Behind the scenes details of my blogging and writing

I usually blog when I'm inspired. When inspiration comes, there is the impulse to record. Sitting in front of the computer, words are typed like flowing water.

I have my own telepathy. I have a hunch that which article I write will make the headlines, or I have my own judgment of good and bad. There were several times when I wrote one article, I wrote the last "headline", and so far I have made about 50 headlines. But I'm not blogging for the sake of sensationalism. Many things, such as journal reading notes, will not be included in the "selected blog articles", but I write the same.

I write a blog, generally spend 1-2 hours, basically typing out is like this, do not modify. But I received an invitation from the editor of the magazine to convert the blog post into type. It took me two days to revise it carefully over the weekend. Some of them are completely rewritten, some of them summarize the ideas of several blog articles into one article, and some of them are carefully revised on the basis of blog articles.

How to elaborate? I carefully consider each word to ensure that each paragraph has a layer of meaning, and several sentences in each paragraph form a sentence group with layers. A few paragraphs of an article have structure, starting, succeeding, and changing. I also simplified the article first, deleted the redundant words, and then added some content according to the number of words.

I found that writing for a journal always has to go through a process of overcoming the barriers: I was very happy when I first received the invitation, but to really write a good manuscript, of course, I experienced a process from headache to writing, from disorder to order. At the beginning, ideas and words were messy, and they were straightened out through constant revision. This kind of feeling is like getting the review opinions of "major revision" after the submission of scientific research papers. At the beginning, it was always a headache and felt difficult to do, but later it was revised step by step, and finally it was successfully completed.

You may see the blog and think it's already very smooth, but from blog post to typewriting, I'm carving with a magnifying glass. I not only modify it in word, but also print it out and modify it on paper. I also post the text in my blog, set it as "not open" and read the text on the screen for consideration. This principle is to review chemistry in University. I read several textbooks with similar contents in comparison, so that I can remember them. Otherwise, repeatedly read the same textbook several times, you habitually think that review to, in fact, the eye scan to a page does not mean really absorbed.

There are two or three manuscripts, and I'll show them to my wife and give her opinions. For example, "reinventing myself in applying for a teaching post" and "studying in the United States is not an easy way". After I wrote them, I felt that they were not good enough and I couldn't eat them. So I asked my wife to read them. She put forward good "opinions of simulated reviewers", and I made targeted revisions. For other articles, if I can be sure of them, I will submit them directly to the editor.

When I was a postdoctoral, I had 13 days off every year in addition to legal holidays. So I went to my wife's post doctoral city. I remember that when she went to the laboratory during the day, I sat on the sofa at home and wrote "studying in America is not a smooth road" for "study - Postgraduate Entrance Examination". When I was tired, I walked to the supermarket on the street to buy something. It was a good feeling to stay away from the hustle and bustle, put down scientific research temporarily and find a quiet place by myself.

Maybe some people will laugh at me, but I have to say it's good to have hobbies. Li Bai wrote immortal poems. He did not rely on this to sell money, nor did he rely on this promotion, nor did he bring economic benefits to the people, but this does not prevent us from respecting him.

Moreover, attitude determines success or failure. If you can do one thing well, you can do another. I write scientific research papers in the same meticulous way. I revise them repeatedly, and even review my papers from time to time after I submit them, so that I can continue to revise them after receiving the comments from the reviewers.