A gentler approach to (academic) writing
Recently I was sketching out my monthly schedule and as I was blocking time out to do some writing on a journal article, I gave an involuntary ‘urgh’. And then I thought: ‘huh. Where did that come from?’.
See, it’s nothing to do with the project; the project is great. We’ve done interviews and our participants could not have been more candid, thoughtful, or reflective. So the ‘data’, for want of a better word, is really interesting. The research poses questions that I am curious to think through with my co-authors, who I really enjoy working with. There’s an intellectual motivation, then, and a social-professional one. It feels like a story that is worth telling because it has implications for the way organisations are set up in the future, meaning that there is a broader drive to write it.
But still, there’s the urgh.
This all got me thinking about my relationship with (academic) writing and wondering what exactly it is that makes it feel so hard. I (half-)joked in my introduction to the (academic) writer series that I’m sure someone, somewhere has the answer to easy (academic) writing, and that I’ll find it if I pester enough people. While I’m still entirely committed to the cause (I can’t tell you how much I love reading the t(a)w blogs when they land in my inbox, and how much I look forward to sharing them with you), I’m also pursuing a second line of thought: How can I cultivate an (academic) writing practice that feels more gentle?
This is something that I’ve been reflecting on a lot recently, and I’m keen to keep exploring what a gentle (academic) writing practice might look like, both in theory and in practice. So far, and as usual, I have more questions than answers, but essentially, I want to:
rewrite the stories we tell ourselves about (academic) writing
become more attuned to my writing seasons
be a better collaborator with/for/to my writing and think through what it means to support my words instead of just expecting them to turn up to the party when I have a spare couple of hours in my calendar
stop writing for Reviewer 2 (or at least with them constantly in mind)
follow the words instead of hustling them along while tapping on my watch impatiently, and
bring the joy back to the process (and if that means buying more stationery, so be it).
If you’re interested in seeing where this has taken me so far, I’ve put together a short series of reflections and thinking prompts for my newsletter subscribers (scroll down to sign up and get your hands on a copy!), but this is just the beginning. I’ll be sharing more of my musings as I muse them, but in the meantime, I’d love to know: does this resonate? Does a more gentle (academic) writing practice feel feasible? What might this look like?