We asked 2026 Textbook Award winners some questions about their authoring experience. Two respondents, Peter Copeland and Janok Bhattacharya, co-authors of Earth History: Stories of Our Geological Past (1e), winner of a 2026 Most Promising New Textbook Award shared their journey.
How to Create a Fresh Start
By Angelica Ribeiro, PhD
About 40 percent of people in the United States make New Year’s resolutions. Are you one of them? I am. One of my resolutions for this year was to write 12 TAA blog posts. You might ask, “How many have you written so far?” Just one—the one you’re reading now. Between unexpected hardships, work commitments, and starting a graduate program in Happiness Studies, it was difficult to keep up with everything. As someone who loves to follow through my resolutions, I felt disappointed in myself for not staying committed to my goal.
Dear Dr. Noelle: Whirling in the Limbo of Creativity
By Dr. Noelle Sterne,
Q: Whenever I start writing, all kinds of ideas start swirling around. How do I corral them?
— Creatively Dizzy
A: I’ve experienced the same, often. Whether I’ve scribbled a handful of notes in a frenzy of inspiration or actually made an outline, once I start to write that same itchy, unsteady, slightly nauseous feeling pervades. Not exactly illness or indigestion, it’s more of a nervous disquiet I can only describe as “creative limbo.” Doesn’t matter how often I’ve felt it or how many pieces I’ve started and completed. It rears up, and the ideas threaten to overtake me.
Dear Dr. Noelle: Vanquish That Self-Imposed Guilt
By Dr. Noelle Sterne
Q: What do you do if you missed a deadline you created for yourself? How do you get through the feelings of guilt and set another deadline in a way that you can hold yourself to it?
— M. Culpa
A: I empathize with you! It’s hard to miss your self-imposed deadline. As a fellow deadline-misser, I’ve arrived at several methods that make myself easier to live with.
Writing Groups for Academics (Faculty and ABDs)
By Mary Beth Averill
For the past few months, I have been attending a writing group that grew out of a TAA writing retreat. I would categorize our group, which started out meeting weekly and now has meetings three times a week, as a “shut up and write” group. We start with a brief check in on Zoom, saying what we each want to accomplish in the coming hour. At the end of the hour, we meet again briefly to say what progress we made. Group members who want to keep going that day state their goals for the next hour.
Dear Dr. Noelle: Are You Dragging Your Dissertation Feet?
By Dr. Nolle Sterne
Q: Maybe it’s the new year, but I can’t seem to get going on my dissertation.
—Word Dawdler
A: Sounds like you’re dragging your dissertation manuscript in sorry tow behind you like an annoying younger brother. You’re probably doing the impossible already—on campus or online, like many other graduate students—juggling family, work, and school. Your academic struggles are intensified by the stresses of such multiple responsibilities and too often you’re slowed down to stop.