Academic Writing vs. Writing for Fun vs. NaNoWriMo Writing

Hi all,
As you know, I'm a grad student and we get plenty of papers assigned to us in the social work program. Academic writing in essence should be harder to write than fictional writing, and some times it is, but not always. If it is a cut and dry research paper it is the easiest paper in the world to write, it takes more time to find articles and read through them than plan (roughly) and write my paper. In this instance, the academic paper is far easier to write than fiction. Sometimes I get stuck with where to go from what I've written in stories and novels and the blinking cursor just keeps on blinking at me rather insistently reminding me that I should be writing something.

But I am finding that I'm writing fewer and fewer straight up research papers. A lot of my papers are more focused on analysis or my perspective of the situation. These are very stressful papers are tough to write, especially when the instructor does have a "correct" point of view we are supposed to be analyzing from. I'm a worrywart and perfectionist when it comes to schoolwork, so I find myself getting mega anxious at times with these assignments. I probably won't have a strategy nailed down for how best to deal with these papers (aside from no longer caring) before I graduate in just over a year and a half.

Although I could argue that writing for NaNoWriMo is fun, it does have a specific goal and challenge with a specific deadline, so it keeps me more on track, I've found, than when I'm just writing for fun. I don't quite understand how my ideas seem to flow more when writing for NaNoWriMo than when writing for fun. I certainly don't take the time to plan out my NaNo stories any more than my just for fun stories. Maybe the thrill of the challenge drives my creative energies more than just writing because I feel like it. Now if only I could trick myself into thinking every month is NaNo, then I'd have so many finished stories! ;)

Thanks for reading and visiting,
Melissa