Now that so much information is available on the internet, this question arises more and more frequently. Why go to university? Why pay all that money to learn things you could learn on your own using resources available on the internet and in public libraries. Couldn’t you just do this stuff yourself? Perhaps with the […]
Read More »Developing a Practice: Writing
Writing is central to your scholarly work and identity. And yet, you struggle to find time and motivation to do it. Posts in this category focus on the process of writing as a whole. They will help you establish an effective writing practice that enables you to pursue your curiosity, create knowledge, and communicate that knowledge through publications.
You Need a Writing Practice is a good place to start.
Using all 3 types of writing time will help you imagine how you can fit writing in even when you are also juggling teaching, meetings, and so on. It also helps you understand how your writing practice may shift with the seasons of the academic year.
misunderstanding copyright
Copyright has been in the news recently thanks to an incident in which a profit-making magazine reprinted an article they found on the internet without the authors permission. (No, I’m not linking. They’ve had enough publicity for their nefarious deeds.) When the author challenged the editor, the response included what seems to be a common […]
Read More »Confession: I find mind mapping difficult
The trouble is that they have their own aesthetic. Not a linear one but … You see, the examples I see all look good. They use colour. They group similar things together. And when I set out to get all the ideas out of my head onto paper, I worry about where on the page to put them.
Read More »Refinement vs Perfectionism
Shortly after I wrote about dealing with your Inner Perfectionist, I read this piece, “Refinement vs Perfectionism” by Cairene MacDonald at Third Hand Works, addressing the same issue. Cairene generously allowed me to share her thoughts here. (The original is no longer available online.) Refinement serves the work. Refinement is that process of adding only what’s […]
Read More »Is your inner perfectionist making things take longer?
Do you have an Inner Perfectionist? Your Inner Perfectionist can be really helpful and probably has been at various points in your career. They make sure you do your best work. Help you through the end game of writing in which all the big ideas are there and you need to make it really shine. […]
Read More »More on writing
In my last post, Rebecca Leigh talked about the physical way you write — pen and paper vs. computer. Her main point was that we should do it the way it works for us and not get all worried about how we should do it. There is another big should in the writing world, especially […]
Read More »Give Yourself Permission
I’ve subscribed to smart fresh updates from my friend and business writer Rebecca Leigh. The other day, I got this great story in my inbox. I immediately thought of you. Because writing is that thing you want to do but struggle with. And what Rebecca wrote was so inspiring and powerful. So, I asked Rebecca […]
Read More »Planning when you have no goals
As so often happens, reading someone’s blog inspired me to write about something. Keri is on sabbatical. And on her first day, she writes I am already in a bit of a panic about not get everything done that I want to get done over the next 6 months. And, yet, as I sit here this […]
Read More »Don’t let obligation get you down
You got into academia because you were excited by ideas. Particular ideas. Stuff you read made you think “But what about …” Or “I wonder if …” You do research to answer those questions and contribute to the conversations that inspired them. Have you lost that excitement? All research goes in phases. Sometimes you do have to […]
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Embrace the research process
“The usual result of worrying about excellence or perfection before you start creating is that you’ll never start creating. Let go of how good the end product will be and embrace the act of creating. Excellence comes as a byproduct of continual creation and learning.” — Charlie Gilkey, Productive Flourishing, July 30, 2009 When you […]
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What should you do next?
Look at your desk. Really look at it. I’m thinking of both your physical desk, with physical papers strewn about, and your virtual desk, with folders and documents. I bet you have a stack of conference papers that need to be turned into journal articles. And some notes on other things you want to write. […]
Read More »If you had one more week…
A while ago on Twitter, one of the people I followed said: “Just realized Fall term lectures start a week later than I thought they did. A week more of prep time, here we come!” You might be able to guess what I replied: “Or a week free for writing!” What would you do with […]
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