Writing is a necessary part of your career. Whether your goal is to become a successful textbook author, gain tenure at your university, or publish various other types of scholarly works, you will have to make writing a large part of your life. Just as anyone who lifts weights, runs, or bikes knows, the proper form and equipment are necessary to avoid injury and stay on track with their training. These same principles are true for writers. To stay at peak performance level, that is to say, to stay writing (and comfortably) it is imperative that you have the proper ergonomics.
5 Key principles to building clear text transitions
A common weakness in novice academic writing is a lack of flow; for readers, this lack of flow means they can’t easily see how one thought follows from another. To combat this problem, we need to learn how to make effective transitions between sentences. Such transitions are usually managed in one of two ways: through transition words or through evident links in the text. Both strategies have a role to play, but novice writers, unfortunately, often see transition words as their main way of moving from sentence to sentence.
Join us in San Antonio for TAA’s 29th Annual Textbook & Academic Authoring Conference!
Mark your calendars, the Textbook & Academic Authors Association’s 29th Annual Conference is fast approaching. Don’t miss out on this valuable two-day writing conference where you will gain inspiration for your writing projects, network with veteran authors, and learn strategies to help increase your publishing success. The conference program is ambitious, offering a wide variety of session topics for both veteran and novice authors. Register soon to take advantage of early registration rates.
Join us 2/4 for TAA webinar on what academic publishers want (and why)
In higher education’s charged, competitive environment, faculty are expected to publish peer-reviewed scholarship, yet receive little concrete guidance on how to navigate the complex waters of publishing. Join us on Thursday, February 4 from 2-3 p.m. ET for the TAA webinar, “Ask the Editors: What Publishers Want and Why”, to gain practical knowledge about the publishing process. Register
How to start writing again after a break
Taking a long break from anything, writing included, can make it difficult to know how or where to start again. Two of the biggest hurdles to overcome are allowing yourself to let go of any guilt you have from not writing and putting to rest the infinite “I’ll do it tomorrow” mentality. Of course that isn’t to say that breaks are often necessary. They allow you to come back to your writing rejuvenated, more motivated, and re-inspired. However, when a break turns into weeks and months without writing, the daunting task of how and where to start again is often suffocating. So what can you do to get back into your writing routine?
The most useful textbook & academic writing posts of the week: Holiday Edition, Part 2
Happy New Year! This week’s most useful blog post takes a look at some of the most popular articles featured in this weekly series. This is Part 2 of a two-part series (see Part 1 here). May your year be full of accepted manuscripts and writing that flows easily on to the page.