No piece of writing is perfect when first written—that’s why they call it a first draft and why editing exists. Pat Thomson offers a bit of comfort in her piece this week in that all academic writers (or any writer for that matter) face the same struggles. She focuses on being ‘stuck’ with a writing piece and how to move thru it. Today, just focus on getting started and let the rest fall into place. The rest will either fall into place or, if nothing else, give you direction for where to go on the page next time you sit to write. Either way, just start and know that you can (and will) edit later.
Hunger, home and history: Our legacies as academics
My Irish ancestors who came to America in the late 19th century called July “the hungry month” because the stored food from the year before was used up and the new crops were not yet in. I remember during summers as a child how my mother, a philosophy professor, would eat chips by the pool and say, “I don’t know why I’m always so hungry in the summer.”
I grew up to become an academic and writer and when I researched this history, I was able to make connections between my family history and our globe’s larger, collective histories.
Get your writing back on track this summer with a 60-day TAA trial membership
Complete your summer writing goals with a little help from TAA. This week only, sign up for a 60-day trial…
2015 TAA Conference photo booth a huge success! Check out some of the photos
More than 50 attendees at the 2015 TAA Conference took advantage of the free Photo Booth to get a headshot…
11 Takeaways from #2015TAA that you can apply to your own writing
It’s hard to narrow down one great takeaway from a conference that is jam-packed with great content. We’ve all been to a conference where only a few of the sessions were really great, but—and I’m not biased at all—at the 2015 Textbook and Academic Authoring Conference, every single session was great! But don’t just take my word for it. All eleven of the attendees I asked to give their number one takeaway said it was hard to give just one. Luckily, however, each was able to narrow it down and give really solid advice learned. I think you’ll not only enjoy these takeaways, but also, be able to learn and apply them to your own writing.
The most useful textbook & academic writing posts of the week: July 10, 2015
I love this quote because it reminds me of a fitness quote I also love (and as you may know, I am a fitness fanatic), “It never gets easier, you just get stronger.” I think this is also true for writing. It never really gets easier, but you do become a stronger, more confident writer the more you write. Don’t you agree?