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

How do you see yourself as an academic author? What is your purpose in writing? How does your writing matter in your discipline? How do you know when you are successful?

These are some of the questions addressed in the articles curated from around the web this week. We’ve also found advice on branding and marketing yourself and your work and the risk and reward of innovation in publishing.

As you write this week, consider the reason and the audience for your words. Happy writing!

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Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: March 11, 2022

W. Somerset Maugham once said, “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” Some may say this applies to all writing efforts, however this week’s collection of articles from around the web attempts to address some of the common issues you may be facing as an academic author.

With resources on how to start, dealing with self-doubt, writing processes, and peer review, you can garner some helpful advice to move your project forward. Further, resources on women in publishing, open access, open research, and publishing research directions frame some of the trends in academic publishing today.

As you write this week, write your own rules and enjoy the process. Happy writing!

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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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Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: January 28, 2022

What are your writing goals? What do you hope to accomplish and how will you get there? Sylvia Plath kept hers simple when she said, “Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences.”

In this week’s collection of articles from around the web, we see strategies for keeping up with information, facing changes to the academic publishing industry, sharing or marketing our work, and managing our inner critics.

Whatever your writing goals, work towards those that let you live, love, and say what you need to – in good sentences. Happy writing!

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Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: November 19, 2021

As we enter the back half of November, the end of semesters and the holiday season looms in the quickly approaching future. How will this affect your writing routine? Do you have a routine that keeps you moving in the direction of your goals? What will make that routine stronger?

In this week’s collection of articles from around the web, we explore ideas of requesting extensions in academia, redrafting strategies, research methods, and why an index is important. We also look at larger publishing topics of technology, research data sharing, and preventing bias. Finally, our list wouldn’t be complete without the best Black Friday deals for writers with that annual shopping event officially a week away!

Mike Murdock says, “The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.” Hopefully the ideas and resources in the articles below give you resources to make that daily routine stronger and more capable of meeting your writing goals. Happy writing!

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