Whether for the advancement of science, of one's career or of a controversial theory, the importance of publishing remains incontrovertible. Although I'd sometimes like to ignore its significance, I can't.

Especially now, when I find myself facing the task of writing my first paper. The data are nearly there. It's almost the interesting story I imagined it would be when I first began the project two years ago. But it's a challenge to put the story into a package that the rest of the scientific community will find interesting.

To do that, I need to understand its place in the context of what has come before. I need to highlight how my story is new and different — and why it deserves to published. At the very least, I have to convince unknown peer reviewers that my data add something of importance to the collective knowledge.

Having never written a paper before, I wonder if I will be able to do this convincingly at all. It may be that my anxiety at not being able to do so is the reason I haven't started writing yet. And I wonder whether my increasing anxiety should be excitement instead.

Anxiety and doubts or not, I know that I have to start writing. Otherwise, my work will remain unpublished — a nightmare for any ambitious researcher.