Academic work involves long projects. Of the five Lesser known lessons from academia Daniel McCormack discusses, three are about the difficulties of long projects. (He goes into some detail about each of these. I encourage you to read what he has to say in addition to my thoughts.) I want to focus on the aspects of academia that […]
Read More »Are you treating writing as real work?
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 »
Saying no, FOMO, and being strategic about research
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Saying no, FOMO, and being strategic about research I saw a short thread on Twitter reflecting on taking advice to say no a lot. Before starting my lectureship, my mentors told me very clearly to say no to as many things as possible (except unmissable opportunities). It has been […]
Read More »
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 […]
Read More »
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 »
The power of 15 minutes a day
This is an excerpt from Finding Time for your Scholarly Writing (A Short Guide) which was published in late March 2018. In the Short Guide, I expand on the concept of 3 types of writing time. This excerpt is from the chapter on how “Short Snatches” of time can help keep your motivation going. One of […]
Read More »
Focus and the desire for distraction
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Focus and the desire for distraction I’ve written about focus and distraction before. A recent question during A Meeting With Your Writing has helped me clarify an important underlying principle. There are 2 parts to getting distracted: the trigger where you go once distracted These two elements are not […]
Read More »
Incorporating writing into your workload: The Research Day
This is an excerpt from Finding Time for your Scholarly Writing (A Short Guide) which was published in late March 2018. The research day is a full day each week kept clear of teaching and meetings. The advantage of this way of thinking is that it makes a clear temporal boundary between different responsibilities and […]
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 […]
Read More »
Taking a real break between semesters
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Taking a real break between semesters In the past week or so I’ve had a few conversations with clients about the relationship between accomplishing their writing goals for the semester and taking a real break over the Christmas holiday. As one of them put it: “How do I not […]
Read More »
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 […]
Read More »
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 »
