The Final Check-in (Summer Writing Group, Week 15)

Thank you all for a lovely summer writing group. It was a pleasure to host, and I can say with certainty that I would not have accomplished much at all this summer without the weekly check-ins, the challenge of goal setting, and the encouragement of writing alongside other scholars/writers.

For our final check in, assess your progress this summer. Did you accomplish what you set out to? Less? More? What affected your ability to meet your goals? Have you learned things about yourself and/or your writing that you can take with you into the next season?

Format: 1) The week’s goals, 2) Accomplished, 3) Analysis, 4) Overall progress assessment.

If you haven’t yet signed up for the Sept-Dec 2012 writing group over at Dame Eleanor Hull’s, you can do so HERE, if you wish. JaneB and Trapped in Canadia will host the following group, starting in January 2013. Check over at DEH’s in December for more info, if you’re planning to skip the Sept-Dec group.

The final list:

Amstr [complete dissertation draft]: 1) finish annotations and notes on articles, 2) read some more, 3) work on Ch. 1 revision (finish?), 4) work out fall plan for tackling Ch. 2 and prepping to write Ch. 4 (which still needs a LOT of research)
Contingent Cassandra [full draft of J article by 8/24; make progress on P projects; continue freelance work]: Finish J article conclusion; finish teaching statement and other portfolio materials; finish up a few long-neglected P project to-dos; finish course materials for one course and make a good start on materials for the second. Also take a break and keep exercising. [next check-in: 8/24]
Daisy [finish thesis]: get set up and working by the Monday after next to be ready for the fall term. [next check-in: 8/24]
DEH [finish and submit MMP and article]: 2 hours a day; visible progress on both the MMP and on the translation work
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell [book chapter proposal; writing 4 days/week]: ? [writing 4 days/week]
emmawriting [EOCP full draft sent to collaborator, MC paper results section done, MUL data collected, MC5 fully prepped]: MC1 analyzed; MC4 analysis decisions finalized; MC5 decisions finalized and scales sent for translation. Also some major committee work
GEW [short draft of new chapter (10 pages)]: Use existing notes to draft a coherent and cohesive first 5-7 pages of chapter.
humming42 [complete book MS]: finish syllabi and proposal for certificate program, have handbook read for orientation, solid first draft of August project.
JaneB [chip away at writing backlog]: progress on the BittyPaper, and commenting on two papers where I’m a subsidiary co-author – the one the Cloud ate and a second one
jenk [good draft of main project; figures + results of side project]: Discuss new paper outlines with advisers and collaborators. Start making/collecting figures.
Kirstin [rough draft of journal article]: ? [more progress on weeks 3 and 4, work two weekdays]
luolin88 [finish and submit journal article; submit 2nd ms to new journal]: 1/2 hour Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Matilda [2 of 4: paper, 3 presentations]: preparation for a longer presentation, 15-minute writing a day (my writing habit has been collasping recently)
NWGirl [revise 2 papers for publication]: [no goal listed]
rented life [2 solid book chapters]: Write 3 times. Finish syllabus and course schedule. Figure out a Fall schedule for myself.
Sapience [complete diss; plan for one project for fall]: ?? simply surviving
tracynicolerose [draft of TS and analysis for BE]: Write a process memo for the BE analysis; Review the BE packets; and finish reading for LM paper.

Writing Time (Summer Writing Group, Week 14)

In the comments about preparing for fall, many of you wrote of setting aside time to write, and the ways that those times can get interrupted or pushed aside. Here are a few examples:

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell:

The main struggle will be to block out what time I can for writing. My administrative duties will explode in the fall. In order to combat the loss of time, I have set up meetings with myself that are inviolate. . . . The next thing I need to do is find a place to hide.

GEW:

I might be able to reserve an hour mid-day on Mondays, and I might be able to reserve an hour one morning a week. But I know what will happen, those mornings will come along, and I’ll be behind with grading and prep work, and I’ll have to get that stuff done.

Dame Eleanor Hull:

I have been thinking about Z’s remarks on preserving the scholar-self, and also about Virginia Valian’s comment about it being irresponsible not to do research (that is, one is responsible to one’s work, not just to other people such as students and administrators). I think more than specific planning about time and place, I need to preserve that sense of writing/research as something that is important and cannot be pushed aside to do this or that for someone else.

So how can we preserve the importance of writing and research? How do you assign them their proper value? What does this mean for how you handle other work or life pressures?

For me, these questions boil down to identity (see Dame Eleanor’s like above). I still struggle to see myself as a writer, even though academic writing is what I’ve been doing for the better part of my adult life. My “scholar-self” often gets overthrown by my mother-self or my pleasure-reader-self or my web-surfing-self. In my case, my scholar-self is not so much attacked from outside, as it is subverted from within. How do you preserve your identity as a scholar?

