Is it just me or has it been a really long week?
Last week's stomach bug kicked my butt and I'm still not 100%. Not only am I still exhausted, but my stomach just feels...off. It's not happy with me, whether I eat some delicious pizza (I only have so much willpower in the middle of winter) or whether I behave myself and eat salad or some fruit and veg.
This has made keeping up with the week difficult. I'm only just reading about all of your wonderful achievements from last week. I'm trying to contain my jealousy! What I've noticed in some of your comments and what I struggle with on an almost daily basis is the impact of failure, or just the fear of failure - for we are all excellent people and scholars, of course! - on our scholarly lives. This, of course, impacts our personal lives, as we overwork and overstress ourselves in an attempt not to "fail," to get that tenure-track job at a R1 institution, to publish our book or more books or more and more articles.
Coincidentally, just yesterday Lee Skallerup Bessette blogged about this same thing and its effect on her writing, (I hate getting scooped!) so maybe this is a good time to discuss our concerns about failure. Why are we all so obsessed with getting these jobs that EVERYONE knows barely exist? Why don't we let our goals change without being racked with guilt? Are we really just attempting to keep up with the demands of academia or is there something else that motivates us? For those of you lucky ones who have landed the "dream job," does that fear subside (perhaps after tenure)? How can we overcome that fear and put it to good use as a motivator, not an impediment, to our writing?
Roll call (should be up to date now - apologies that it wasn't yesterday!):
Amanda@ladyscientist: Write or read 30 minutes/day.
Amstr (writing account)1) read comments on Chs. 2 and 4; 2) make changes to Ch. 2 and send to 2nd advisor; 3) gather primary and secondary evidence for Ch. 4 and confirm structure; 4) read 4 chapters of Key Book. Bonus tasks: write some; read some more
Another Postdoc/living academically: no check-in
Bardiac: next week looks to be too busy with work
Contigent Cassandra: Deal with funding application; finish freelance piece; actually take out and look at books for main project, start planning it
Dame Eleanor Hull: Time: at least one hour a day, at least half an hour on translation and half on something else. Product: more notes on S book, get back to books on W and read/take notes. Do final edits and submit MMP companion-piece
Danne: 1) write at least a page of notes a day 2) Reading three chapters of spatial book 2 3) If a positive answer is received from the new uni, take a day off for reading.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell: 30 minutes 5 days a week.
emmawriting: no check-in
Good Enough Woman: checked-in but no goal set
heu mihi: Finish the German? That might be about it. I've got an extra, very-short-term class to prepare, so I'm looking to be busy.
humming42: submit the paperwork
Jane B: a) incorporate the comments from other authors into paper A, do a first cut at reducing its length (let's say 4 sessions of about 0.5-1 hour each). b) type up the outline for what is now paper D derived from this week's freewriting and send an email to my colleague about their part in finalising the analysis plan.
Jason: 750 words-to-draft; 6x250; 5 solid hours with analytic sources; post writing group report by Saturday.
Jodi: If I'm still alive, I need 1000-1500 words
kiwi2: Work on the one page draft so it is a reasonable standard and send to at least one other colleague for review
kiwimedievalist/zcat_abroad: Write 1,000 words (can be rubbish) on the article. Read the book for review.
luolin88: 15 minutes on some kind of writing/research MTWTF.
Matilda: finish (or nearly finish) the paper
meansomething: 1) Five 12-minute sessions (may include two or three on prose); 2) Send out ms. to other publisher.
metheist: dedicate 3hrs on T/R, and hopefully an hour on MWF. Write a shitty first draft of my conference paper, which is an offshoot of a diss. chapter.
nwgirl: 1). Re-group. 2). Review research journal. 3). Work 4 hours each on two non-teaching days. Work 30 minutes each on three non-teaching days. 4). Review progress and check-in with writing group on Friday.
