madam, was the abstract for that paper you've been struggling to write. You've been stuck in an endless sea of kind-of useful phrases and insights that feel disjointed, but now you see the connections.
Pro-tip? Tell that person to wait a second, and run for a paper and pen/phone/laptop/anything you can write on, because you might start articulating the things you've been struggling to write for so long, only to forget exactly what you said or how you said it 5 minutes later!