Check in: This week, the usual. Next week, we’ll do a final check in complete with an assessment of your summer progress. I expect to have more solid information on the fall group by next week. UPDATE: Dame Eleanor will be hosting a Sept-Dec 2012 group, starting Aug 31. Sign up HERE.

The penultimate goals list:

Amstr [complete dissertation draft]: Work on Ch. 1 (research, reading, writing, formatting): M 4 hours, T 6 hours, W 4 hours, Th 6 hours, F 4 hours.
Contingent Cassandra [full draft of J article by 8/24; make progress on P projects; continue freelance work]: Finish J article conclusion; finish teaching statement and other portfolio materials; finish up a few long-neglected P project to-dos; finish course materials for one course and make a good start on materials for the second. Also take a break and keep exercising. [next check-in: 8/24]
Daisy [finish thesis]: get set up and working by the Monday after next to be ready for the fall term. [next check-in: 8/24]
DEH [finish and submit MMP and article]: 2 hours of research a day, just like I want to do when classes start. Translation? MMP? Both? I want visible progress next week.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell [book chapter proposal; writing 4 days/week]:  Two hours a day polishing. I need it all in somewhat presentable shape for the meeting with the mentor.
emmawriting [ EOCP full draft sent to collaborator, MC paper results section done, MUL data collected, MC5 fully prepped]: Spend 75% of Thurs and Fri (let’s say, total of 5 hours each day) working on a grant proposal and working on MC results and MC5 preparation.
GEW [short draft of new chapter (10 pages)]: Figure out a work plan for fall and decide whether or not I’m going to make some e-mail rules for myself. Also, read one chapter and write 500 words
humming42 [complete book MS]: continue daily work on the August project and teaching prep, 30 minutes each.
JaneB [chip away at writing backlog]: tackle that R&R (I’d like to draft the new version this week) and draft a job application letter
jenk [good draft of main project; figures + results of side project]:  20 min thinking about/working on one of the papers
Kirstin [rough draft of journal article]: more progress on weeks 3 and 4, work two weekdays
luolin88 [finish and submit journal article; submit 2nd ms to new journal]: 1/2 hour TWF
Matilda [2 of 4: paper, 3 presentations]: preparation for my two presentation: short one and long one.
NWGirl [revise 2 papers for publication]: 1). finish syllabus for intro class; 2). work out revision schedule; 3). work at least one hour per day (M-F) on manuscript; 4). set up meetings with my thesis students.
rented life [2 solid book chapters]: Finish book I started, order book I’ve been meaning to order for weeks for research purposes, Write 3 times for however long feels comfortable.
Sapience [complete diss; plan for one project for fall]: ? simply surviving
tracynicolerose [draft of TS and analysis for BE]: Start incorporating my TS report notes into the draft paper; finish reading for LM paper.

Fall approacheth (Summer Writing Group, Week 13)

Lots of people here are beginning prep for fall classes. And some of our members have started thinking about what their writing schedule will look like. Mathilda has begun working on a writing plan. humming42 is starting work on an additional project that can be a main focus in the fall. Contingent Cassandra is already attempting to move into a fall writing schedule to prepare and start habits now. What do you need to do to prepare for writing this fall? How can you maintain some good habits you’ve established this summer? What habits do you need to modify as you enter a new season of writing?

Speaking of thinking ahead to fall, I would love to see this group keep going! (I sure need the accountability.) For the summer group, we’ll have two more check in days after today (Week 14 will be normal, Week 15 will be to report your final progress and overall progress). In this spirit of this collaborative group, I’d be happy to pass off the hosting responsibilities to someone else. If you would like to host this group in the fall, make note in your comment.

Please check in by noon Monday: 1) Goals, 2) Accomplished, 3) Analysis, 4) Goals for next week, 5) optional Next check in date, if you’ll miss next week.

