The most useful textbook & academic writing posts of the week: August 21, 2015

I received “official notice” that summer is coming to end by one of the many random emails I (somehow) subscribe to. As if there weren’t enough signs for me already—raining for days straight, temperatures taking a significant dive, and (possibly the most dreaded) back to school commercials. Growing up in a household in which both parents worked in schools (one a middle school teacher and the other a speech therapist), we were trained to avert our eyes when school supplies were moved to the front of the store, overflowing in anticipation of the school year to come.

The most useful textbook & academic writing posts of the week: July 3, 2015

Writing is like exploring a new place you’ve never been to before. As with exploring, writing can be exciting and fast paced, but it can also be scary and difficult, or it can cause you to pause and reflect. Some explorations are done alone, while others are done with a companion or a group, just as writing can be done in solidarity or in a group setting. By exploring or writing with others, they are there to push you, to focus you, and to help you along the way.

The most useful textbook & academic writing posts of the week: June 11, 2015

I think it’s safe to say summer has arrived—hot sunny days filled with the sounds of kids outside playing (or at least that’s what I imagine I would hear if I lived in a neighborhood and not in the middle of nowhere). Summer is by far my favorite time of year. I feel much more motivated to reach all of the goals I’ve set for myself when the sun is shining and the temperature outside is nearer to 80°F than 0°F. How about you? Do you feel you accomplish more in the summer? Do you stay on track with your writing? A few of the posts this week will, I think, help you stay on track with your writing this summer, while still actually enjoying summer. And, as always, happy writing!

The most useful textbook & academic writing posts of the week: June 4, 2015

I spent a good 40 minutes writing this week’s lead in paragraph. It was slightly witty (or at least I’m telling myself that it was) and related to one of the articles highlighted this week. In the end, it was crap. There was simply no point. I was trying to explain the stress June brings and how it is a struggle to fit everything into my day and how that relates to you, as a writer, with a job and a life trying to squeeze in writing time.

The most useful textbook & academic writing posts of the week: May 28, 2015

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.” –Stephen King

I cannot say with certainty that, “the scariest moment is always just before you start.” I have to think that I am not alone in thinking the scariest moment is right before submitting the final draft. As a perfectionist I always strive to get it perfect, yet in writing (and most everything in life), I know that it will always have errors. An extra comma or two are almost always inevitable.