Pilgrim/Heretic: 1500 more.
profacero (Z): some writing every day, 25 minutes to 2.5 hours. Ideally I can get the 2.5 hours Saturday and also Sunday, but I will not scare myself by saying I must.
rented life: possibly leaving the group?
sophylou: no check-in
Susan: traveling but goal's for following week are: Finish the review, and get going on one of the many books I have on my desk!
tracynicolrose: Complete at least 1 analysis memo for MS paper; edit findings section of BE paper; find a new journal for rejected TS paper; read for Methods paper
Zabeel: no check-in
January 18, 2013
Writing Group Week 3
Welcome to Week 3! How's it going so far? Did you build on your successes from last week? Slip a little bit? Were you like me and were totally OBE and had to laugh at your ever-hopeful goal as the week flew by in a blur?
I've been thinking a lot about what one of our members said for their overall goal that they wanted to focus on their research, not the teaching this semester. That's really been nailed home for me since my classes were abruptly cut. I don't make enough money to devote as much time as I did last semester on my teaching. My writing completely fell to the wayside and I don't want, nor can I afford - literally and figuratively - for that to happen this semester. Still, I like my students already and I want to do whatever I can to help them succeed. I just can't give so much of myself to teaching and lose my overall focus. I sense that there are more than a few of us in the group who struggle with the same problem. Does anyone have any ideas on how to maintain your concentration on what you value most when faced with teaching, or other, demands that derail us all? I'm not necessarily talking about OBE, although family and service issues certainly can be huge timesucks. How have those of you who meet/exceed/almost-meet your goals managed to stay so focused and committed to your writing? In other words, help!
Another reminder of the reporting format, please, to help out your hosts:
Paragraph 1: last week's goals (see list)
Paragraph 2: what you achieved
Paragraph 3: analysis/comment of what worked and what didn't
Paragraph 4: next week's goals
Paragraph 5: comments on the weekly topic or whatever you want to discuss
And now, roll call!
Amanda@ladyscientist: (1) Finish the entire application, (2) Submit the application, (3) Read and annotate the referee paper.
Amstr: get through 1/2 of the research left, and 3000 words
Another postdoc/livingacademically: Finish syllabus for class and write 500 words a day on essay
Bardiac: Introduction written and begin working more closely with one of the plays.
Contingent Cassandra: continue planning; get out 2nd CFP reply; start semester with as much done in advance as possible
Dame Eleanor Hull: At least 30 minutes of work per day. Make final edits on the accepted with-minor-revision MMP-companion piece and submit it. Draft proposal to do with translation project. Print out other work to do with translation project. Set up new monitor and transcribe at least 8 lines of the Inquisition Post Mortem. Keep reading work relevant to the MMP.
Danne: 1) write at least a page of notes a day 2) finish the book I've started 3) add new items to bibliography
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell: 45 minutes a day on the article.
emmawriting: a) dig into methods section of short-paper, maybe even get a first draft done; and b) incorporate the edits made by editors on rejected-paper, and think about the difficult edit they've suggested.
Good Enough Woman: Two early mornings for an hour's work each.
heu mihi: 5 hours. Try to get 500 new words written.
humming42: Submit IRB paperwork. A relatively simple form at my uni, and this is a no risk survey so really more a formality
Jane B: a) spend 15 minutes with paper A on three occasions and b) 2 x 15 minute free-writings (because they are satisfying).
Jason: 750 words-toward-draft; finish off big analytic source & get to 1-2 related readings; 6x250words. Same as last week, but reprioritized.
Jodi: 1000-1500 words (during the first week of the semester) to set a good routine for the rest of the semester
kiwi2: one more day of work on the talk: simple ANOVA, two nice graphs, send talk to collaborators, tweak. one more complicated analysis Second, one page draft for a funding application, and send to previous mentor.
kiwimedievalist/zcat_abroad: thirty mins a day on the article
luolin88: 1. read first chapter of Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks. 2) 30 minutes proofreading polished, but rejected paper that needs to be submitted elsewhere. 3) 30 minutes writing on new project.
