We all have a little voice inside our head. Sometimes it is a coach, or a bully, or a nag, or a guide. The voice can be the driving force behind some of our decisions, fortunately or unfortunately. It can guide relationships, career choices, and inevitably, our writing.
Writing, editing, and researching are solitary pursuits by nature. They can be driven forward by passion and curiosity, or promoted by achieving greater heights. But they can also be way laid by self-doubt.
There is a lot of writing advice from many sources; much of it great. “Make time to write every day”…
For better or worse, there’s no denying that the state of affairs and what we consider “normal” has changed in the year 2020. It has left many in academia wondering what the future of education looks like for students, faculty, and researchers alike. For some, there’s hope of returning to normal again. For others, an acceptance of a new reality ahead. And for others still, an uncertainty in coping with the days as they continue to pass regardless of the ultimate outcome.
Our collection of articles from around the web this week addresses a variety of topics present in academic writing circles right now. From feelings of brokenness to new opportunities in research funding and making your writing practice what you choose through multiple options for publishing and personalizing your revision practice.
We are all parts of various communities. The ones we physically live in. Our extended family is a community. You are part of an academic discipline which is an important group, as is where you work.
As a writer (even a beginner), you are part of a community. I do worry sometimes, that the writing community is made up a large group of individuals each on their own island. Each of us may be experiencing the same challenges and be suffering them in silence as we try to solve own our issues. Groups like TAA and this blog help address challenges. How do you create a writing schedule and stick to it? How do you approach revising your own work? When is your project “done” and ready for submission?
We all create expectations for ourselves. We define writing projects we want to complete, areas in which we want to grow personally or professionally, and goals for measuring our success or quantifying our accomplishments. However there are times when facing those expectations, the expectations of others can take us off course.
In this week’s collection of articles from around the web, we explore the “bestest of plans”, how to find time for the things that matter to us amidst other commitments, and how to adjust to changes in our environment. Further, we explore the value of community for support of our research efforts, disseminating research, and collaborative writing efforts. Finally, find articles related to using your network when searching for jobs, strategically approaching the campus job visit, and a proposal for restructuring the APC to promote fairer cost allocation in scholarly communication.
Whatever your personal and professional expectations, define them, pursue them, and be true to yourself along the way. As Franz Kafka once said, “Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.” Happy writing!
Walt Whitman once said, “A writer can do nothing for men more necessary, satisfying, than just simply to reveal to…
