I'm on leave for the next several weeks, so I have queued up a series of "reboot" posts, revisiting evergreen material of mine from this blog and other corners of the interwebs.
A couple of weeks ago, I posted a round-up of the thinking "out loud" I've done about making writing more pleasant -- or at least not any harder than it is by nature of being a craft, professional skill, and cultural performance. Most of the advice I linked to is for people who have some authority or control (aka mentors, supervisors) over how other people experience writing and becoming better at it.
Today, I'm sharing some advice I gave earlier this year to a grad student who was desperate to get better at academic writing, but felt completely on their own about how to do that.
Read on if you need or know people who need this support.
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The honest truth is that there are sadly very few resources formalized on our campus to support graduate writers. [1] But, I'm going to suggest a few possible starting/continuing points for you. Note that the list below might feel like a lot (or nowhere near enough), but leveraging these ideas can help you feel like (a) you're not alone, and (b) there actually are some strategies and resources you can use to better at writing! :)
Above all, you're already on the right track by recognizing that it's a good idea to seek out help and that you can indeed improve as a scholarly writer. Those are the two predominant hurdles I usually see grad students struggle with.
Here are some things that might help you:
There is a fall component to the graduate writing program I run that might be a good starting point for you. There's information about that program (and how to learn about it when we open registration) here. [2]
That same link also lists (at the bottom of the page) some recommended reading for academic writing.
This helpful self-diagnostic tool can help you to identify which dimensions of your writing habits are strong and which areas you can specifically concentrate on enhancing.Â
The Thesis Whisperer is a (possibly overwhelming but incredibly helpful) treasure trove of advice, insights, tools, and more. Same goes for my book co-author, who writes Scientist Sees Squirrel.
I write about academic writing (among many things) on my blog, and some of the posts this spring might be useful to you.
What you'll notice about a lot of these resources is that they seem like they require you to slog away at becoming a better writer all by yourself. But, that's actually the hardest, most painful way to get better at scholarly writing. I strongly recommend you find a few fellow graduate students (in or beyond your program/department) and build up a community of scholarly readers/writers. You'll find remarkable benefits from this, ranging from commiseration and accountability to peer feedback, insightful perspectives, and opportunities to help other people become better at writing (which tends to have trickle-back effects on your own writing). If you're not sure where to start, this excerpt from a book about writing a lot discusses the many forms a writing group can take. It may also be helpful. [3]
NOTES
[1] I'm going to go out on a limb and say the same is true for most graduate students at most institutions in North America. Please let me know if you're at a campus where students actually do get the kind of writing support they need (start to finish).
[2] If you're not at my institution, look for this kind of program at yours. And, if it doesn't exist, feel free to contact me or my collaborators to consult with you on developing programmatic support like this for grad students at your institution.
[3] The excerpt, though perhaps not the whole book. That book can make you feel really guilty for not writing like a machine (a lot, every day). Here's my counter-take on that.