Matilda: re-consider the structure and the argument of the article.
meansomething: 1) Four 12-minute sessions on poems. 2) Send out one of the January submissions (book contest). 3) Write a complete draft of a cover letter to an editor who offered to read the ms. 4) Finish a short writeup that's wanted for a conference program.
metheist: 4-5hrs on T/R towards my writing. I need to reread chapter 4 and determine where to fill in the gaps, make my argument clear, and determine the "hook" of the chapter.
nwgirl: Continue work on manuscript revisions: (1 hour on the 3 teaching days) + (4 hours on 3 non-teaching days) = 15 hours
Pilgrim/heretic: 500 words/survival
profacero (z): one syllabus this weekend, one Monday and Tuesday, and one Wednesday. also 25 minutes to 2 hours of research/writing every day. do not freak out about anything administrative or budget related that may happen on campus.
rented life: no check-in
sophylou: aim for half an hour of reading each day (emphasis on "aim for"), do at least an hour of brainstorming/writing about focus for ASC.
Susan: Get through one important book, and finish a lingering book review.
tracynicolrose: Submit TS paper and review the analysis on the conference presentation that will become the MS paper.
Zabeel: 1) seminar finished. 2) re-read chapter 5 and relevant primary texts and come up with a plan for revisions.
I've been thinking a lot about what one of our members said for their overall goal that they wanted to focus on their research, not the teaching this semester. That's really been nailed home for me since my classes were abruptly cut. I don't make enough money to devote as much time as I did last semester on my teaching. My writing completely fell to the wayside and I don't want, nor can I afford - literally and figuratively - for that to happen this semester. Still, I like my students already and I want to do whatever I can to help them succeed. I just can't give so much of myself to teaching and lose my overall focus. I sense that there are more than a few of us in the group who struggle with the same problem. Does anyone have any ideas on how to maintain your concentration on what you value most when faced with teaching, or other, demands that derail us all? I'm not necessarily talking about OBE, although family and service issues certainly can be huge timesucks. How have those of you who meet/exceed/almost-meet your goals managed to stay so focused and committed to your writing? In other words, help!
Another reminder of the reporting format, please, to help out your hosts:
Paragraph 1: last week's goals (see list)
Paragraph 2: what you achieved
Paragraph 3: analysis/comment of what worked and what didn't
Paragraph 4: next week's goals
Paragraph 5: comments on the weekly topic or whatever you want to discuss
And now, roll call!
Amanda@ladyscientist: (1) Finish the entire application, (2) Submit the application, (3) Read and annotate the referee paper.
Amstr: get through 1/2 of the research left, and 3000 words
Another postdoc/livingacademically: Finish syllabus for class and write 500 words a day on essay
Bardiac: Introduction written and begin working more closely with one of the plays.
Contingent Cassandra: continue planning; get out 2nd CFP reply; start semester with as much done in advance as possible
Dame Eleanor Hull: At least 30 minutes of work per day. Make final edits on the accepted with-minor-revision MMP-companion piece and submit it. Draft proposal to do with translation project. Print out other work to do with translation project. Set up new monitor and transcribe at least 8 lines of the Inquisition Post Mortem. Keep reading work relevant to the MMP.
Danne: 1) write at least a page of notes a day 2) finish the book I've started 3) add new items to bibliography
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell: 45 minutes a day on the article.
emmawriting: a) dig into methods section of short-paper, maybe even get a first draft done; and b) incorporate the edits made by editors on rejected-paper, and think about the difficult edit they've suggested.
Good Enough Woman: Two early mornings for an hour's work each.
heu mihi: 5 hours. Try to get 500 new words written.
humming42: Submit IRB paperwork. A relatively simple form at my uni, and this is a no risk survey so really more a formality
Jane B: a) spend 15 minutes with paper A on three occasions and b) 2 x 15 minute free-writings (because they are satisfying).