The work:

Amstr [complete dissertation draft]: 1) actually send Ch.3 and intro; 2) make progress on Ch. 1 expansion (aim for halfway +), 3) work well, incl. 2 evenings, starting with an easy task each day.
Contingent Cassandra [full draft of J article by 8/24; make progress on P projects; continue freelance work]: Make progress on the J article during 2 short and one longer first-thing-in-the-morning sessions (probably Tu/F/Sa); Finish a draft of the teaching statement for the promotion portfolio (M/W/Th?) and work on preparing course materials for both portfolio and coming semester; write freelance piece (do a bit each day).
Daisy [finish thesis]: get something off the list every day, and try for 4 hours of writing time.
DEH [finish and submit MMP and article]: catch up with the translation work
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell [book chapter proposal; writing 4 days/week]: spend two hours a day plugging holes in the two articles.
emmawriting [ EOCP full draft sent to collaborator, MC paper results section done, MUL data collected, MC5 fully prepped]: ? Goal 1: grade papers in less than 30 minutes per paper; Goal 2: Be sure to do SOMETHING to push forward writing on Thursday and Friday after grade deadline.
GEW [short draft of new chapter (10 pages)]: Read two book chapters, write 500 words for diss chapter five.
humming42 [complete book MS]: 30 minutes a day on the August project + 30 minutes a day on another research project
JaneB [chip away at writing backlog]: develop a plan for the rest of the summer for my writing.
jenk [good draft of main project; figures + results of side project]: ? 2/3 of Figures + captions. More work on the results.
Kirstin [rough draft of journal article]:  Continue on weeks 3 and 4, work two weekdays this week, in addition to the weekend.
luolin88 [finish and submit journal article; submit 2nd ms to new journal]: 1/2 hour TWThF
Matilda [2 of 4: paper, 3 presentations]: making a plan and starting to write a research review article, writing research review part of my presentation.
NWGirl [revise 2 papers for publication]: ? Structure for article#2.
rented life [2 solid book chapters]: ? 10 min a day of ‘writing activity’–writing, editing, reviewing previous drafts, etc.–, continued, except Thursday
Sapience [complete diss; plan for one project for fall]: simply surviving
tracynicolerose [draft of TS and analysis for BE]:  ? Slog through the TS reports I ran; 2nd level memo on the BS data; read for the LM paper.

STOP: a little writing advice from Vanilla Ice (Summer Writing Group, Week 12)

JaneB said in the comments last week

learning when to STOP working on things is a useful survival tool.

And the little cassette player in my head started in with “STOP! Collaborate, and listen . . .” and pretty soon I had the full on chorus blasting in my noggin. (And here is where I date myself. And if you need a little diversion, you can watch the official video here.)

We all have to stop writing at some point, and while sometimes we’re forced to stop by an external deadline, often we have to decide to stop. So how do you decide when to stop?

How are your stopping habits? Do you tend to stop too soon? Not soon enough? How do you feel when you stop writing–relieved? panicky? depressed? proud? What do you need to learn about stopping?

As usual, please check in by noon Monday, but feel free to continue the conversation beyond then. Check in format: 1) Goals, 2) Accomplished, 3) Analysis, 4) Goals for next week, 5) optional Next check in date, if you’ll miss a week or two or three.

This week’s goals:

Amstr [complete dissertation draft]: 1) finish Ch. 3 changes, 2) make progress on Ch. 1 expansion (aim for halfway), 3) work well, incl. 2 evenings.
Becky [journal article]: ??
Contingent Cassandra [full draft of J article by 8/24; make progress on P projects; continue freelance work]: Continue progress on the J article; prepare and give P project presentation; plan and conduct a day of P-project archival research (and network with people at the presentation); do some preliminary research/writing for the next 2 freelance pieces (but concentrate mainly on J, P, and household/financial projects). (next check-in 8/3)
Daisy [finish thesis]: Pick one thing off the list each day and aim for 4 hours…
DEH [finish and submit MMP and article]: really, truly, definitely finish the perfectionistic polishing and submit the motherloving companion piece already.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell [book chapter proposal; writing 4 days/week]: Write an hour a day four days a week.
emmawriting [ EOCP full draft sent to collaborator, MC paper results section done, MUL data collected, MC5 fully prepped]: Goal 1: grade papers in less than 30 minutes per paper; Goal 2: Be sure to do SOMETHING to push forward writing on Thursday and Friday after grade deadline.
GEW [short draft of new chapter (10 pages)]: Read one article, one book intro, and one book chapter.
humming42 [complete book MS]: 30 minutes on the August project + 30 minutes on the manuscript or one of the September projects each day.
JaneB [chip away at writing backlog]: develop a plan for the rest of the summer for my writing.
jenk [good draft of main project; figures + results of side project]: 2/3 of Figures + captions. More work on the results.
Kirstin [rough draft of journal article]:  finish week 3, start week 4
luolin88 [finish and submit journal article; submit 2nd ms to new journal]: Get my momentum back. Work on article Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for at least 30 minutes. Get past the (necessary) fiddling around with my draft so I can finish and submit before the fall semester. Go to bed early enough, which for me right now means 10:30pm.
Matilda [2 of 4: paper, 3 presentations]: [no goal listed]
NWGirl [revise 2 papers for publication]: Structure for article#2.
rented life [2 solid book chapters]: 10 min a day of ‘writing activity’–writing, editing, reviewing previous drafts, etc.–, continued, except Thursday
Sapience [complete diss; plan for one project for fall]: ? finish this round of proofreading in preparation for sending the whole thing off to someone else for a good look.
tracynicolerose [draft of TS and analysis for BE]:  Slog through the TS reports I ran; 2nd level memo on the BS data; read for the LM paper.

