Are the posted questions getting worse?

  • What is the best way to beat writer's block? Anybody have any ideas? I am half way through an article and now I cant seem to complete it. Damn..!!!!:angry:

    -Roy

  • Roy Ernest (4/15/2010)


    What is the best way to beat writer's block? Anybody have any ideas? I am half way through an article and now I cant seem to complete it. Damn..!!!!:angry:

    Read what you have so far as if you had never seen it before and didn't know the subject. Questions will occur to you, like, "what does he mean by that?" or "but what about...?" Start answering those questions.

    The key is to look at it in a fresh way. Pretend someone else wrote it.

    - Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
    Property of The Thread

    "Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everyone agrees it's old enough to know better." - Anon

  • Lynn Pettis (4/15/2010)


    Okay denizens of The Thread, here's a good one!

    Jeez. (Where's the shaking head emoticon?) There is a lot to be learned by that one. Yoda? Oh Yoda? where are you?

    Wayne
    Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server 2008
    Author - SQL Server T-SQL Recipes


    If you can't explain to another person how the code that you're copying from the internet works, then DON'T USE IT on a production system! After all, you will be the one supporting it!
    Links:
    For better assistance in answering your questions
    Performance Problems
    Common date/time routines
    Understanding and Using APPLY Part 1 & Part 2

  • Ok, I will try that. I have been staring at the article for some time in the morning....

    -Roy

  • Roy Ernest (4/15/2010)


    What is the best way to beat writer's block? Anybody have any ideas? I am half way through an article and now I cant seem to complete it. Damn..!!!!:angry:

    Send it out to a few people to solicit their comments on how to go next.

    Wayne
    Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server 2008
    Author - SQL Server T-SQL Recipes


    If you can't explain to another person how the code that you're copying from the internet works, then DON'T USE IT on a production system! After all, you will be the one supporting it!
    Links:
    For better assistance in answering your questions
    Performance Problems
    Common date/time routines
    Understanding and Using APPLY Part 1 & Part 2

  • Roy Ernest (4/15/2010)


    Ok, I will try that. I have been staring at the article for some time in the morning....

    That is the worst thing to do.

    If you are stumped - don't stare at it trying to figure out what to write next. Put it down and come back to it later.

    Revisit your outline of points you wanted to cover in the article.

    Play a game

    Visit the forums

    Fresh air and blood pumping also helps a lot.

    Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
    _______________________________________________
    I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
    SQL RNNR
    Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
    Learn Extended Events

  • WayneS (4/15/2010)


    Roy Ernest (4/15/2010)


    What is the best way to beat writer's block? Anybody have any ideas? I am half way through an article and now I cant seem to complete it. Damn..!!!!:angry:

    Send it out to a few people to solicit their comments on how to go next.

    That is an excellent idea.

    Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
    _______________________________________________
    I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
    SQL RNNR
    Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
    Learn Extended Events

  • The thing is that I know what all points I have to write and what I need to explain more, but I just am not able to get even a single sentence to form in my mind.. 🙁

    -Roy

  • Roy Ernest (4/15/2010)


    The thing is that I know what all points I have to write and what I need to explain more, but I just am not able to get even a single sentence to form in my mind.. 🙁

    That is when a bit of exercise gets the creative juices flowing again. Stewing over the same problem for long periods of time just makes matters worse.

    Another exercise we practiced was to write down every word we could think of when given a one word topic. Just do that on a scratch piece of paper and then look it over.

    Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
    _______________________________________________
    I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
    SQL RNNR
    Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
    Learn Extended Events

  • I am just gonna take a break, go home and relax with my family... And then come back fresh tomorrow morning and try out the ideas... 🙂

    -Roy

  • Roy Ernest (4/15/2010)


    What is the best way to beat writer's block? Anybody have any ideas? I am half way through an article and now I cant seem to complete it. Damn..!!!!:angry:

    Have enough drinks to make you feel drunk, then write away. A former worker told me he always did that before starting any college papers. The alcohol help the ideas flow freely. This worked for non-technical papers. It may not work as well for technical writing.

