I think it’s safe to say that summer has arrived—hot sunny days filled with the sounds of kids outside playing (or at least that’s what I imagine I would hear if I lived in a neighborhood and not in the middle of nowhere). Summer is by far my favorite time of year. I feel much more motivated to reach all of the goals I’ve set for myself when the sun is shining and the temperature outside is nearer to 80°F than 0°F. How about you? Do you feel you accomplish more in the summer? Do you stay on track with your writing? A few of the posts this week will, I think, help you stay on track with your writing this summer, while still actually enjoying summer. And, as always, happy writing!

Summer Hours: Enjoy your summer and be productive too!
Tanya Golash-Boza shares how she remains productive during the summer and finishes writing projects by only working four hours a day. If you are looking to stick to your writing goals this summer, and still enjoy your summer, this is your must read.

exorcise the inner “doctoral student” from your writing
I love the analogies Pat Thomson uses to convey her points and this is no exception. Here, Thomson explains that you must conduct an exorcism to find and remove the “doctoral ‘student’ lurking within your thesis text.” Doing so will help show your confidence, authority, and knowledge of the research.

The Secret to Hitting Your Writing Goals May Be Simple: Peer Pressure
Could a writing group be the secret to meeting your writing goals? Different writing group styles are discussed, in this piece, along with how this type of accountability can help academics reach their writing goals.

‘Dear Forums …’: How Do I Find Good Co-Authors?
As you may have guessed from the title, this is actually a forum stream from Chronicle Vitae, not an article. I’m including it, however, because I think you may find the questions relevant to your situation and the answers helpful. You may even be able to offer your own experience and knowledge to those seeking advice.

Selecting a journal for a publication in a new-to-you field
If you are looking to publish in a field outside of your norm, this is a great read for you. Joanne Hill discusses how to select a journal that best fits your paper. This is a very insightful piece.

Article Throwbacks

Writing for an academic journal: 10 tips | September 6, 2013
This article always gets lots of shares (specifically retweets and favorites on Twitter), whenever I post it. It’s a great list of tips for writing an article for an academic journal. This is must read whether you are writing your first journal article or your 100th.

6 Tips For a Productive Summer Break | May 20, 2013
This is actually a PowerPoint that I put together a couple of years ago from tips shared by Noah Shusterman and Tanya Golash-Boza. Shusterman and Golash-Boza give excellent advice for staying productive and keeping up with your writing projects during the summer holiday.

Please note: ‘The most useful textbook & academic writing post of the week’ will NOT be posted next week. We will be in Las Vegas for TAA’s 28th Annual Conference. I look forward to seeing you there! 😊