Perfection (Summer Writing Group, Week 11)

I’m a terrible perfectionist.* The worst kind. I find the desire for perfection so great and the prospect of perfection so distant that I seize up and end up feeling lazy. Then I panic. My perfectionism causes all sorts of problems for my writing, but it can help as well. My attention to detail makes me a better editor and proofreader, for instance. (And here’s where I cross my fingers that I haven’t left any typos in this post.) But to really make progress in my writing, I have to fool myself out of my perfectionistic tendencies and only allow them space at certain times in the writing process.

Does perfectionism play a role in your writing? Is it a help? A hindrance? A monster you need to tame? What are your strategies for handling and using perfectionism? If you don’t tend toward perfectionism, what benefits do you gain? Would perfectionism be useful at all?

*I got to thinking about this topic because of a post at Study Hacks this week.

__________________________________________________

As usual, please check in by noon Monday, but feel free to continue the conversation beyond then. Check in format: 1) Goals, 2) Accomplished, 3) Analysis, 4) Goals for next week, 5) optional Next check in date, if you’ll miss a week or two or three.

Here you go:

Amstr [complete dissertation draft]: 1) type of Ch. 3 revisions and fix the 9 things left, 2) draft half of Ch. 1 (cutting and pasting lots), 3) do research on three areas of Ch. 1, 4) work at work time + 2 evenings
Becky [journal article]: ?
Contingent Cassandra [full draft of J article by 8/24; make progress on P projects; continue freelance work]: Continue progress on the J article; prepare and give P project presentation; plan and conduct a day of P-project archival research (and network with people at the presentation); do some preliminary research/writing for the next 2 freelance pieces (but concentrate mainly on J, P, and household/financial projects). (next check-in 8/3)
Daisy [finish thesis]: make a list of everything that each paper still needs, and pick something every day and do it. And up the 2 hours of writing to 4.
DEH [finish and submit MMP and article]: print out, proofread and polish the companion-essay, and submit it. Return to the MMP, see where I am with it, make a plan, and carry out some part of that plan. Spend at least 2 hours on the translation project.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell [book chapter proposal; writing 4 days/week]: Write an hour and a half four days a week.
emmawriting [EOCP full draft sent to collaborator, MC paper results section done, MUL data collected, MC5 fully prepped]: EOCP: Outline Discussion; Continue to review articles, & write notecards or brief summaries to put into Intro draft; write some draft sections of Intro, at least 1 paragraph. MCP: Finish draft writeup of MC3, figure out problem. Analyze MC 4
GEW [short draft of new chapter (10 pages)]: Finish reading the article.
humming42 [complete book MS]: work at least a half hour each day on the manuscript and on one of the September projects.
JaneB [chip away at writing backlog]: write a conference abstract and a four page Application For Workshop Session (next check-in 7/27 or 8/3)
jenk [good draft of main project; figures + results of side project]: ? 2/3 of Figures + captions. More work on the results. (Reminder to self to have something to show the adviser at the beginning of next week.)
Kirstin [rough draft of journal article]: ? Finish WYJA week 3, start week 4
luolin88 [finish and submit journal article; submit 2nd ms to new journal]: 1/2 hour editing on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Matilda [2 of 4: paper, 3 presentations]: new plan to November and a few years ahead/an article proposal
NWGirl [revise 2 papers for publication]: Submit article #1 to selected journal. Work on structure for article #2. And start on class prep.
rented life [2 solid book chapters]: Continue with 10 min a day of writing.
Sapience [complete diss; plan for one project for fall]: finish this round of proofreading in preparation for sending the whole thing off to someone else for a good look (next check-in 7/27).
tracynicolerose [draft of TS and analysis for BE]: Look at the data for the TS findings; read for the LM paper
Trapped in Canadia [2 diss. chapters; 1 turned into edited book ch.]: ???

Reading and Writing (Summer Writing Group, Week 10)

This is a writing group, but academic writing requires reading. I haven’t been reading much lately because I’ve been pushing to finish some drafts. One chapter in particular is feeling stale, and I feel like I need an injection of scholarly talk about my subject to remind me of how to think about it with complexity. Reading is definitely in my future.

How does reading fit into your writing life? Do you write first and read later? Do both at the same time? Read first, then write? Do you read quickly? Slowly? Are there moments when you know you need to stop reading? Or start reading?