Jason: 750 words-toward-draft; finish off big analytic source & get to 1-2 related readings; 6x250words. Same as last week, but reprioritized.
Jodi: 1000-1500 words (during the first week of the semester) to set a good routine for the rest of the semester
kiwi2: one more day of work on the talk: simple ANOVA, two nice graphs, send talk to collaborators, tweak. one more complicated analysis Second, one page draft for a funding application, and send to previous mentor.
kiwimedievalist/zcat_abroad: thirty mins a day on the article
luolin88: 1. read first chapter of Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks. 2) 30 minutes proofreading polished, but rejected paper that needs to be submitted elsewhere. 3) 30 minutes writing on new project.
Matilda: re-consider the structure and the argument of the article.
meansomething: 1) Four 12-minute sessions on poems. 2) Send out one of the January submissions (book contest). 3) Write a complete draft of a cover letter to an editor who offered to read the ms. 4) Finish a short writeup that's wanted for a conference program.
metheist: 4-5hrs on T/R towards my writing. I need to reread chapter 4 and determine where to fill in the gaps, make my argument clear, and determine the "hook" of the chapter.
nwgirl: Continue work on manuscript revisions: (1 hour on the 3 teaching days) + (4 hours on 3 non-teaching days) = 15 hours
Pilgrim/heretic: 500 words/survival
profacero (z): one syllabus this weekend, one Monday and Tuesday, and one Wednesday. also 25 minutes to 2 hours of research/writing every day. do not freak out about anything administrative or budget related that may happen on campus.
rented life: no check-in
sophylou: aim for half an hour of reading each day (emphasis on "aim for"), do at least an hour of brainstorming/writing about focus for ASC.
Susan: Get through one important book, and finish a lingering book review.
tracynicolrose: Submit TS paper and review the analysis on the conference presentation that will become the MS paper.
Zabeel: 1) seminar finished. 2) re-read chapter 5 and relevant primary texts and come up with a plan for revisions.
January 16, 2013
I love my students!?
I'm taking an extreme risk here by even thinking it, but...the majority of my students did the reading for the second day of class. Can you believe it? I can't! We had a discussion! In class! And they could answer my questions! Correctly!
I walked out of class feeling this odd feeling - like I was impressed. They read. They talked. It was surreal. This was not how my last semester started at this school. It gives me hope.
(Yes, Friday that hope may get pooped on, but for two days I get to bask in the glow of a successful class. Yay!)
I walked out of class feeling this odd feeling - like I was impressed. They read. They talked. It was surreal. This was not how my last semester started at this school. It gives me hope.
(Yes, Friday that hope may get pooped on, but for two days I get to bask in the glow of a successful class. Yay!)
January 13, 2013
Resolutions...blargh
It's January 13th and I have already broken all of my resolutions for the New Year. For starters, here I am, online, when I'm not supposed to be. I also worked today, when I wasn't supposed to do so. Yoga? Pfft. Don't make me laugh!
DHWI was fantastic, but it was really difficult to get everything done this week while I was in class all day every day. I learned so much that it was definitely worth it; I can't wait to get started on the project in my head. Anyway, classes start tomorrow. TOMORROW. My syllabus is done (what a nightmare - I was indecision personified), the course site is done, my nails are painted red (my favorite), and my outfit is picked out. I know the nails and outfit sound silly, but I'm not a morning person and need to have that stuff done ahead of time, plus, the less stress on the first day, the better off I'll be.
My reading resolution is the only one going well so far. Great Gatsby? Done - that's one. I also finished Anne Lamott's "Bird by Bird"- that's two. Yes, technically that is not a "for fun" kind of book, but, you know what? It's my resolution and I can count whatever I want! I needed writing inspiration and finally got around to reading this, after one of my committee members told me about it over a year ago. I need to pick this week's book and fast! I'm thinking about Malcolm Gladwell's "Tipping Point." That's not my idea of a fun read, but it's been on my list for years, so I should probably just get it out of the way. Coincidentally, I came across this post on (where else?) twitter today - I told you I'm breaking resolutions left and right - and am inspired about sticking to this and fitting in reading time wherever I can.
