Writing a research manuscript: Where to go from the first blank page

As you begin your research journey, you must have been told several times how important it is to get a few publications to your credit. For instance, getting a paper published could be a graduation requirement for you, or your supervisor might have asked you to publish a paper, or you yourself might be keen to get published. But when you get down to the task of actually preparing a manuscript, you might end up feeling lost and anxious. You might ask yourself questions like: Why is writing a research paper such a challenging task?