Please check in by noon on Monday: 1) Goals, 2) Accomplished, 3) Analysis, 4) Goals for next week, 5) optional Next check in date, if you’ll miss a week or two or three.

The List:

Amstr [complete dissertation draft]: 1) 18 final pages of Ch. 3 revisions, 2) proofread Ch. 2 and send to advisor, 3) re-read article version of Ch. 1, outline, make a list of things to research, attempt to write a bad introduction, 4) use work time well and work 2 evenings.
Becky [journal article]: Keep reading. At least one paper a day.
Contingent Cassandra [full draft of J article by 8/24; make progress on P projects; continue freelance work]: reacquaint myself with the J article-in-progress (begun); re-read J sources; start writing. Finish another freelance piece.
Daisy [finish thesis]: ? write 2 hours every day
DEH [finish and submit MMP and article]: polished draft with notes and formatted to journal style, printed out for final proofreading before submission.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell [book chapter proposal; writing 4 days/week]:  Write an hour and a half four days a week.
emmawriting [ EOCP full draft sent to collaborator, MC paper results section done, MUL data collected, MC5 fully prepped]: EOCP: 1st paragraph of Discussion, look up & skim new articles for Intro topics; MCP paper: MC3 write-up finishing, Analyze MC2 and write-up or collect more data, prepare for MC1 analysis; MUL: Look up manipulations, prep for data-collection help; and some teaching/committee work.
GEW [short draft of new chapter (10 pages)]: Read and annotate one article that I’ve been itching to look at.
humming42 [complete book MS]: chapter 2 fully organized (next check in: 7/20)
JaneB [chip away at writing backlog]: complete some refereeing, write research plans for my summer students and for the next piece of fieldwork, and make progress on at least two of the items in the last list (next check in: 7/20 or 8/3)
jenk [good draft of main project; figures + results of side project]: 2/3 of Figures + captions. More work on the results. (Reminder to self to have something to show the adviser at the beginning of next week.)
Kirstin [rough draft of journal article]: Finish WYJA week 3, start week 4
luolin88 [finish and submit journal article; submit 2nd ms to new journal]: 1 hour MWThF; get through the editing for organization. Get to bed on time. This probably means avoiding the computer after dinner.
Matilda [2 of 4: paper, 3 presentations]: finalizing my new plan to November; writing up my presentation report.
NWGirl [revise 2 papers for publication]: 1) Finish revisions on article #1, 2) Work on structure of article #2
rented life [2 solid book chapters]:  Read 1 chapter. Try again with the 10 min a day writing. (Starting Tuesday). unpack.
Sapience [complete diss; plan for one project for fall]: finish this round of proofreading in preparation for sending the whole thing off to someone else for a good look (possibly 7/20 or 27).
tracynicolerose [draft of TS and analysis for BE]: Continue reading for LM; start reading for another paper; look at the data for the TS findings; finish the analysis memo for the BE paper.
Trapped in Canadia [2 diss. chapters; 1 turned into edited book ch.]: ?? Finish the annoying book review. Complete Week 1 of WYJA.

Seeking Help (Summer Writing Group, Week 9)

I find in my writing that I wait way too long to ask others for help. I get mired in my stuck-ness and forget that I have friends and colleagues who would be happy to lend an ear or a readerly eye. At times I’ve gone weeks before I’ve reached out to other writers. They might offer some constructive feedback, encourage me with a cheery “keep going!”; whatever help they give, it’s always gotten me unstuck. Sometimes just asking for help makes all the difference. Last week I made it all the way to panic on Friday, managed to convince myself to send what I had off to my writing partner that afternoon, and on Saturday I had a productive writing session. I clearly need to learn to shorten the time between when I start to be stuck and when I ask for help. What’s your strategy?

What triggers you to ask for help? Who do you ask for help? What kind of help do you ask for?

Feel free to give us your mid-summer assessment in your comment this week, if you didn’t get a chance to last week. If you’re revising your summer goal, please check what’s listed next to your name and update it in your comment (see below).