Next week aka tomorrow I'm back on the resolution train again!
DHWI was fantastic, but it was really difficult to get everything done this week while I was in class all day every day. I learned so much that it was definitely worth it; I can't wait to get started on the project in my head. Anyway, classes start tomorrow. TOMORROW. My syllabus is done (what a nightmare - I was indecision personified), the course site is done, my nails are painted red (my favorite), and my outfit is picked out. I know the nails and outfit sound silly, but I'm not a morning person and need to have that stuff done ahead of time, plus, the less stress on the first day, the better off I'll be.
My reading resolution is the only one going well so far. Great Gatsby? Done - that's one. I also finished Anne Lamott's "Bird by Bird"- that's two. Yes, technically that is not a "for fun" kind of book, but, you know what? It's my resolution and I can count whatever I want! I needed writing inspiration and finally got around to reading this, after one of my committee members told me about it over a year ago. I need to pick this week's book and fast! I'm thinking about Malcolm Gladwell's "Tipping Point." That's not my idea of a fun read, but it's been on my list for years, so I should probably just get it out of the way. Coincidentally, I came across this post on (where else?) twitter today - I told you I'm breaking resolutions left and right - and am inspired about sticking to this and fitting in reading time wherever I can.
Next week aka tomorrow I'm back on the resolution train again!
January 12, 2013
Behind already?
If you're looking for the writing group, it's over at JaneB's this week. I meant to post this yesterday, but a week at DHWI seems to have put me behind in a lot of things. Already. My semester doesn't start until Monday and I am already behind. That does not bode well. What happened to my resolutions to stay on track this semester? How does this happen?
Right. Well. Back to work now.
Right. Well. Back to work now.
January 4, 2013
New Year, New Writing Group
Introducing the latest incarnation of a writing group that has been going on for, well, quite some time!
Jane B and I are the co-hosts of this group, so every other week the group will be held at her place. The group will run for fifteen weeks, with an additional celebratory check-in on the sixteenth week, starting April 26th. Check-ins will be open from Friday to Monday.
Here are the very simple ground rules for the writing group (with thanks and apologies to Dame Eleanor Hull for borrowing from her):
Jane B and I are the co-hosts of this group, so every other week the group will be held at her place. The group will run for fifteen weeks, with an additional celebratory check-in on the sixteenth week, starting April 26th. Check-ins will be open from Friday to Monday.
Here are the very simple ground rules for the writing group (with thanks and apologies to Dame Eleanor Hull for borrowing from her):
- Post every week, even if you were OBE. We are a support group, if nothing else; owning your shortcomings, and seeing others have to do the same, helps. Believe me, I should know! I'm still plugging away at writing groups, despite less than stellar results multiple semesters. If you won't be able to check-in for a week, just let us know; if you miss two check-ins, we'll have to assume you left the group because of the difficulty of two of us trying to keep track of everyone.
- Next week and every week please use the format we've used before. Paragraph 1: last week's goals. Paragraph 2: what you achieved. Paragraph 3: analysis/comment of what worked and what didn't. Paragraph 4: next week's goals. Paragraph 5: comments on the weekly topic or whatever you want to discuss.
- Feel free to comment on each other's posts. We're all in this together, after all! (said in my best cheerleader voice)
To shake things up a bit, we thought that we could use this group to set people up with writing partners, if there is any interest. I can set up a Google Group, which will let people retain their anonymity (I think) but still post their work, so that their writing partner can read and provide feedback every week. Obviously this provides a higher level of accountability for those who need it, but it also requires a larger time commitment than normal for the writing group, which is why it's not mandatory. If you're interested, include it in this week's comments and I'll set up a Group if there is enough interest.
