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.
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?
6 Tips for proofreading your own academic writing
Academic writing is one of the main things you’ll be judged on as a graduate student. It shows how much you really learned when you were earning that degree. Now that you’re out into the world, things aren’t much different. Every piece of academic writing you do has to be just as good as the ones you wrote in college – if not better. You don’t have a professor to proofread for you anymore, and now the task rests solely in your hands. It’s sometimes difficult, but practice makes perfect.
Why vision boards work and why you should make one today [for authors]
Visualization is a powerful tool. Athletes have harnessed this power for decades. In fact, visualization stimulates the same regions of the brain as actually performing the action does. This powerful tool, however, isn’t just for athletes. Writers too, can benefit from it. One way to do this, and express your creative self while doing so, is to create a vision board. A vision board is literally a board of some kind that you display images on to help you concentrate and maintain focus on a specific life goal (or goals) you have.
Top 10 gift ideas for writers
‘Tis the season for thinking (or struggling to think) of and giving the perfect gift to give the writer in your life. Luckily for you I have done the thinking for you and compiled a great list of gifts for any writer. Fair warning, the gifts below range from practical to wacky, but you’re sure to find at least one that the writer in your life will appreciate! Happy holidays!
Begin with what you don’t know: An end of year reflection and meditation for academics
W.S. Merwin, who was recently the Poet Laureate of the United States, grew up in New York City. As a child, he had a recurring nightmare of concrete covering all the green areas of the earth. His whole life, and all his poetry and writing, has had the aim of serving to make sure that this doesn’t happen.
We academics are an anxious group. Will my article be accepted? Will I get tenure? Will my department survive the next round of budget cuts? We can get stuck in endless cycles of worry.