I was wondering about how different types would approach writing papers and their attitudes towards it. I'm an INTj I find writing papers an arduous task and even though I usually end up doing very well on them, I procrastinate and end up working at the last minute to meet the deadline. I think part of my frustration stems from my wanting to find the perfect way to word something- everything must be accurate and logically sound. I find that I'm good at the analysis part and I easily come up with topics and ideas (which a lot find the hardest part) but then I'll agonize to death over how to sequence my thoughts, how to transition smoothly from one point to another, how to best word something, and what information I've collected should actually go in the paper. I'll also add that when doing a research paper, I end up collecting way more information than I really need and sometimes I have trouble trimming it down so it doesn't exceed the word or page limit. I know many others have the opposite problem: They have trouble making it long enough. Also, if I'm not careful, I'll get too wordy and overexplain. Its just that I want to make sure my ideas are clearly understood.

I also get frustrated when the teacher wants us to submit an outline before submitting the final draft. For me, by the time I have a decent outline, the paper is practically written. I know what I want to say and what message I'm trying to get out but until I sift through the thoughts and the information I've collected, I don't really know for sure how its all going to flow until I start writing stuff down and then reading it back to myself to see if it looks right and sounds right.

I also find I have to do the introduction last for the same reason because the introduction pretty much sums what's in the body.

Is the above a common pattern among INTjs or is it just a quirk I have? I'd be interested in how the other types go about writing papers, particularly INTps, my quasi-identical.

I also read that books by your quasi-identical are impossible to read. I don't really find anything impossible but there are certain writing styles I find frustrating to read and others easy. Do you have samples of INTj and INTp writings I could look at and cross compare?

Laura, INTj
(I'm sure this post was way too wordy, had a bunch of run-on sentences and could have been worded better )