Tl;dr - Essentially the presentation of the problem is stalled progress and avoidance of writing. The root is 1) low confidence, 2) new research/writing style, 3) lack of concrete instructions from mentor (lots of figuring out from his edits or from his advice or from writing books he recommends).
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Hi everyone,
I’m working on a historical research paper that intersects with medicine under an incredibly patient and supportive mentor. My background is mostly in basic science and clinical research writing, so historical/medical writing feels like new territory for me.
I’ve been working on this paper for ~9 months and still don’t have a full first draft. Progress has slowed largely because of me—I keep delaying updates and avoiding writing, partly due to perfectionism and a loss of confidence. I’ve read extensively, gathered sources, and learned how to write well and clearly (still a work in progress). Still, writing and knowing how to write to satisfy my mentor (who edits and challenges every word [which I'm so grateful for]) has been a battle. If the paper has five parts, I’m still working on the first.
To help, my mentor suggested I send small batches of paragraphs for iterative feedback, which should feel reassuring. I know what my end goal is: to send him paragraphs of what I worked on. But I'm missing the instructions.
I don't exactly always know what my next steps are. I look at how my mentor edits my paper and see what he crossed out or changed. But besides comments telling me to find some references here and there or correcting something, there are rarely much direct next steps. He and I meet to discuss important steps or big-picture outlook. He one time walked me through his thought process while editing. Still, it feels sometimes the directive choices are up to me. I appreciate him giving me the space to make decisions an author of a paper. And as a 22 year old, I don't expect my mentor to hold my hand all the time. But this doesn't negate the imposter syndrome (i.e., that I'm not doing well or am missing something or not understanding something my mentor has told me multiple times). I feel alone and paralyzed.
Currently am trying to write more paragraphs.. I don't know exactly what they will be.. or whether I'm even doing something he's asking me to do. But maybe I will see what he says.. I'm sure he is as frustrated in me as I am in myself.
I’m not sure exactly what I’m asking for—perhaps advice, shared experiences, or reassurance from others who have struggled transitioning into a new research or writing style. I don’t have many peers going through something similar, so I’d really appreciate hearing how others navigated this stage.