Check in by noon Monday: 1) Goals, 2) Accomplished, 3) Analysis, 4) Goals for next week, 5) optional Next check in date, if you’ll miss a week or two or three. 6) optional Revised summer goal (please make it succinct so I can cut and paste it into the list)

Here’s what you said you’d try to do this week:

Amstr [complete dissertation]: 1) 15 pages of Ch. 3 revisions, 2) finish Ch. 2 draft, 3) re-read article version of Ch. 1, outline, make a list of things to research, 4) use work time to work, and work 2 evenings.
Becky [journal article]:  Figure out how to explain this last set of results. I will do this by continuing to read at least 2 papers a day.
Contingent Cassandra [full draft of J article by 8/24; make progress on P projects; continue freelance work.]: research and write current freelance piece, keeping good track of hours spent and observing work patterns.
Daisy [finish thesis]: write 2 hours every day
DEH [finish and submit MMP and article]: polished draft with notes and formatted to journal style, printed out for final proofreading before submission.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell [progress on diss or article]: Writing an hour and a half a day four times a week. Assess and tweak goals for the rest of the summer.
emmawriting [2 articles submitted; work on 1 of 2 articles]: finishing-up of EOCP results, analysis of one MC study, and planning of the last MC study; grade two student theses.
GEW [draft of new chapter; edit article]: finish the primary source novel. (next check in: 7/13)
humming42 [complete book MS]: chapter 2 fully organized (next check in: 7/20)
JaneB [chip away at writing backlog]: SOME activity on ANY ONE of the following: first draft of the MSc paper, do an R&R, get a first draft of the NextBigPaper out to collaborators, do a re-rewrite of the intro to ComplicatedPaper based on the comments from co-authors that have come in along with a final polish and submit, write a plan for the next chunk of fieldwork. (next check-in possibly 7/13)
jenk [good draft of main project; figures + results of side project]: 2/3 of Figures + captions. More work on the results.
Kirstin [rough draft of journal article]: Read one article, write-out my argument(s) and evidence
luolin88 [finish and submit journal article; start next article]: 1/2 Monday; 1 hour Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
Matilda [2 of 4: paper, 3 presentations]: reflecting my presentation, making a working plan for this July ~ November.
NWGirl [revise 2 papers for publication]: 1). Finish revisions on article #1, 2). Work on structure of article #2
rented life [2 solid book chapters]: Write for 10 minutes (min) on Mon-Thur. Research 2 job posting to decide on applying.
Sapience [complete diss; decide scope of new idea]: avoid the libraries, revise/proofread at least one chapter of the diss.
tracynicolerose [draft of TS and analysis for BE]: Continue reading for LM paper, go back to the data for the TS paper so I can continue with findings section; write analysis memo for BE paper.
Trapped in Canadia [2 diss. chapters; 1 turned into edited book ch.]: ? Finish the annoying book review. Complete Week 1 of WYJA.

Mid-summer Assessment (Summer Writing Group, Week 8)

We’re halfway! And so it seems an appropriate time to take a look back at what we’ve accomplished so far this summer and what we still have left to do. You might find you’ve done more than you thought you would. If so, have a little party! Or you might be right on track. Again, some sort of celebration is in order. You might be behind where you wanted to be. Reward yourself for what you have done this summer.

And then its time for all of us to get real about what the rest of the summer holds. Are your current goals realistic? Optimistic? Too optimistic? Defeating? What do you need to get done this summer, and what can you postpone if you won’t have the time to finish?

Give us the rundown–what have you accomplished? What’s your updated summer goal? Will you need to make any changes in your work patterns to be able to meet your goal?

Check in by noon Monday: 1) Goals, 2) Accomplished, 3) Analysis, 4) Goals for next week, 5) optional Next check in date, if you’ll miss a week or two or three.

Here’s what you wanted to do this week:

Amstr [complete dissertation]: 1) tackle 2 pages of Ch. 3 revisions, 2) finish Ch. 2 draft.
Becky [journal article]: read at least 2 more papers this week.
Contingent Cassandra [full draft of J by 7/21; progress on P project]: finish freelance piece and grading, TAKE BREAK for at least a week, maybe 10 days. Reacquaint myself with J project (probably on July 7); begin planning/replanning rest of summer (or maybe that will be the following week). (next check-in 7/6)
Daisy [finish thesis]: ? Go talk at next conference, and finish the paper.
DEH [finish and submit MMP and article]: Sort out the problematic discussion; finish the rough draft; start grooming the draft.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell [progress on diss or article]: An hour four days a week.
emmawriting [2 articles submitted; work on 1 of 2 articles]: Work on EOCP once during week.
GEW [draft of new chapter; edit article]: finish the primary source novel. (next check in: 7/13)
humming42 [complete book MS]: mark up the preliminary material and have an idea of the major sections for Chapter 2.
JaneB [chip away at writing backlog]: SOME activity on ANY ONE of the following: first draft of the MSc paper, do an R&R, get a first draft of the NextBigPaper out to collaborators, do a re-rewrite of the intro to ComplicatedPaper based on the comments from co-authors that have come in along with a final polish and submit, write a plan for the next chunk of fieldwork. (next check-in possibly 7/13)
jenk [submit article; materials/methods + research sections of thesis]: Get at least half of my pieces of data made into figures (with legends). Start writing results.
Kirstin [rough draft of journal article]:  read the last set of articles.
luolin88 [finish and submit journal article; start next article]: 1 hour on Tuesday, Thursday. 1/2 hour on Friday.
Matilda [2 of 4: paper, 3 presentations]: reflecting my presentation; making a working plan of July- November.
NWGirl [revise 2 papers for publication]: 1). Continue to work on revisions on the article. I must have this submitted no later than July 14 (personal goal). 2). Trek to the archives to resolve the problem with article #2.
psycgirl [R&R MS; submit MS#2; outline review article]: ??
rented life [2 solid book chapters]: write 1 page, read 1 chapter and apply for 1 job
Sapience [complete diss; decide scope of new idea]: write at least 400 words a day. Can be blog posts, notes, or actual revisions on the diss.
tracynicolerose [P&P and LM papers ready for conference mid-summer; drafting TS and BE papers]: Continue to work on rough draft of findings; read for at least one of my 5 writing projects.
Trapped in Canadia [2 diss. chapters; 1 turned into edited book ch.]: ? Finish the annoying book review. Complete Week 1 of WYJA.

