7 Ways to Pace Yourself through a Paper # 6 – Beware of breathers, plateaus and other obstacles 按部就班寫作論文的七大建議之六：小心寫作的喘息、高原期和其他障礙
A writer peering ahead at an academic writing project should respect the task. It not only will require research and writing abilities, it will tax the writer’s endurance and concentration. Learning to become efficient and self-regulating as a researcher and writer is the reason for this series, “7 Ways to Pace Yourself through a Paper.” Each of the suggestions will be presented on the TPS Fan page before being compiled.
若您即將致力於學術寫作專題，應該好好重視這項工作。這不僅需要研究與寫作技巧，也仰賴毅力與專注。「按部就班寫作論文的七大步驟」將教您學會如何自律，提高研究與寫作的效率。每項建議都會刊登在 TPS 粉絲專頁，並在最後集結於 TPS 學術電子報中。
Way # 6 – Beware of breathers, plateaus and other obstacles
建議六：小心寫作的喘息、高原期和其他障礙
An academic writing project can be a slog. The first stage of it sometimes produces anxiety, and only later as the work progresses does exhilaration set in. But at some point the project takes on all the characteristics of work, and a writer begins to think in terms of taking a breather. Beware of breathers. The need to take a breather is a signal that a pace of a project is not sustainable. A correct pace is steady, but not exhausting; regular breathing should be sufficient for the job.
學術寫作可能變得很苦悶，苦悶的第一階段是焦慮，只有等工作有了進展，心情才會逐漸開朗。不過到了某個階段，工作的辛苦在寫作中展露無遺，讓寫作的人想停下來喘息。請注意，如果你想停下來喘息，就代表這個寫作步調無法讓你持續寫作。正確的步調讓你有穩定進展，卻不會筋疲力盡，只要固定休息，就應該能繼續工作。
A plateau is another danger point. A plateau occurs when a writer completes a section of research or of writing—and stops. He has climbed a foothill and wants to gaze back upon it. Thus does premature satisfaction become a barrier to progress. It becomes an excuse to hang around rather than press ahead. While interim goals are important in a research-writing project, they are way stations, not ultimate destinations. Dawdling over them leads nowhere.
而高原是另一個阻礙；高原是指完成研究或寫作的某一個段落，然後就停下來了。作者爬上了一個小山丘，然後想回頭張望。所以，一開始就志得意滿只會阻礙進步，讓作者停滯不前，儘管期中目標對寫作很重要，但卻只是中途的停靠站，而不是最終的目的地。裹足不前終將一事無成。
In short, don’t let a good start on a paper go to waste because you lost your way. Don’t get too satisfied too early. Clearly, solid research by itself is not enough. Neither is a great lead, a content-rich middle section, or a well-organized conclusion. Succeeding in any one of these does not constitute overall success. A professor looks at the complete package, and a writer must do the same. So, take a deep breath, take pride in good work done on a section, and then move on.
簡言之，論文寫作有了好的開始，別因為迷失方向而浪費了，切勿一開始就洋洋自得。只有紮實的研究顯然不夠，好的開頭、內容豐富的中間章節，或結構嚴謹的結尾，也顯然不夠。在這幾個部分的其中一些做得好，不代表整篇文章成功。教授注意的是整體內容，你寫作時也應該如此。所以，深吸一口氣，好好欣賞自己某一階段的表現，然後繼續邁進。
若您即將致力於學術寫作專題，應該好好重視這項工作。這不僅需要研究與寫作技巧，也仰賴毅力與專注。「按部就班寫作論文的七大步驟」將教您學會如何自律，提高研究與寫作的效率。每項建議都會刊登在 TPS 粉絲專頁，並在最後集結於 TPS 學術電子報中。
Way # 6 – Beware of breathers, plateaus and other obstacles
建議六：小心寫作的喘息、高原期和其他障礙
An academic writing project can be a slog. The first stage of it sometimes produces anxiety, and only later as the work progresses does exhilaration set in. But at some point the project takes on all the characteristics of work, and a writer begins to think in terms of taking a breather. Beware of breathers. The need to take a breather is a signal that a pace of a project is not sustainable. A correct pace is steady, but not exhausting; regular breathing should be sufficient for the job.
學術寫作可能變得很苦悶，苦悶的第一階段是焦慮，只有等工作有了進展，心情才會逐漸開朗。不過到了某個階段，工作的辛苦在寫作中展露無遺，讓寫作的人想停下來喘息。請注意，如果你想停下來喘息，就代表這個寫作步調無法讓你持續寫作。正確的步調讓你有穩定進展，卻不會筋疲力盡，只要固定休息，就應該能繼續工作。
A plateau is another danger point. A plateau occurs when a writer completes a section of research or of writing—and stops. He has climbed a foothill and wants to gaze back upon it. Thus does premature satisfaction become a barrier to progress. It becomes an excuse to hang around rather than press ahead. While interim goals are important in a research-writing project, they are way stations, not ultimate destinations. Dawdling over them leads nowhere.
而高原是另一個阻礙；高原是指完成研究或寫作的某一個段落，然後就停下來了。作者爬上了一個小山丘，然後想回頭張望。所以，一開始就志得意滿只會阻礙進步，讓作者停滯不前，儘管期中目標對寫作很重要，但卻只是中途的停靠站，而不是最終的目的地。裹足不前終將一事無成。
In short, don’t let a good start on a paper go to waste because you lost your way. Don’t get too satisfied too early. Clearly, solid research by itself is not enough. Neither is a great lead, a content-rich middle section, or a well-organized conclusion. Succeeding in any one of these does not constitute overall success. A professor looks at the complete package, and a writer must do the same. So, take a deep breath, take pride in good work done on a section, and then move on.
簡言之，論文寫作有了好的開始，別因為迷失方向而浪費了，切勿一開始就洋洋自得。只有紮實的研究顯然不夠，好的開頭、內容豐富的中間章節，或結構嚴謹的結尾，也顯然不夠。在這幾個部分的其中一些做得好，不代表整篇文章成功。教授注意的是整體內容，你寫作時也應該如此。所以，深吸一口氣，好好欣賞自己某一階段的表現，然後繼續邁進。
Posted at 2012-09-18 11:21:31
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