Lost for about thousand words

I think we can all safely agree that it's a very rare occasion when I'm lost for words. Whether in writing or verbally, I usually always have something to say about, well, just about everything. I'm not claiming it's always sensible. But it's something. And if I don't say it, which thank heavens I have learned to do over the past few decades, I'll usually end up writing it down here. So yes, need a blurb for an admissions brochure? Ask me. Need someone to proofread your speech? Ask me. Need a sentence/paragraph/chapter on anything related to mass communication/psychology/psychometry/athletics/academics/stepmothering/anything else that comes up, just ask me. I can generally whip something together, even if I have no idea what I'm writing about. I love playing with words, rephrasing sentences, and finding just the right phrase to express something. Now, I can't promise that when you actually think about what I just wrote, it will make any sense, but I can guarantee you that it will look pretty. And use proper punctuation. And at the end of the day, punctuation does matter.

But for the past two days, I have absolutely, completely, utterly stuck. Stuck as in I cannot for the life of me think of what to write. Stuck as in I have to tell myself "you have to write 500 words by tonight", something I didn't even have to do when writing my dissertation. And this is a bad stuck. Because this stuck concerns our department's self study. And my section of it is due on Tuesday. And I'm guessing I still have at least two thousand words to go. This self study is part of our program review which determines the future of our program. If we write a bad self study, I'm guessing our review won't be going very well, and well, we all know where that will lead (I'm thinking, "would you like some fries with that?"). So, yes. This. Is. A. Big. Deal.

Now I have gotten a lot done already. Four thousand three hundred and sixty-two words to be exact. Nine pages. But I still have two very important parts to finish. The first one entails me detailing how our program fits into the university's mission statement and strategic plan, and the second one requires that I address how our program dealt with the revisions suggested in the last program review. I've laid out the paragraphs, created a list of points I need to address, but I just can't seem to write a flowing narrative. I just can't. I mean, I'm really good at BSing, but this goes even beyond my powers.

So here I am. Stuck. I've cleaned the house, done laundry, tidied up our filing cabinet, and had tea, and nothing helps. I have one thousand words to go before I can leave my desk. One. Thousand. Wish me luck.