Finding the writing groove

I'm in the midst of an R01, or rather hopefully nearing the end and I'm finally hitting my writing groove.  In graduate school I hated writing.  I almost lost my mind while writing my thesis and had to workout every day to break the monotony of being at a computer everyday for hours on end.  Now, it is my life largely.  Writing grants, papers, etc. But, I've gotten used to it.  Still the hardest part is getting started.  I often procrastinate until under pressure of a deadline.  But, if I can find a few hours of peace to think of the big picture and frame the work, then it all starts to flow.  This grant has been better than most because I'm writing it with a collaborator, Dr. X (a well know clinician) and Dr. X's research coordinator (research prof - RPY).  Dr. X is awesome at framing the need for our research and selling the big picture, as well as telling us what we are missing  or need to change in the grant.  RPY is awesome for making those edits and helping me write in general, especially when it comes to the items that are more Dr. X's area of expertise rather than mine.  We've been emailing drafts back and forth like maniacs these days. We might even break the intertubes. My point being, having a writing partner is so helpful ,someone to read and point out what is missing with each round of new drafts.  I'm also grateful to a lab member who generously proofread the whole stinking 27 pages for us.  We are nearing the final draft, and it's a whole week before the deadline!  Sometimes you can get there, although I did freak out two weeks ago when we still had much work left to do.

Now for my dream, to have my own RPY to write my grants for me.... Maybe some day when I'm chair. (Not sure I really want to be chair...)