Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: April 15, 2022

Is your writing making a difference? As an academic author, you likely want to add new ideas, new discoveries, and new knowledge into your discipline that can inch your field forward. But until it’s finished and published, it can’t make a difference. As Jon Acuff shares, “90 percent perfect and shared with the world always changes more lives than 100 percent perfect and stuck in your head.”

In this week’s collection of articles from around the web, we find ideas for continuing to write as you enter exam season, and for writing rhythmically while defining your own author voice. We explore why articles get rejected and how to come up with the perfect book title. We learn how to combat our inner critic and to leave a writer’s group gracefully. Finally, we see some advancements in the publishing industry.

Whatever is holding you back from sharing your writing with the world, face it today and in the week ahead. Make a plan to contribute those ideas to your field. Published is better than perfect. Happy writing!

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Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: April 8, 2022

Where are you starting with your writing? Anne Lamott says, “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.” Whether you are starting as a graduate student, a post-doc defining your research agenda, a new writing project, or a more extensive writing career, your new “first” effort will be a start (perhaps terrible) but not the end.

In this collection of articles from around the web, we find advice on academic authoring in the first person, writer’s block, research agendas, and protecting your ideas. We also find content on achieving goals as young writers, making writing a career, and considering University Presses for your next publication.

Whatever you are writing, start where you are and move forward. Happy writing!

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Five surprising business lessons for writers

Like most writers, I keep bumping up against, and avoiding, articles on how to treat my writing more like a business. I know I should pay more attention to the articles, but they always seem to interrupt precious writing time. In an infrequent browse through an older business publication, though, I stumbled on an article that didn’t give me administrative agita. Even deep in creative bliss, a writer can hardly resist the title: “Ten Traits That Make You Filthy-Rich” by Jeffrey Strain (TheStreet.com, February 1, 2008).

The five points here from Strain’s evergreen article remind us what we need to do not only to become rich (yes, it’s possible) but to stay true to our writing potential, creativity, and drive.

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4/7 TAA Webinar – Beyond Productivity: How to Build a Joyful Writing Practice

Are you tired of feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or unconfident as a writer? Do you long to recover your love of inquiry and cultivate a joyful relationship with your writing?

Join us Thursday, April 7, 2022, 1-2 p.m. EST, “Beyond Productivity: How to Build a Joyful Writing Practice”, presented by Michelle Boyd of InkWell Academic Writing Retreats. In this one-hour webinar, she will explain why writing is so emotionally taxing, describe how scholars can use social writing to overcome their writing fears. By the end of the session, each scholar will better understand their own barriers and have a step-by-step plan for implementing their personalized social writing strategy.

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Scholars, balance between humility and self-respect

Whether you’re a doctoral student wrestling with the drafts of your dissertation or an academic author wrestling with the drafts of your article or book, you probably have encountered, or will, the often-intimidating presence and feedback of your chair or editor. As with any interpersonal relationship, it’s advisable to steer between abject obeisance and independent arrogance. Neither will get you what you want—approval of your dissertation or publication of your scholarly work.

In my academic editing and coaching profession, I suggest to clients that an optimum way to establish and maintain a good working relationship is a combination of humility and self-respect. Whatever your past accomplishments, humility before the perceived power of the chair or editor is required. Not that you must kowtow; they’ll know you’re toadying. Some students and authors have stellar long-term experience, titles, and positions, and likely make more annually than their chairs or editors, not to mention owning lavish summer homes. Nevertheless, humility is called for with the dissertation chair or editor. Not easy, I know.

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Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: February 18, 2022

As we started this week, many of us celebrated Valentine’s Day recognizing the loves in our life and, perhaps, feeling celebrated ourselves. For others, this same holiday can be one of heartache and defeat as life may not be as satisfying as desired or past loss may weigh heavy on our hearts. Regardless, we as authors can rejoice because Edna Ferber tells us, “Life can’t defeat a writer who is in love with writing, for life itself is a writer’s lover until death.”

If your relationship with your writing needs a little TLC, consider some of the ideas in the articles below to breathe new life into your projects and learn to love again. Happy Writing!

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