Advice for writing about research for grants, personal statements, research statements, fellowships, etc.

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Flip Tanedo
21 SEPT 2018
UC Riverside Particle Theory
HOW TO START WRITING
U N S O L I C I T E D A D V I C E
advice for early career academics
from my own personal experience
… your mileage may vary!
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Problem: writing about research
You will have to do this over and over again in
your academic career
• Research publications*
• Scholarship and fellowship research statements
• Grant and funding applications
• Job applications
* - not just papers! Also explainer articles, press releases, correspondence…

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How do you get started writing?
just start writing
You will think that what you write is bad—it probably is. It’s
supposed to be. But it will have little nuggets of truth. So
you need to work through all of the “bad” writing before you
can put together something that you like.
Accept that this will take time. Budget for that time.
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How I used to approach writing
1. Think deeply until I think of something brilliant.
2. Write down that brilliant thought.
3. Edit for spelling, grammar.
4. Profit?!
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But: step 1 always took too long and my plan would
fall apart, my writing would stink, and I’d feel sad.

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Here’s how I do it now
This works for me. Your mileage may vary.
Whatever you do, find a system that gives you a
framework to start with bad writing and then build
on it over time.
Each step is one session to fit into one day
Do not do more than one session per day.

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Step 0: What you need (ingredients)
• Writing prompt, evaluation criteria
Know how your writing will be judged. Have this
information printed out and highlighted.
• Time to write
Aim to write a little bit every day over many days
• Pen and paper, then computer
Physical writing helps me think creatively. Use a pen—
don’t tempt yourself to erase your early ideas.

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Step 1: brain dump
Do not filter yourself; if you think it, write it.
Use bullet points, flow charts, mind maps, etc.
Do not erase.
If you cross something out, note why it doesn’t work.
When you are done, let yourself be done.
Put the list down and treat yourself.
Read your prompt carefully. Take a deep breath.
Make a list of every idea you come up with
Use blurbs and “sound bites” instead of full sentences
This step should take between 30 minutes and a few hours.

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Step 2: fill in some ideas
Are you happy with your list of ideas?
If not, take another session to do brain storming (step 1).
This step should take a few hours. You can do it in one or multiple sittings.
Take your favorite ideas and
turn them into talking points.
A talking point is something you can explain to a
colleague in a few minutes. If you’re stuck, try
doing this out loud with a friend.

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Step 3: build a narrative
Can’t find a narrative from your talking points?
No problem, take another session to return to step 2 (or step 1)
Based on these connections,
Find the ways in which your talking points connect
to one another and answer the prompt.
tell a story
jot it down as an outline, be able to tell the story verbally
This step should take an hour or so; you can use a computer

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tell a storythis is the most important step
let me emphasize this again

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What it means to “tell a story”
Consider Heilmeier’s Catechism.
Your narrative should answer:
What are you trying to do?
How is it currently done?
Why is your idea new / better?
What is the significance if you’re right?
What will it take to accomplish?
What is the metric for success?
https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/heilmeier-catechism

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How do I “tell a story” about myself?
Writing personal statements can be difficult.
There’s a trick that I use:
Imagine a fictional person who is
• in your exact position (same resume)
• proposing what you are proposing,
• … but who is better than you.
(whatever that means to you)
Write a ‘fictional’ story about that person
but make sure the facts align with who you are.
Bonus: step back and think about how you can become that person

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Step 4: mini-edits
Go through the outline of your narrative.
Make “big picture” edits and tweaks
Think about the flow of ideas. Is it logical?
Think about the rhetoric. Is it persuasive?
Think about the prompt. Do you answer it?
This step should take up to a few hours.
Repeat this step as necessary over multiple days.

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Step 5: Take a break
Stop. Take a break.
At this point, you have an outline of a full idea.
Let it breathe. Let your brain do anything else.
Give yourself at least a full day to clear your brain

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Step 6: grind
Find a quiet place. Sit down, and take your narrative outline.
Write
Do not stop until you have a full draft.
Your writing will be choppy and ugly, that’s okay
Focus on writing the whole narrative.
Focus on finishing all of it in one sitting.
Once you’re done, put it down. Treat yourself.
If you did your outline well, then you can get this done in a few hours.

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Step 7a: minor edits
Take a deep breath and read the draft.
Make minor edits
Check spelling, grammar, basic logical flow
Resist the urge to throw it out and start over
Get it to the point where someone else can read it
Don’t worry if it feels too unpolished.
This should take under an hour. But it will be painful.

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Step 7b: share with a friend
Pick one friend.
Ask them to read your first draft.
Offer to read a draft of their writing in exchange.
Ask for a quick turn around time and for big
picture critique, not nit-picky details.
It should only take a day to read and critique, but allow time for your friend to
schedule an hour or two do do that.

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Step 8a: accept feedback
Carefully listen to your friend’s feedback on your
writing, appreciate the time they took to help you
Decide which suggestions are relevant
… not all of them will be. Think about the prompt
and the evaluation criteria.

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Step 8b: make major edits
Go back to your outline and make edits.
Apply these edits in a new draft
Be at peace that your draft needs work, but that
each edit makes it better.
This should take up to a few hours

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Step 9: repeat
Repeat steps 7 and 8
as many times as you can
Use different friends with different perspectives
include non-experts as well as experts
For each round, ask for more nit-picky critique
Do this as many times as you can

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Step 10: finish
When you’re out of time, friends, or edits…
you’re done. Submit it. Congratulations.
Save your draft use as a ‘starter’ for future writing
Thank everyone who helped you, and let them
know in a few months if you got that fellowship /
publication / promotion / etc.
Be available to help your friends write.