Damn I'm a crappy writer. I'm almost done writing a paper on a Human Information Behavior (HIB) model that I've created for my LIS 510 class and it has been worse than pulling teeth. Ever since I was a kid I have always experienced excessive anxiety about writing papers. It would seem, as this blog is testament to, I have no problem writing simple narrative or fiction. I just get all fuggered up when I have to write about something I've researched. When I asked Stuart (the professor for whom I work as a research assistant) if he had any advice he first looked at me with a look on his face as tho he wanted to say 'You had better get over that quick kid as you have about 2 years of writing ahead of you!", but he didn't. He actually gave me quite good advice, to write what you know and the way you know how to speak. Don't get all caught up in the jargon and language of the IS discipline. Melinda said similar things (she's quite a good writer herself) and has been very supportive and I guess that makes the most sense so far.
I've talked with a couple of other students and it seems that a lot of them are in the same boat so that makes me feel a little bit better. In fact, whenever I'm feeling a little bit of grad school anxiety all I have to do is poll my fellow students to find out that I'm exactly where I should be.
Which is usually just barely keeping my head above water.
I am THERE with YOU. (So are a lot of others...if they aren't, then poop on them - they're no fun.)
Only a couple more weeks, mon ami, and then you can put it all behind you. Until it starts all over again, of course, but that's a long way away.