finish. If I want my writing to feel like a marathon, I'd go back to graduate school and get another doctorate. However, the metaphor of running is interesting one since we all have a bit of a different pace, style, stamina, and distance. thomaslawrencelong - January 21, 2011 at 4:06 pm Researcher Robert Boice identifies two maladaptive behaviors that inhibit faculty productivity (publishing research and scholarship), what he calls "bingeing" and "busyness." Bingeing is grounded in the belief that one must have long periods of uninterrupted time in order to accomplish writing (a behavior that I suspect is learned in grad school). Busyness is grounded in the belief that I am too busy even to get started, much less to continue, writing. Boice and colleagues have studied the problem (in both qualitative and quantitative studies) and tested interventions. His popular book "Professors as Writers: A Self-Help Guide to Productive Writing" is accessible and summarizes his research. sherbygirl - January 21, 2011 at 4:19 pm My blog. There, I said it. Since I started blogging, I write all the time, even if it is short pieces. I work through problems, I ask questions, I make observations. When it comes time to do "serious" writing, I've been practicing and it is much, much easier. It's easier because I've been working through the problems, I've been receiving feedback, and I have been exercising my writing muscle. And, I also know that I don't need a long period of time in order to produce