On pair writing with an early career scholar (or you really need to sit in a room to do some things).
I spent most of my day sitting in a conference room pair writing with a Ph.D. student.
It was exhausting.
We are facing a pressing deadline - so there was some urgency - so we mainly focused on work.
It was great.
We made it through 36 pages of edits - packaged the paper - and shipped it to our coauthors.
It was efficient.
I was reminded that there are not many finer workdays spent as an academic writer than refining a manuscript with a coauthor.
I am satisfied.
Whi;e I feel exhausted like I've just sprinted 5k; it's a good kind of pain.
I am a bit elated.
Why?
Because pair writing is so much more fun than remote work.
Why?
First, rich interaction.
I recognize that many people feel remote work is great; however, discussing ideas in person is far more rewarding.
We were able to tease through issues of structure, and word choice, and more much more quickly in person than over a zoom call.
Second, problem spotting.
Putting a paper up on shared screen makes it easier to spot typos, logic issues, and more.
While the shared screen is nice, the shared focus made it possible.
Third, learning.
While we worked on the paper, we had side conversations about career and life issues that would never have been possible on a zoom call.
I learned a lot about my coauthor & suspect they learned a bit about me.
Fourth, problem-solving.
Too often, I find people punt solving problems in a paper to their co-authors. I know that I'm guilty of that sin.
Sitting together, there is no punting to another person. We had to fix problems on the spot.
Finally, pride.
As the day unfolded, it was evident that my student had vastly improved over the past two years.
They spotted grammar errors and logical holes and fixed citations with an ease that I lacked as a senior Ph.D. student.
When the day ended, the student thanked me for the help.
I hate saying it, but my heart grew two sizes.
It's great to see students mature - it's even greater to see they appreciate the help.
If you have a chance, spend some time pair writing - you might find writing more fun than you remember!
Best of luck!
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