Instead of waiting, tell a science buddy what you’re working on: 1. They might say ‘oh, that reminds me of something’ & make an important connection. 2. They’ll give encouragement by asking about it periodically. 3. They’ll tell you if they hear about something new and relevant.

You can’t admit this in a grant or a paper, but the way to begin a project is just by starting to do something even though it may not seem like a novel direction. The important thing is to start to make observations and the novel ideas will follow.

Academia rewards those that solve the ‘last mile’ problem and - long after the thrill of the actual science is gone - can bring the paper all the way to the finish line of publication.