When is the best time to write?

After I finished reading Boice’s two articles, I couldn’t help asking myself: “How often would I really try to write an article or a paper without the pressure from a deadline?” and “Why would I always wait till the last minute to write up my paper?”

I’ve asked many other friends, and it seems that being the “last-minute-writer” is not my patent – they also, and always put them into the same situation.

Countless paper deadlines and endless paper writing follow after I made my decision to pursue my doctoral degree in the U.S. Every time, the requirements and the deadline were well explained and we were informed long enough before the paper should be submitted, but still, I will repeat the cycle of panicking; waiting, waiting for a long time; hesitating to write; attempting to start; writing till exhausted; finishing writing; and experiencing the extreme excitement till thrill with trembling hands…

Every time, I would blame myself harshly for not having starting writing earlier, and regret for the unnecessary crisis and pressure that I created for myself. However, it seems that once the scar was recovered, I would immediately forget about the pain that I’ve ever tasted, and I would still repeat the cycle over and over again, sticking to my old bad habit.

Why did I always wait for such a long time before I started to write? Why did I always waste so much precious time? Why couldn’t I start a little bit earlier next time? What was I afraid of? What hindered me starting early? Those questions I have asked myself thousand of times, and I have generalized the following reasons:

First of all, it’s my language problem. Writing in a second language is still a big challenge for me. Occasionally, only thinking of this problem would scare me to drop the pen.

Secondly, I was not ready, which I think contributed the most to my writing obstacles. Yes, I was very scared of writing something I didn’t know what to write about. I hadn’t found enough sources, nor had I read adequate materials to form my ideas and organize my thoughts.

Thirdly, my laziness always works. Yes, the thought that “there’s still enough time, so why bother now?” always hoaxed me into the last-minute-writing situation. When I realized how fast time may escape away, it was already too late…

Now the last but not the least, maybe it’s an excuse – I had no inspiration. Sometimes I would comfort myself that inspiration is something very special--it would hide in somewhere when you tried so hard to find it, and would come out suddenly when you least expected, but once it showed up, the pen would seem writing by itself and your time will be doubly saved. So, I was waiting for inspiration.

Why couldn’t I read a lot and get ready while I was still waiting, and hesitating to write? What if inspiration didn’t show up till the last minute? When is the best time to write? Was I waiting to get the best state in writing or was I just waiting to lose my passion and ability to write? Does confidence increase or decrease during the time of waiting? Um…there are a lot of questions…