OBE (Overwhelmed By Events) (Summer Writing Group, Week 7)

This week I’m going to revisit a topic Notorious PhD, Girl Scholar, introduced last summer (in an earlier version of this writing group). Here’s what she said then:

OBE [Overwhelmed By Events] can arise from expected causes – a conference, a vacation, a family visit. It can also be the result of unforseen events: illness (yours or a family member’s), or another project that pops up and demands your immediate attention (ADM talked last week about strategies for juggling projects). Or you could have just been hit by severe lethargy, gotten sucked in by Hulu or Netflix or an ambition to read the complete works of Dickens, and let a two-day break stretch into two weeks, and now you don’t know how to get back again. These things do happen, and while we strive to be dedicated writers who meet our goals, we are not machines.

But also: Let’s talk about how to keep a detour from becoming a permanent derailment. After all, if you get derailed, you become demoralized, which makes it even harder to get started again. It’s happened to all of us . . .

What do you to do keep OBE from completely sabotaging your writing life? How do you stay engaged with your project when everything seems to distract from it? If you do have to take a break from your project, how do you get started again quickly? What steps will you take the next time this happens to you?

Check in guidelines, as usual: 1) Goals, 2) Accomplished, 3) Analysis, 4) Goals for next week, 5) optional Next check in date, if you’ll miss a week or two or three.

The List:

Amstr [complete dissertation]: 1) reverse outline Ch.2 Article Version, 2) type in changes for Ch. 3 revision pass, 3) “draft” 20 more pages of Ch. 2, Extra Credit) do some reading for ArticleRev.
Becky [journal article]: Keep reading at least one paper a day and maybe, just maybe, try to write a little.
Contingent Cassandra [full draft of J by 7/21; progress on P project]: finish freelance piece and grading, TAKE BREAK for at least a week, maybe 10 days. Reacquaint myself with J project (probably on July 7); begin planning/replanning rest of summer (or maybe that will be the following week). (next check-in 7/6)
Daisy [finish thesis]: Go talk at next conference, and finish the paper.
DEH [finish and submit MMP and article]: keep trying to finish the draft.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell [progress on diss or article]: 5 or 6 hours (check in 6/29)
emmawriting [2 articles submitted; work on 1 of 2 articles]: On free mornings, work on EOCP or another pub for 2 hours. [done for Monday, impossible for Tuesday]
GEW [draft of new chapter; edit article]: ?
humming42 [complete book MS]: chapter sent off.
JaneB [chip away at writing backlog]: SOME activity on ANY ONE of the following: first draft of the MSc paper, do an R&R, get a first draft of the NextBigPaper out to collaborators, do a re-rewrite of the intro to ComplicatedPaper based on the comments from co-authors that have come in along with a final polish and submit, write a plan for the next chunk of fieldwork. (next check-in possibly 7/13)
jenk [submit article; materials/methods + research sections of thesis]: Flesh out some thoughts for what could go in the intro and discussion sections of the paper we’re about to write
Kirstin [rough draft of journal article]:  WYJA Week 3
luolin88 [finish and submit journal article; start next article]: 1/2 hour MWTHF, working on the article.
Matilda [2 of 4: paper, 3 presentations]: finishing a draft. Do it.
NWGirl [revise 2 papers for publication]: Finish revisions, double check citations and format.
psycgirl [R&R MS; submit MS#2; outline review article]: ?
rented life [2 solid book chapters]: Write. 1 page. Read: 1 chapter. Apply to two jobs.
Ruthie [chapter; book proposal; 2 articles]: ???
Sapience [complete diss; decide scope of new idea]: look at lots of sixteenth century books and write at least one paragraph about each relevant/interesting one. Extra credit: write a blog post about the work in the archives. (next check in: 6/29)
tracynicolerose [P&P and LM papers ready for conference mid-summer; drafting TS and BE papers]: Do some reading for the P&P and the LM paper and take notes. Also finish the rough draft of the findings section on the support paper.
Trapped in Canadia [2 diss. chapters; 1 turned into edited book ch.]: Finish the annoying book review. Complete Week 1 of WYJA.

