Wed 28 July 2o21 0800 am
In research, writing is an integral part of the research. Prof Alan Macfarlane, the author of almost 20 books, guided more than 400 researchers, explains beautifully, saying that ‘Stop Thinking, Start Writing’. He explains how we have to think like a painter, making rough sketches of our thoughts without concentrating much on the final product, and that’s how you get into writing consistently.
He brings an analogy of burning fire. If we just stack up the wood and fire the wood, it won’t burn easily. But, when we take a small piece of paper and light a fire, it starts burning and then we pile up the woods one by one, on top of each other and the wood starts burning effectively. It is this small paper which is lit first is the secret. He goes on to say, writing is also like that, we have to get started somewhere, with a small, vague idea and build on that.