How to Navigate Difficult Moments in Your Writing

By Angelica Ribeiro, PhD

The other day, a friend shared she was frustrated with her dissertation progress, feeling stuck in her writing. I responded with empathy, saying, “I completely understand how you feel. What do you think you need to get unstuck?” I could relate to her emotions because I had experienced the same situation while working on my dissertation. However, I realized that I wasn’t as supportive of myself as I was of her. Instead of acknowledging my negative emotions, I forced myself to keep working. Looking back, I wish I had treated myself with the same compassion I offered my friend. Here’s how.

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2025 TAA Conference Bookstore Featured Book, ‘Criminal Investigation On the Street’

Criminal Investigation on the Street by G. W. Hildebrand presents investigative principles and techniques–and applies them to solving real-world crimes–in an engaging, student-friendly style centered on the Investigative Triangle: legal aspects, evidence, and behavioral analysis. Students and instructors alike will benefit from this book’s comprehensive coverage and accessible writing style. Published by Routledge.

Purchase in the 2025 TAA Conference Bookstore

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Dear Dr. Noelle: Flummoxed by Formatting

By Dr. Noelle Sterne

Q: How can I be sure I’m formatting my dissertation the right way?

— Befuddled by Formatting

A: First, if you’re looking for guidance on the contents of your dissertation, that is, the requisite chapter titles and what they must contain, this is not the right place. The answers here pertain to what your school requires for your completed manuscript. However, some of the resources below do contain content information.

So, to Befuddled’s question: Formatting your dissertation can be almost as important as the content (not that I think it should be). You’re graded on the proper format as well as what you’ve written. How can you be sure you’re doing it correctly?

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Subversive For Good Reason: How Academics are Traversing Changes in the DEI Landscape

By Sierra Pawlak

Disclaimer: Participants of the Conversation Circle whose stories and advice are shared in this article will remain anonymous. This is to ensure that TAA members still receive key takeaways from the meeting, without repercussions to attendees.

During the February 26, 2025 TAA Conversation Circle, “Incorporating Inclusive Content Into Your Writing,” TAA members shared their concerns with the ever-changing political landscape of DEI. While some participants said their university had a “keep calm and carry on” approach, others experienced changes in diversity-related job titles, eradication of DEI language altogether, and even the possible loss of grant funding.

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2025 TAA Conference Bookstore Featured Book: ‘A View From the Balcony: Opera Through Womanist Eyes’

Performative voices of scholars of color present the balcony, opera performances, and opera glasses as signifiers of the origins and entrenchment of racism in the United States. A View From the Balcony: Opera Through Womanist Eyes by Jean Derricotte-Murphy, metaphorically seats readers in theater and societal balconies while glimpsing into and correcting the harmful historical, philosophical, and religious underpinnings of American systemic racism.

Purchase in the 2025 TAA Conference Bookstore

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2025 TAA Conference Bookstore Featured Book: ‘Brainstorm! Practice for Unrestricted Imagination and Original Thought’

Brainstorm! Practice for Unrestricted Imagination and Original Thought, by Dr. Olga Zbarskaya, shows, with scientific proof, that the powerful engine of creativity has unlimited fuel and can power every sphere of life, from food preparation to personal relationships and from academia to government administration. It is a manual for leveraging creative thought to overcome barriers, solve difficult problems, and streamline and optimize day-to-day living. Educators, institutional leaders, and CEOs will discover how creativity-boosting courses and trainings can promote unprecedented performance and productivity among students and employees.

Purchase in the 2025 TAA Conference Bookstore

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