Have you ever played with LEGO pieces? Not the kind that come in a set with every piece you need and instructions for building what’s on the box. But the kind that get tossed in a big bin that you can dig through and freely build whatever you envision.
When you build something freely with LEGO pieces, you experiment with pieces of different shapes, sizes, and colors to find the right combination to create what you envision. Sometimes you add a piece that’s exactly what you needed. Other times, you add a piece that isn’t quite right and needs to be removed. But you don’t throw that piece in the trash. You set it aside or toss it back in the bin because it might be useful for something else.
I think writing works the same way. We experiment with words and phrases to find the right combination that conveys the meaning we intend. Sometimes we find the right words, and other times we find words that aren’t quite right and need to be removed. Often, we simply delete those words and throw them in the virtual trash. But those words could be useful in another part of the document or in a different project altogether.
If this sounds like something you do, you might treat your writing like a LEGO project. Keep a “bin” file where you save words, phrases, explanations, or paragraphs that you like and might want to use later. You might keep one running file, or create a separate file for each project.
A “bin” file can be especially helpful when you’ve had to cut large chunks of text to meet a word limit. That text might be exactly what you need later, such as when a reviewer asks for revisions. And when you’re really attached to something you wrote, you might find it easier to cut it if you save it somewhere else.
(A quick note: if you reuse saved text that has been published, be sure to cite or rewrite it appropriately.)
Do you have a "bin" file for text snippets? Hit reply and share your process. I'd love to learn your strategy.
Now onto this week's round-up...
Round-up
This week’s round-up included an article on open science policies in medical journals, an article on predatory publishers, a new PubMed tool, and two more picks. Subscribe to get the next round-up in your inbox.
Thank you so much for reading.
Warmly,
Crystal
