In this post I reflect on strategies that help me write. Of course, I still get stuck, distracted or temporarily disheartened, feeling that whatever I write is inadequate. But writing captures, however clumsily, an expression of an idea, an argument, a position, at a moment in time. And it can always be revised.<\/p>\r\n
As I start to write this, I question what I know about writing. My personal history of academic writing stretches back from not too positive experiences at school and as an undergraduate, through to various Master\u2019s courses and a doctorate, to today. Crucially (probably partly because I feel I am always trying to compensate for what I learned – or rather didn\u2019t learn – at school but also because I have an enduring interest in the experiences of others) I am forever looking out for insights from those who have made writing about academic writing their business. So, what follows builds on my experiences and readings, and on the insights gleaned from many conversations with generous colleagues. I hope that they help you to challenge your writing and perhaps make it more enjoyable.<\/p>\r\n
I\u2019m off for a walk now \u2013 movement is another vital writing tool. Ideas flow when I\u2019m outside, helping me think through whatever writing project I\u2019m engaged with.<\/p>\r\n In this post I reflect on strategies that help me write. Of course, I still get stuck, distracted or temporarily disheartened, feeling that whatever I write is inadequate. But writing captures, however clumsily, an expression of an idea, an argument, a position, at a moment in time. And it can always be revised. As I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10265,"featured_media":2150,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7,4,424],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","category-sioe","category-teaching-and-learning-in-higher-education"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/sioe\/files\/2023\/11\/typewriter.jpg?fit=1280%2C853&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7axDP-wG","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/sioe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/sioe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/sioe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/sioe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2026"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/sioe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2039,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/sioe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2026\/revisions\/2039"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/sioe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/sioe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/sioe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/sioe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Reflect on your needs
Academic writing month is as good a time as any to reflect on what you think you need to enjoy writing. In recent years, I have challenged most of my own preconceptions about conditions needed for writing. I used to think that long blocks of time \u2013 at least a whole day, preferably several consecutive days \u2013 were essential. That I needed to be ready (for example, I had \u2018finished\u2019 reviewing literature or analysing data). That I had to write in a quiet place, with no distractions. With a deadline very close by. But as I talked with colleagues, read about writing and wrote, I began to approach writing differently. Rowena Murray\u2019s advice on finding time to write provided strategies to try out and Pat Thomson and Barbara Kamler\u2019s various texts (and of course Pat\u2019s blog<\/a>) were always close by, ready to offer support. They are now called on frequently to support doctoral and early career researchers\u2019 writing too (see Lisa McGrath\u2019s recent post<\/a> on this).<\/p>\r\n
Plan, review, adapt
Be flexible, realistic and kind to yourself. Try out different strategies and reflect on how they work for you. I work best with a schedule, writing in blocks of 60-90 minutes, but using a timer to get me moving and away from my screen for 5 minutes every half hour. I write with music on \u2013 background \u2018focus music\u2019 that quietens distracting thoughts and signals writing time. Before I start, I set intentions \u2013 writing these down (and sharing them in writing groups) and returning to review them. I am getting much better at judging what is feasible in each slot \u2013 and maybe just better at setting intentions.<\/p>\r\n
Write in company
Here are just three of the ways I\u2019ve enjoyed writing in company, despite initially thinking that writing was a solitary activity. The first is in the various writing support groups and sessions that I\u2019ve been part of, including the twice weekly \u2018Write!\u2019 sessions I co-lead and the SIoE writing days and retreats I\u2019ve organised for several years. These have provided me with opportunities to learn from others about writing challenges and strategies, to feel supported and encouraged as part of a network of writers and to share writing intentions. The second is through dialogue as part of various writing collaborations. I love the excitement in the generative phase of these endeavours, exploring possibilities, mapping ideas, getting carried away and reigning ourselves back in, albeit temporarily. I still find the next phase more challenging, getting these ideas down, revising the writing again and again and again \u2013 but doing this in collaboration helps. The third way felt like a gift! Sometimes opportunities arise, an invitation is received, you wonder if you can find the time\u2026 but say yes anyway. The gift was participating in a collective biography workshop led by Susanne Gannon and Carol Taylor. Together we shared images, wrote stories, read them aloud to each other, talked about the stories and our experiences of academic life, later producing two papers (Gannon et al. 2019; Taylor et al. 2020) and leaving me with warm memories of collaborative writing.<\/p>\r\n
Get creative
Have fun with your writing! Try out alternative formats \u2013 see what happens when you mess with conventions. Take risks! These imperatives are for me too \u2013 to do more of this. When I have experimented with form, it has been some of the most enjoyable writing I\u2019ve done. What different approach(es) might you try today?<\/p>\r\n
Celebrate achievements
I continue to work at this. Because writing can (nearly) always be improved upon and thinking is constantly in flux. My writing is never good enough for my inner critic and that\u2019s ok! Reluctantly I accept the need to learn to settle with \u2018good enough for now\u2019 \u2013 and what that means varies according to the output. Achievements can be small, related to plans and intentions \u2013 sticking to a writing schedule, achieving a goal (composing a blog post\uf050), sharing a draft with a colleague, submitting a conference proposal, reading and writing notes on a paper \u2013 all these are steps on the way to bigger writing successes.<\/p>\r\n
References
Gannon, S., Taylor, C., Adams, G., Donaghue, H., Hannam-Swain, S., Harris-Evans, J., \u2026 Moore, P. (2019). \u2018Working on a rocky shore\u2019: Micro-moments of positive affect in academic work. Emotion, Space and Society, 31, 48-55. doi.org\/10.1016\/j.emospa.2019.04.002<\/a>
Murray, R. (2013). Writing for academic journals. Open University Press.
Taylor, C. A., Gannon, S., Adams, G., Donaghue, H., Hannam-Swain, S., Harris-Evans, J., \u2026 Moore, P. (2020). Grim tales: Meetings, matterings and moments of silencing and frustration in everyday academic life. International Journal of Educational Research, 99, 101513. doi.org\/10.1016\/j.ijer.2019.101513<\/a>
Thomson, P., & Kamler, B. (2013). Writing for peer reviewed journals: strategies for getting published. Routledge.
Dr Gill Adams is a Reader in Education. Her research focuses on mathematics education and on experiences of professional learning. She leads regular writing events for colleagues and doctoral researchers.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"