Writing on the Weekends.....

....is not stressful or taxing if you have worked through the beliefs, self-talk and schema, and the associated emotions,  that lead writing to feel like work.  When you write in a sustainable manner on most days, writing can nurture your life. When it becomes free of judgement and expectation, when you use carefully crafted processes that work for you, it can be a pure joy, or at least a "neutral" activity.

And if you have not achieved this state? Please, don't write on weekends.

Until you do.

Spontaneity and Openness to Compliment Rituals and Habits

Only a couple of days ago I wrote about the importance of habit and ritual- I have done so since the start of this blog, almost seven years ago. I advocate the crafting of processes that we can engage in over and over, day after day, in a sustainable, healthy way. This type of repetition has lead many scholars to success--it is one of the keys to mine.

However, that does not mean that we can't be creative, have periods of time that are more open and spontaneous. For example, I write every day, in a highly ritualized, prescribed manner. But during the summer, and usually once a week during the academic year, I like to go on drives for a "writing day." I don't write the whole day, but I take my writing sessions "on the road" going to random coffee houses, libraries, even piers and parks all over the Puget Sound area. I will use these days for primary articles, or let myself write whatever I want. I have multiple writing sessions, or just write a few minutes here and there.

Days like this help keep me fresh, and prevent me from being bored with my daily habits, and feeling good about my daily writing allows me to let it rip when I feel like it--the two work hand in hand. One of the many interesting paradoxes and surprises of the writing process.

Rituals: For When Writing is NOT going well

Why should we engage in writing rituals? The purpose of writing rituals is to habituate our writing, to make that time feel off or wrong when we do not write. Rituals are supposed to make you feel a bit anxious if you do not engage in the desired behavior! When your writing is going well, when you are consistently settling in and using your writing sessions efficiently, you may tell yourself that you do not need to do rituals, believing that they are somehow superfluous now that "you got this!!"

However, engaging in writing rituals before each session is not for when things are going well, but for when you are not wanting to write, when there are more reasons for you to desist than normal. You want to construct a writing life that is sustainable over time--rituals are a key aspect to this habit.

Practical Tips for Scholarly Publishing: An Online Workshop Starting in August!!

Practical Tips for Scholarly Publishing

In Collaboration with The Taos Institute

Facilitator/Presenter

Rich Furman, MSW, PhD

Dates: August 13-September 17th (a 6-week online workshop)

This six-week online distance workshop is designed to empower scholars, doctoral students and practitioners to increase their ability to write and publish. It adopts a strengths-based, developmental approach that deconstructs strategies unknown to most scholars. Conducted by an Rich Furman, coach, therapist and professor, participants personalize lessons to meet their scholarly goals and dreams through writing exercises, on-line discussions, weekly group conference calls and video lectures. This workshop helps participants master skills and knowledge within four domains:

1) Writing productivity

2) The ins and outs of writing articles, books and dissertations

3) Managing the journal selection, submission and peer review processes

4) The psychosocial barriers that inhibit these three other domains. This last area is a special focus and expertise of the facilitator and makes this course a unique and fulfilling experience.  

Outcomes

1. Master methods of writing productivity.
2. Make significant progress on longer projects (books and dissertations), or complete and submit an academic article.
3. Develop tools for breaking through personal blocks and barriers that hinder writing productivity and scholarly success.
4. Develop life-long and regular practices for successful writing

Live Group Calls:

1. Each week for the 6 weeks everyone will participate in a group conference call.
2. Calls will be held on Tuesdays each week for 1.5 hours.
3. Choice of time for live call:  (choose one) 

   • 10 am Eastern time,  7 am pacific time. 
   • or 
   • 8 pm Eastern time,  5 pm pacific time
   • 
     

Register here!

Link to registration form forthcoming. Your registration is complete only upon receipt of the registration fee. If you need assistance, email info@taosinstitute.net.

Registration Fee: (US dollars)

$450 all student and Taos Associates

$550 general public

Bio

Rich Furman, MSW, PhD, is Professor of Social Work at the University of Washington Tacoma and author of the acclaimed, “Practical Tips for Publishing Scholarly Articles.”  Rich’s mission is to empower academics to maximize their strengths and transcend their psychosocial barriers so they can build powerful careers and thrive. In addition to having conducted workshops around the world on scholarly writing and publishing, he provides individualized coaching to doctoral students and scholars of all academics ranks, in all academic and professional disciplines. He is the author of over 15 books and over 120 peer-reviewed articles. His areas of interest include globalization and social work, men and masculinities, the criminalization of immigration, and expressive qualitative methodologies.

The Dissertation Wound

For many, the whole dissertation process is painful. It wounds. Wounds need to heal. Sometimes, wound heal on their own. Other times, we need to engage in careful wound care to insure that our wounds do not fester, don't leave scar tissue that impedes our moving through the world. When scar tissue hampers our range of motion, our metaphorical movement through our scholarly lives, we need outside intervention.

Such scar tissue can last decades. We deserve to care for our wounds, and our scar tissue, throughout our careers, throughout our lives.

Catching Up To Who You Are

Sometimes, it take a while to catch up to your successes, to catch up to who you have become as a scholar.  One's sense of self often does not quickly change. Old doubts, sometimes very old, do not miraculously abate when you meet a career goal, milestone, or reach a certain level of achievement. Old tapes are not easily erased- it takes time. Time, and concerted effort, concerted reprogramming.

Committing to Your Processes: Reflect

What are the process that you engage in to meet your goals? How do you set them up? How do you ensure you that you engage in them as frequently as you wish? Are they developed well enough to help you meet your goals? Do they all serve you well, or are some based upon productivity myths?

This are important questions to ask, more important, I would argue, than spending too much time considering your goals.