First, you may be asking, “What is a writing model?” A writing model is an example of writing like the one you need to produce.
Allow me to illustrate. Very early in my graduate program, I had never read a dissertation. But I knew I needed to write one. The best advice I received was to familiarize myself with the structure of a finished dissertation. I found dissertations that students in my own program had successfully written and defended under the guidance of my advisor.
An accomplishment list is a writing activity that:
Doesn’t that sound like a great writing activity? Not only is it great, but I would argue that it is necessary to keep motivation in your work throughout the year.
Unless you were on that island with Tom Hanks in Cast Away, you have likely heard a lot about ChatGPT, Bard, and other artificial intelligence chatbots in the last two months. I mean a lot. Like too much.
You have likely heard about the revolutionary changes coming to the web, the world, education, and more. I am here to tell you as authors, take a breath. Don’t give up the ship. It will all be okay.
If you happen to be stuck in your academic writing, the good news is:
(1) You are not alone! This happens to all of us.
(2) There are remedies. Stay with me and read on.
First, ask yourself, “Why am I stuck?”
You might be stuck because you don’t know what to say.
OR
You might be stuck because you have too much to say.
TAA recently added three new 90-Minute Virtual Workshops by James Lang, former Professor of English and the founding Director of the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption University: 1) “Writing Like a Teacher: Expanding the Audiences for Your Research”; 2) “Queries, Proposals, and Agents: The Mechanics of Submitting to Trade Book Publishers”; and 3) “Writing Accessible Prose: Attention Tools on the Page”. These TAA-sponsored virtual workshops are offered to institutions on a first-come first-served basis. Learn more about how you can bring these or other TAA virtual workshops to your campus for only $1,000.
Are you looking to branch out into authoring other nonfiction works? The Nonfiction Authors Association is holding its 13th annual Nonfiction Writers Conference online May 10-12, 2023. Opening speaker, Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild: Lost and Found on the Pacific Crest Trail and Tiny Beautiful Things, will speak on the writing life.
