“I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”
—W. Somerset Maugham

Do you sit and write religiously at the same time every single day? Disciplined like a marathon runner is to running every morning? Sometimes discipline and routine come easy. We have a goal that we want to achieve or a passion we are pursuing. But this isn’t always the case. Sometimes we have to force ourselves to be disciplined. We have to force ourselves to show up every day. Rewards and fast approaching deadlines do this well. Even frequent breaks and a change of scenery can help. But what other strategies do you use? What do you do on those days when anything at all seems more appealing than sitting to write?

Happy writing!

Academic Blogging
This is an excellent post by Janet Salmons on what blogging is and how academics can best use one. (Full disclosure: Janet is a TAA member and I found this post because she tweeted it and tagged @TextandAcademic. If you have a blog post you think should make this list, I encourage you to do the same!)

How to Prune Jargon From Your Popular Writing
A perfect follow-up for the above—if you want to start blogging, rid yourself of overly using jargon. This advice is not only in regards to blogging, but also for anyone wanting to share their expertise with a broader audience outside of the academic realm.

Prioritizing tasks in academic life
What I enjoy most about Raul Pacheco-Vega’s blog posts, is his complete honesty and detail in what, how, and why he does something. I think you’ll find many tips and tricks simply by his willingness to share, in a conversational tone, how he goes about tackling his day.

‘I’m not worthy!’ – Imposter Syndrome in Academia
Have you experienced Imposter Syndrome or are you currently experiencing it? Do you know what causes it? For an explanation of what may cause Imposter Syndrome and suggestions for how to overcome it, read this piece by Jay Daniel Thompson.

Writing a Literature Review: Six Steps to Get You from Start to Finish
Viewed over 125,000 times on Tanya Golash-Boza’s blog, Get a Life, PhD, it clearly is an article worth reading.

7 Ways to Overcome Your Procrastination and Finish Writing Your Book
“A key question to ask yourself: are you procrastinating or are you justified in taking more time?” asks the author of this article, Jan Yager. If it’s procrastination, the tips Yager gives will (hopefully) help you overcome it to finish your manuscript.

Article Throwback

10 Tips on How to Write Less Badly | September 6, 2010
Six years later, these tips still ring very true. Number seven is essential.