“Writing: somewhere between torture and fun.” I’m not sure about you, but this is how I often feel about writing—more specifically the writing process. Writing can often be pleasurable and fun, but at times it can be torture to try and get words down on the page. Even more torture is the feedback and rejection that can come after pouring everything you had into a piece. Yet with all of that, I dare to say that the pleasure outweighs the torture and that true writers, whether textbook, academic or otherwise, can never stop because it is how they interact with the world.

My hope is that the articles below will help aid in making writing more pleasurable. And, as always, happy writing!

Helping Early Career Researchers to get peer review right
Aimed at early career academics, this article focuses on how to “get peer review right”. There is also a more extensive podcast that can offer more details than just the takeaways the article covers. The takeaways this article focuses on are: why one should be a reviewer, what editors want from reviewers, how to write a good peer review, and the ethics of peer review.

What counts as “writing”?
“I have a theory about writer’s block. It’s a theory that involves gremlins.” –Jo VanEvery. This is a playful piece on what counts as writing and how to overcome writer’s block. For helpful advice on how to start and finish your writing session this is a worthy read.

Artisanal Academia
This is a beautifully written piece by Siobhan O’Dwyer on the craft of research. O’Dwyer believes that all research is handcrafted and fears that it may be becoming a lost art. His final sentence is spot on and I think you’ll agree.

How to procrastinate efficiently (if you cannot stop)
If you’ve ever hoped that someone would reinforce that procrastination is actually beneficial, than this is on your must read list. Truthfully, I think this is brilliant. How often have you tried your hardest to concentrate on the task before you only to fail miserably by surfing the internet or taking the dog for a walk? Then, as soon as you break that concentration you find yourself enlightened and focused on what you’d been trying to focus on for hours. For the keys to procrastinating efficiently, you’ll just have to read this article by Julie Gould.

Writing With a Heavy Teaching Load
A practical piece written by Rob Jenkins, aimed specifically at those faculty members that have a heavy teaching load and how to fit writing into their schedule. I think the advice given by Jenkins is well worth the read and hopefully will help you find more time to fit writing into your hectic schedule.

Writing Income in 2015: 5 Productivity Tips
Angela Booth’s Fab Freelance Writing Blog (I love her blog title!) is, you guessed it, mainly for freelance writers. This particular post, however, has great advice for any writer. This line is a particular favorite of mine from Booth, “Discipline is hard. Only habit makes it easy. Once you develop productive habits, you only need small doses of discipline.”

Did you read an article this week that you think should be on this list? Share it with me in the comments below!