I know of absolutely no academic who has the kind of dedicated time that they feel they need to write. Uninterrupted writing time is a dream all writers have. Instead, we all face writing in pieces: a slice of time here, a slice of time there, liberally sprinkled with many interruptions and unexpected detours.

A common scenario for me, even now that I am retired, is that I start a writing project and it just gets going when I have to set it aside to pick up another writing project that has a deadline that is even more pressing. The challenge is this situation is how to keep the writing project from growing so cold that it becomes impossible to return to it.

The strategy I recommend is to “carry it forward.” When writers talk about how they write, many emphasize that it is important to end one day’s writing before you’ve reached a dead end. End the time you have been able to devote to writing with a clear idea of the paragraph or section you’d like to write next. You can carry that idea forward, even when it might be days or even weeks before you can back to it.

Another way to carry a writing project forward is to revisit it regularly and frequently. For many, scribbling in a notebook is one way to keep one or more writing projects perking.

The trick is to not let it get so “cold” that the thought of returning to it brings a sense of dread and a deep sense of inadequacy.