    Don't forget to, after sobering up, read what you wrote. You'll probably will find a few corrections that need to be made.



    Alvin Ramard
    Memphis PASS Chapter[/url]

    All my SSC forum answers come with a money back guarantee. If you didn't like the answer then I'll gladly refund what you paid for it.

    For best practices on asking questions, please read the following article: Forum Etiquette: How to post data/code on a forum to get the best help[/url]

  • Alvin Ramard (4/15/2010)


    Roy Ernest (4/15/2010)


    What is the best way to beat writer's block? Anybody have any ideas? I am half way through an article and now I cant seem to complete it. Damn..!!!!:angry:

    Don't forget to, after sobering up, read what you wrote. You'll probably will find a few corrections that need to be made.

    That is the important part I think.. 😀

    -Roy

  • Alvin Ramard (4/15/2010)


    Roy Ernest (4/15/2010)


    What is the best way to beat writer's block? Anybody have any ideas? I am half way through an article and now I cant seem to complete it. Damn..!!!!:angry:

    Have enough drinks to make you feel drunk, then write away. A former worker told me he always did that before starting any college papers. The alcohol help the ideas flow freely. This worked for non-technical papers. It may not work as well for technical writing.

    Don't forget to, after sobering up, read what you wrote. You'll probably will find a few corrections that need to be made.

    But to make sure you're still able to read what you wrote as the "upper limit" and "enough to help the ideas flow freely" as the "lower limit" make sure you use an appropriate quantity. If you don't know how much that is you might want to start a series of tests 🙂

    And don't cross the upper limit too far - you might not find your article again due to some campfire on the beach...



    Lutz
    A pessimist is an optimist with experience.

    How to get fast answers to your question[/url]
    How to post performance related questions[/url]
    Links for Tally Table [/url] , Cross Tabs [/url] and Dynamic Cross Tabs [/url], Delimited Split Function[/url]

  • lmu92 (4/15/2010)


    Alvin Ramard (4/15/2010)


    Roy Ernest (4/15/2010)


    What is the best way to beat writer's block? Anybody have any ideas? I am half way through an article and now I cant seem to complete it. Damn..!!!!:angry:

    Have enough drinks to make you feel drunk, then write away. A former worker told me he always did that before starting any college papers. The alcohol help the ideas flow freely. This worked for non-technical papers. It may not work as well for technical writing.

    Don't forget to, after sobering up, read what you wrote. You'll probably will find a few corrections that need to be made.

    But to make sure you're still able to read what you wrote as the "upper limit" and "enough to help the ideas flow freely" as the "lower limit" make sure you use an appropriate quantity. If you don't know how much that is you might want to start a series of tests 🙂

    And don't cross the upper limit too far - you might not find your article again due to some campfire on the beach...

    Sounds like differential calculus applied to alcohol.

    Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
    _______________________________________________
    I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
    SQL RNNR
    Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
    Learn Extended Events

  • CirquedeSQLeil (4/15/2010)


    lmu92 (4/15/2010)


    But to make sure you're still able to read what you wrote as the "upper limit" and "enough to help the ideas flow freely" as the "lower limit" make sure you use an appropriate quantity. If you don't know how much that is you might want to start a series of tests 🙂

    And don't cross the upper limit too far - you might not find your article again due to some campfire on the beach...

    Sounds like differential calculus applied to alcohol.

    Nope. Simple "trial and error" approach. The scientific stuff would just be distractive.



    Lutz
    A pessimist is an optimist with experience.

    How to get fast answers to your question[/url]
    How to post performance related questions[/url]
    Links for Tally Table [/url] , Cross Tabs [/url] and Dynamic Cross Tabs [/url], Delimited Split Function[/url]

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