When I first started writing Genetics and Health, it was very difficult coming up with just five 200 to 250-word posts each week (that was my target at the beginning). It had been a while since I’d analyzed science with a critical eye and because I hadn’t yet found my groove, each post involved a lot of knee fidgets and staring into space.

Now, I routinely crank out six to eight posts a day over four blogs. Kate once pointed out that most novels are about 100,000 words. After a year of problogging, I’ve probably written close to a novel’s worth but in bits and pieces, disjointed and unrelated thoughts.

As a side project, I’m currently working on a chapter for a book on depression. You’d think it would be a breeze because I’m writing about the genetic aspects of the disease, which is something I do on a daily basis. But I am struggling. It’s only supposed to be between 10-15 pages long but I am having a hard time forcing myself to do it. I have about 10 more days before I need to wrap it up and have told myself to write one page a day, about 500 words. How hard can that be?

This has always been a problem of mine. In school, I would marvel at the page limits for assignments because I could probably have written everything in half the amount alloted. That’s why blogging is perfect for me. I make my point and find no need to elaborate aside from linking out to other sources if the reader wants more information. Unfortunately, this isn’t possible for a print book. I must go into detail (not as much as would be necessary for an academic book but still…) because readers will be relying on my self-contained chapter to provide all the information they need to understand the genetics of depression.

Guess I should stop procrastinating and just do it. *deep breath*