Reverting to studenthood

Greetings readers. Tonight, I am going to do something I haven't attempted since the glory days of my honours year (waaaaaaaaaaay back in 2005!). I'm going to attempt and all-nighter (or at least, close to one) to complete a manuscript.

Now, people who know me would know that while I like to set myself crazy writing deadlines (hi, ELF lab!), I usually pace myself. For example, I might tell myself I've got a week to write a chapter of my thesis, but I would have already thought my results, what they mean, how they stand with regards to the literature, and who I would cite. Not this time. Midway through last week, I was instructed to go see a professor of a collaborating department. He had good news for me - he'd been invited to submit a manuscript to a journal because they were going to do a special on his special technique, and he thought that the work I had been conducting with his own post-doc would be entirely suitable! HOORAY! Then he told me that the submission date was in 3 weeks.

I'm going to be in Rome for the first week of September.

CHRIST, I'VE GOT A WEEK TO WRITE A MANUSCRIPT!?!?!?!

Then his post-doc told me she would be away all of this week.

CHRIST, I'VE GOT A WEEK TO WRITE A MANUSCRIPT ON MY OWN?!?!?

I know what you're thinking, I still had half of that week + the weekend so I actually had 1.5 weeks to write a manuscript. Well, not really since I'd already promised some other people I'd get a manuscript done by the end of August. I spent the rest of last week furiously trying to finish that in addition to my other work.

And now it's the middle of the week and while I've done some reading and written the introductory section plus some methods (the other postdoc can write that!), the fact remains that I still need to lay out the results (the other postdoc can do that as well!) and the discussion. Which is the hardest part because you've got to discuss your results in the context of the wider body of work. Results that we haven't quite finished analysing. As a result, I have informed my boss and colleagues that I will do 'home office' and try to become the old Mally who used to regularly give birth to a 3000 word essays in a short amount of time.

Right now, I'm in my room with lights and music on. Papers from various studies are in stacks around me based on what kind of argument they present and how it relates to what I have. I've got a bottle of water, a boiled egg for the protein, and a chocolate bar for power (glucose is a precursor of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate). Wish me luck people. Either I get at least 600 words down or I pass out.