Developing the habit of writing is probably the best reason for starting a blog. People who blog about their academic work in progress find it very rewarding. You may also discover that there are lots of non-academics who think deeply about similar things. You don’t even have to blog about your research. In this post, I address some of your fears and give you some strategies for keeping the meanies out of the comments.
Read More »Making Writing Less Scary: What to write
Stop worrying about the right way. It is much easier to edit than to write brilliant prose the first time.
This is especially important while you are still developing the habit of writing. But even when that habit is established, writing is a complex activity. The part where you structure your written ideas into an academic article, an academic monograph, a newspaper article, a novel, a report for decision makers, or trade non-fiction book is just that, a part of the process. A lot of writing happens before you get there.
The idea is to get your ideas out of your head and on to paper where you can do things with them. Writing helps you think. In this post, I give you some ideas for how to do that.
Read More »Making writing less scary: Develop a habit
There is no point thinking too much about the publishing part until you have actually written something. Writing is a habit. The more you write the easier it is to write. And the better your writing becomes. Like any habit, you can develop it. In this post, I talk about what developing a writing habit might look like in practical terms.
Read More »Getting comments on your draft
This post inspired by a tweet: Is it cruel for me to ask people to read and comment on a draft article during the summer? — Philippe Lagassé (@pmlagasse) July 25, 2012 My immediate reaction is “Hell No!” but I can see how it might feel cruel. After all summer is the one time of […]
Read More »If it hurts …
This post is part of an occasional series about how yoga influences how I work with clients. I don’t expect you to do yoga. You don’t even have to attempt the pose I’m going to talk about. Ever. In your whole life. The point of this series is that yoga has taught me some interesting […]
Read More »You are not desperate
Do you feel like you need to apply for all of the opportunities out there? Even if they are only vaguely related to your career objectives? Do you even have career objectives? Are you spending so much time sending out applications that you don’t seem to have time to do anything else? Does crafting a […]
Read More »grumble … Knowledge mobilization … grumble … wider impact … grumble
In a recent workshop I asked participants to write down all the grumpy thoughts they were having about the prospect of writing a Knowledge Mobilization plan (aka Pathways to Impact statement in the UK). I collected these and put them aside while we got on with a more positive approach. I want to return to […]
Read More »Good enough?
Does something have to be finished to publish? Doesn’t publishing something that is “good enough” but “not quite finished” suggest that you are lowering your standards? What about “excellence”? Back in 2009, I attended a production of Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Belle Moral. The author’s note in the program caught my attention, especially the part of which […]
Read More »The goal & what you can do
This post is part of an occasional series about how yoga influences how I work with clients. I don’t expect you to do yoga. You don’t even have to attempt the pose I’m going to talk about. Ever. In your whole life. The point of this series is that yoga has taught me some interesting […]
Read More »Does it matter for tenure whether you’ve published from the PhD?
Recently, I received this query: Hi Jo, I’ve been trying to publish my dissertation for a while now since completing it 7 years ago. The manuscript has been rejected twice and reviewers have noted that the data is too dated. My question is should I keep trying or just let it go? I am applying […]
Read More »The best argument I’ve heard for Open Access publishing
Global reach. It has recently come to my attention that there are all sorts of academics out there that don’t read your academic articles either. (HT @ernestopriego) They are your audience. They are engaged in the academic debates that you are engaged in. And they can’t get access to your articles because the funding situation in their institution is even worse than it is wherever you are.
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What yoga has taught me about life, writing, and work
I practice yoga. And it occurred to me recently that yoga really influences how I work with clients. Your post-Enlightenment self has probably put yoga in a box with running, weight training, pilates, and aerobics. And I suspect some yoga classes are like that. I’ve been fortunate to have taken yoga classes with folks who […]
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