For this week, please post your fifteen-week goal and next week's goal. If you want to introduce or reintroduce yourself, that'd be lovely. I also thought it might help to start the writing group by thinking about making changes in our workflows or sharing ideas to increase efficiency and productivity. Some of you have already seen my earlier post about getting organized for the new semester. It was inspired, in part, by this post on Gradhacker on getting out of "triage" mode, which is exactly what I felt I was in by the end of last semester. Now I'm refreshed, reorganized, and ready to write! What about you? Any changes or reorganizing that you've done to get you ready for the new semester or new group or new goals?
January 3, 2013
A Reading Year
On Twitter yesterday, someone said they only read 52 books last year. FIFTY-TWO BOOKS. My mind was blown. Someone read fifty-two non-academic books in a year. I may have managed to read ten or fifteen books at most.
I used to be one of those people, though. I used to read two or three books a week, even during my M.A. This PhD, however, has killed my interest in reading anything that is not immediately necessary to my research or teaching. I look at books or articles all day long. I do not want my down time to be time spent looking at books. This hasn't stopped me from buying a ton of books to be read later; bookstores are like crack, after all. When I do read non-academic books now, they tend to be favorites that I've read before, partly because if I'm going to take time away from my work, I want to be assured that the return on my investment (of time) will be worth it.
I miss reading for fun. I miss falling in love with a book. I miss wanting the book not to end. I also just miss taking time for myself that is just for me - not for school, not for work, not for my parents, not even for, bless his fluffy heart, my dog - just me. Mr. "I only read 52 books this year and want to make sure I read more next year" made me realize that I can commit to reading for fun more. I'm going to read 52 books this year. That's just one a week. That's fine. I can do that. I don't need to watch as much bad tv as I watch. Goodbye, TLC! Hello (again), literature!
First up is "The Great Gatsby" for a few reasons. First, it's short and I want to finish it by Sunday. I also haven't read it since middle school and all I remember is that I didn't like it, so maybe it needs a second chance after more than twenty years. In addition, it's said to be inspired by Fitzgerald's time in Delaware (where I'm from) with all the drunken parties, so that's something. If you're going to be in Delaware, it's probably best to be drunk. Mansions only make that better. Finally, I know I'm going to cave and see the movie when it comes out, so I should probably refresh my memory of the story.
Any recommendations?
I used to be one of those people, though. I used to read two or three books a week, even during my M.A. This PhD, however, has killed my interest in reading anything that is not immediately necessary to my research or teaching. I look at books or articles all day long. I do not want my down time to be time spent looking at books. This hasn't stopped me from buying a ton of books to be read later; bookstores are like crack, after all. When I do read non-academic books now, they tend to be favorites that I've read before, partly because if I'm going to take time away from my work, I want to be assured that the return on my investment (of time) will be worth it.
I miss reading for fun. I miss falling in love with a book. I miss wanting the book not to end. I also just miss taking time for myself that is just for me - not for school, not for work, not for my parents, not even for, bless his fluffy heart, my dog - just me. Mr. "I only read 52 books this year and want to make sure I read more next year" made me realize that I can commit to reading for fun more. I'm going to read 52 books this year. That's just one a week. That's fine. I can do that. I don't need to watch as much bad tv as I watch. Goodbye, TLC! Hello (again), literature!
First up is "The Great Gatsby" for a few reasons. First, it's short and I want to finish it by Sunday. I also haven't read it since middle school and all I remember is that I didn't like it, so maybe it needs a second chance after more than twenty years. In addition, it's said to be inspired by Fitzgerald's time in Delaware (where I'm from) with all the drunken parties, so that's something. If you're going to be in Delaware, it's probably best to be drunk. Mansions only make that better. Finally, I know I'm going to cave and see the movie when it comes out, so I should probably refresh my memory of the story.
Any recommendations?
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