Am I about to cave in?
When I joined Medium, I felt excited to write about experiences, concepts, and advice.
It has been at least two weeks since I’ve tried to published anything, despite having prompts and partial stories written. I even have a dedicated time in the evenings for writing on this platform.
I think we know by now that humans are not supposed to wait for motivation to complete goals or tasks. Motivation won’t always save you, but consistency and daily to-do lists just might.
So…I don’t feel I was waiting for motivation. In fact, I wanted to write more but have been stuck. I don’t feel like I was experiencing writer’s block either. Actually, I don’t know if writer’s block even exists.
Why is writing on here so difficult for me?
When I joined Medium, I told myself I didn’t want to write about science because I didn’t want my stories to feel like my job (as a biomedical student).
I don’t know if this is an option anymore. Maybe narrative and expository writing is not the best option for me. Should I venture out of my comfort zone and try to write fiction? Will this separate my evening writing from my daily writing?
Or, am I about to cave in? Should I write with science?
And I don’t necessarily mean writing about science or educational material.
By telling myself I wouldn’t write about science (broadly), I limited myself from the get-go. So many things that I practice and tools that I use to overcome set-backs can be traced to an external source or an unoriginal concept.
Even things that seem personal, such as waking up early for a sense of clarity and to have a moment of peace, feel as if I should be talking about the evidence-based benefits of consistent sleep schedules. I don’t feel comfortable only saying I wake up early because it helps me think clearly and that I genuinely enjoy sitting in the quiet alone before my day starts.
Sure — people who cite an article or website are not automatically considered a scientist or become experts in that one topic, but there has to be more than publishing another story that lists baseless claims and “to-do” lists for enhancing your sense of being…..right?
Here’s an example of how my writing prompt quickly became difficult:
The other day, I wanted to write about my experience with “brain fog” and how I overcome it. I planned to talk about my anecdotal experience and understanding of brain fog.
My mind went from: What if people don’t know about brain fog? What’s the official definition of brain fog? Is there a medical term? When was it first discovered and who coined its name? What are the physiological mechanisms behind brain fog? How many people experience brain fog? Do we know what causes brain fog? The story outline went on and on and on……I didn’t even get to the “how I tackle it” portion!
I quickly felt overwhelmed with how much I did not know because I can spend hours pulling multiple, reliable sources to create a well-rounded, self-made definition. I have a difficult time accepting any website definitions because the definition could be incorrect or the website could not be reliable. We do not need anymore misinformation on the internet. There are reliable websites that spend the time to pull sources to make sure the information is easily accessible and easy to understand. I feel the need to double check. Okay, triple check.
If my main reason for being on Medium is to be a better communicator and writer in science, then shouldn’t I at least spend some evenings backing up some of my advice and claims?
Will this blur the line between “work” and creative writing?
Maybe I’m overthinking this.
Maybe it’s a process.
Maybe I should. Just. Write.
This is my plea for guidance and advice.
I’m stumped.
