By Dave Harris

When we notice egocentrism, it is usually a bad thing: who likes the know-it-all who thinks only of themself? But lack of egocentrism is also bad: we need to know where we stand on issues; we need to trust our own knowledge enough to commit to projects and tasks, and to commit to words on the page. I want to emphasize the importance of egocentrism in reading as a crucial factor in using the research literature effectively, and how writing is an effective tool for building the right kind of egocentrism.

This essay picks up some threads from the September 2024 TAA Conversation Circle on developing good writing habits, Prof. Christine Tulley’s October 2024 webinar “Getting Your Reading into Your Writing”, and a blog post I previously contributed in response to the August 2024 TAA Conversation Circle on productivity.