The title is a rhetorical question. I know writing is real work, otherwise I wouldn’t be running a business supporting academic writers. You know it’s real work. Not only is that, you know it is the work that is going to be most valued when it comes to hiring, promotion, and whatnot. Despite knowing that […]
Read More »Ethos & Influences
There is lots of advice out there about academic writing and academic careers. Posts in this category elaborate on some of the things mentioned on the about page to give you a better sense of how I approach academic work and the relationship between academic work and other parts of your life. Subcategories include:
Risking doing the work you find meaningful
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Risking doing the work you find meaningful A longstanding imaginary-friend-on-the-Internet, who now runs a very successful online business, once said that something I’d said to them years ago had been pivotal to their success. I had no idea what they were talking about. Apparently, back when we were both […]
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How to stop writing for your harshest critics
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · How to stop writing for your harshest critics I had a question from a client a couple of weeks ago that I suspect resonates with many academic writers. In my book: The Scholarly Writing Process, I talk about the importance of identifying the audience for the article or book […]
Read More »Is this Real Writing or procrastination?
A recent Twitter interaction with another writing coach helped me clarify some of the principles that underpin my approach to academic writing. Please, please, please remember that what is good advice for writers of young adult fantasy is not necessarily good advice for early career researchers! #AcWri https://t.co/hY9GjO51ml — Thomas Basbøll (@Inframethod) January 31, 2018 […]
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Making writing challenges like #AcWriMo work for you
I am writing this part way through November 2017. A few years ago Charlotte Frost and her team at PhDtoPublished got the bright idea to make an academic version of #NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and call it #AcWriMo. PhDtoPublished is geared to early career researchers and particularly those still in the late stages of […]
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Are you letting fear drive your decisions?
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Are you letting fear drive your decisions? Higher education is undergoing massive changes. The values that underpin the institutions to which you are committed are contested at all levels, from department meetings to institutional strategies, to government policies to public debates. People’s livelihoods are at stake. The whole sector […]
Read More »I’ve stopped reading the higher education press
I have stopped reading the higher education press. From what people share on social media, usually in outrage, I’m pretty sure I’m not missing much. It is increasingly clear to me that there are a few issues that keep circulating. The higher education media are focused on generating outrage and “debate” (if it deserves that […]
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Pressure vs Ease
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Pressure vs Ease Deadline Day? I have noticed in social media posts and in conversations with clients that a lot of people use deadlines as a way to motivate themselves. Or at least the story they tell themselves, is that they need a deadline to ensure that they will […]
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Hope works better than fear
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Hope is better than fear. I have cycled through a few tag lines in my attempt to succinctly capture what it is I do: “Love Your Academic Work” made way for “Transforming Academic Lives“. This latest iteration has the benefit of coming directly from something clients have said about […]
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Using the supports you need: Part 2
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Using the supports you need, part 2 I have written previously about how I learned in yoga that it can be helpful to use supports in your practice. I’ve been thinking about this principle again recently in a different way. I think this might help you see the difference […]
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Reconnecting with the desire to write
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Reconnecting with the desire to write I was talking with a client about writing and motivation recently. We started with “It’s really hard to write with a gun to your head.” which strikes me as a pretty widespread problem. Whether that metaphorical gun is the REF, the tenure process, […]
Read More »A strategy to overcome resistance to write
Sometimes you sit down and try to write and you just can’t. Resistance may show up as procrastination, or writer’s block, or gremlins shouting louder than usual about how you are not qualified to do this, or something else. The root of your resistance may be emotional, or you may just be really unsure how […]
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