Audience (Summer Writing Group, Week 6)

Last week in her comment, NWGirl included this piece of advice from her dissertation chair:

Write for an informed reader not an academic. That is avoid the jargon, the academicese. Don’t bore your reader. Challenge your reader but avoid being pompous. My dissertation chair said she wrote for her mother, a well-read reader but one who didn’t hold an advanced degree in the field.

Whom do you write for?  Who is your imagined audience for your current project? Is it different from your real audience? How does your sense of audience affect your writing?

Please check in by noon on Monday (PST). The comments will technically be open after that if you’d like to continue conversations.

Thanks for adhering to the check in format: 1) Goals, 2) Accomplished, 3) Analysis, 4) Goals for next week, 5) optional Next check in date, if you’ll miss a week or two or three.

Roll call:

Amstr [complete dissertation]: 1) find books/article for one section of Article Revision revision, 2) finish Ch. 3 revision pass, 3) make photocopies from overdue library books, 4) “draft” 5 pages of Ch. 2 (copying lots from the article).
Aria [something ??]: ?
Becky [journal article]: Read at least 1 paper a day for this manuscript
Contingent Cassandra [full draft of J by end of summer; progress on P project]: finish up class and get as much grading done as possible. Get as far as possible on 2nd freelance assignment. Generally prepare and protect time for very badly needed real break after grades and 2nd freelance assignment are in. Touch base with J materials if possible.
Daisy [finish thesis]: regroup and figure out which way to go.
DEH [finish and submit MMP and article]: keep trying to finish the draft. Seriously, I need about 500-700 new words, another 1000 moved in from a conference paper version, and then a lot of grooming.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell [progress on diss or article]: 5 or 6 hours (check in possibly 6/29)
emmawriting [2 articles submitted; work on 1 of 2 articles]: Work on EOCP or writing every day. Again, try to put it first if possible. Also try to be more efficient about other kinds of work, fit them in on “regular” days so that they don’t entirely take over on “last-minute” days.
GEW [draft of new chapter; edit article]: Finish primary source and type notes and quotes.
humming42 [complete book MS]: Finish the N section, with a goal of submitting the chapter by June 28.
JaneB [chip away at writing backlog]: Survive! SOME activity on ANY ONE of the following: rough out the problem with the MSc paper, do an R&R, get a first draft of the NextBigPaper out to collaborators, do a re-rewrite of the intro to ComplicatedPaper based on the comments from co-authors that have come in along with a final polish and submit, or complete the administrivia-report.
jenk [submit article; materials/methods + research sections of thesis]: an hour and a half with the thesis (next check in: 6/22)
Kirstin [rough draft of journal article]: ?
kiwimedievalist [article]: ??
luolin88 [finish and submit journal article; start next article]: 1/2 revising Monday (today);
1/2 revising Th and Fr after returning from trip. (next check in: 6/22)
Matilda [2 of 4: paper, 3 presentations]: Sending a replying e-mail on my arguement and finishing a draft.
NWGirl [revise 2 papers for publication]: work on revising (the intro and the conclusion), editing, etc.; full draft with the new literature, etc. by the end of this week; write first thing in the morning (except one day).
psycgirl [R&R MS; submit MS#2; outline review article]: send manuscript off to grad student so he can add his part, revise Part II. Jot down some thoughts re: review article
rented life [2 solid book chapters]: Do all the moving stuff, read 2 chapters. (next check in: 6/22)
Ruthie [chapter; book proposal; 2 articles]: ??
Sapience [complete diss; decide scope of new idea]: look at lots of sixteenth century books and write at least one paragraph about each relevant/interesting one. Extra credit: write a blog post about the work in the archives. (next check in: 6/29)
tracynicolerose [P&P and LM papers ready for conference mid-summer; drafting TS and BE papers]: re-read the P&P paper draft and make a list of edits that it needs. Some reading for at least one of the three papers on my plate this summer. (next check in: 6/22)
Trapped in Canadia [2 diss. chapters; 1 turned into edited book ch.]: (next check in: 6/22)