The March Toward Full: Shame

I should have made "full" long ago!

I can't believe I can't get writing!

I have no original ideas?

My field has passed me by!

It would be awful to admit that I need help with my writing at this point of my career!

These are but a few of the shame-based/shame-inducing things that I have heard from associate professors who feel stuck. Those whose careers have not progressed the way they had hoped often feel ashamed and demoralized. They have let themselves, and their colleagues, down.

In response they pour themselves into extra service, hoping that this  good citizenship provides evidence to themselves and other that they are worthy. Sadly, this overcompensation can perpetuate a vicious cycle of taking on tasks and roles that are less fulfilling, and make it hard to move toward the type of work that some wish to do.

Others feel ashamed that they are not writing and publishing, but really don't wish to write and publish much. They also do a good deal of service, but they like their service, and feel this is really where they wish to put their energy. Sadly, they still judge themselves, and find themselves progressively unhappy, often thinking about leaving higher education.

Both "types" suffer from the internalization of standards and expectations that keep them from feeling good about their careers. Both need some help to sort out the painful, self-downing messages that keep them stuck. Sadly, they also may have internalized the individualistic ideal of the academe-I must do this alone.

Getting over such shame-based messages means you are going to have to open up to someone about them, to process them, and to engage in some reprogramming. With whom you do this work, and how you do it, is up to you, but you owe it to yourself to do it!

Challenge: Develop an Article Purpose Statement on Teaching

The most important sentence of an article is the purpose statement. The propose statement (which differs greatly from the notion of thesis statement, as I have explored in the past), is what you use to guide all the decisions you make when developing the architecture of your article.

Young scholars are often stuck without ideas to write about if they "don't have data." Yet, as I have explored, many, many articles are not data driven.

Try this exercise. Develop an article purpose statement based upon one of these two "shells." Fill in the blanks with a few possibilities; play with it.

Using _______ (teaching strategy, teaching method or approach) for working with first generation college students (feel free to replace the “type" of student here that you wish to target)

Engaging students with____________: Implications for _________ instructors 

Don't think these are publishable? Ha! Check in on Friday when I explore teaching and pedagogy related journals.

Writing time

I am in my two day article writing workshop, and we have time for 15 minutes of writing. Everyone wrote a magic paragraph, thereby creating the architecture for an article, and are doing some focused free writing. Since I am the leader, I try to focus on some non-article writing; I want to be accessible to the group and in tune with where they are in the process. It is exciting watching people write.

They are writing, in spite of believing that they can't, in spite of believing that they are not good enough, not original enough, and the many other blocks that many bring to the table. I am excited about the possibilities of what each will take with them, and what scholarship may be written due to their learning some tools, and from having deconstructed and practiced the process of writing articles. Yay!

Placebo

My full time gig is as a professor of social work. I tend to teach a lot of the helping skills/practice courses, and have done so for 18 years now (gulp). When teaching helping oriented courses, it is easy to become overwhelmed with the vast amounts of theory, practice skills, and research you want students to absorb. I also have the added issue of the quarter system; ten weeks does not feel like a lot of time when teaching theory and skills in the same course.

So, I try to keep it simple, and really rely on my practice wisdom (to the degree that I posses any!) and the research to help guide my teaching.

One of the principles that I focus on is the power of placebo. Placebo, as you know, is what is used in intervention research instead of the actual intervention, and insures that the receipt of both the intervention and the "fake" treatment are not sure who is getting what.

Sometimes, I hear a student suggest that since an intervention is only somewhat more effective than placebo in the treatment of a psychosocial disorder, it must not be effective.

Yet, this assessment neglects to account for the important confluence of research on placebo, the "waiting room effect" and positive psychology.

Placebo, or the belief that you are getting treatment, can often be highly effective. Why? The belief that one can do something, or that something is going to change, activates something within us that leads to our growth and healing.

Hope? The expectancy for change? An activation of our internal resources that are released in service of growth?

Whatever it is, it is powerful. It is also why I write to former, prospective and clients frequently, even if they don't get back to me. It is not only a letter from "Rich", but "Rich the coach," and a reminder of the possibility of productive writing,  and a desire to grow and change. What I am suggesting is that hope, a focus on our strengths and capacities, and a sincere desire to transcend can go a long, long way.

It Does Not Always Have to Feel Good

Last night I wrote for a bit before I crashed, after my 6:30pm to 9:00pm class. It felt really annoying, but I wanted to stay connect to an article I am about to make my primary article (one just went out the door!), and had a few things I could say. In about 15 minutes, I actually wrote over 100 words- a pretty good "bonus writing" session!

Writing does not always have be like a campy pop song and "Feel good" . There are times when I know that the meaning I will experience from having written trumps a wee bit of momentary annoyance. Today, I am happy I wrote yesterday, and slogged through it!

Wednesdays: Now for You, Attorneys!

Starting now and until the end of summer, and perhaps behind, Wednesdays will be dedicated to writing tips for attorneys. While many of the ideas that I have explored in this blog about writing productivity and the psychosocial barriers to writing certainly apply to lawyers, you have unique needs and concerns. Wednesdays is now for you!

Exercise: Write Out Summer Goals

But don't focus on outcomes goals. Write process goals. Know what I mean? If not, consider. Or ask :).