2026 Session 1, week 4

Here we are in February! Bye, January, don't let the door hit you on your way out. 

I'm going to take this week's quote and theme from John McPhee, whose essays about writing have been collected and published as Draft No. 4. (I admit I'd be delighted if I ever limited myself to four drafts of any serious piece of writing.) Structure is always hard for me, and I envy scientists and social scientists who have field-driven standard structures to work with. McPhee presents and discusses various visualizations of the structure of essays he has written: a spiral, a circle, a set of ovals hanging from a through-line, two sets of ovals/images arranged as two sides of a triangle, the lines converging. And then he says this:

Readers are not supposed to notice the structure. It is meant to be about as visible as someone's bones. And I hope this structure illustrates what I take to be a basic criterion for all structures: They should not be imposed upong the material. They should arise from within it. That perfect circle was a help to me, but it could be a liability for anyone trying to impose such a thing on just any set of facts. A structure is not a cookie cutter. . . . A piece of writing has to start somewhere, go somewhere, and sit down when it gets there. (34)

I will note that although bones are not visible, we would certainly notice if they were missing. But I like the idea that writing has to 'sit down when it gets there' rather than, say, hitting the reader over the head with the main idea.

And presumably even the scientists find that a structure is not a cookie cutter, that 'methods' and 'discussion' sections do not write themselves (that's a fantasy of the humanities, I expect). 

So if you feel like discussing your experiences with structure--developed or imposed, internal or external, diagrammable or just sensed--have at it in the comments. Also, of course, let us know how you did last week and what your goals are for this beginning of February.

Daisy

Help students to get presentations ready
Do mountain of committee reviews
Don’t lose mind
Do something healthy

Dame Eleanor Hull

--2 hours writing/research on each of 3 days
--abstract for August conference
--meet with TAs
--edit & submit teaching report for annual review
--add time estimates to list of class prep items
--prep for my classes (restrict to teaching days as much as possible!)
--process grad applications (10-ish, now)
--3 hours on garage
--remember to look at calendar/lists every day
--order book for Greek group

heu mihi

1. Read student's exam prep documents and give feedback
2. Get as much as possible done on the program for the big conference we're hosting in March
3. Read ahead for class
4. Read a few essays and decide whether to assign them or not
5. Make one more little box for a flash drive
6. Admin stuff: Finish reviewing grad students' syllabi, review grad applicants' files for Friday interviews, prep for undergrad meetings, any number of other little things as they arise

JaneB

SELF-CARE: all process goals, for three term time months:
a) intentional movement 20x3 or 15x4
b) some kind of making (art or craft) x2
c) something gently social x2
d) read at least one chapter (of fiction) every day this week
IMPROVING MY ENVIRONMENT: goals carried over!
a) 75% of weekly list of chores
b) make a sketch for the new idea for the shelving in living space
c) decluttering person will hopefully come, and we will Tackle The Kitchen Cupboards...
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
a) deliver week 1 of teaching
b) prepare class materials for third week of teaching, with or without revision
RESEARCH
a) work on grant application
b) set second set of models running at end of week

Julie

1. Work on Big Article: try to figure out structure and start organising material.
2. Add new section to local history article.
3. One day on review article.
4. House/life admin: son's birthday, brother's birthday, more financial stuff, decluttering, pay for school trip, tidy desk.
5. Self-care/fun: video call with friends, read, journal, Netflix, exercise, do something creative.

Susan

1. Finish microfilm
2. Organize things with guest
3. Do reading for workshop (precirculated papers are great, until they are not!)
4. Get a little bit ahead on teaching.
5. Work on organizing conference
6. Hang out with friends
7. Keep up with exercise/ PT
8. Limit social media for mental health

2026 Session 1, Week 3

Hope everyone had a good week, and that those in the US are not affected by the storms. Here in the UK it is dismal, but nothing out of the ordinary for January.

This week's writing prompt, from In Writing, is: where do ideas come from? How do you choose what to research and write about? And how and when do you know if an idea will bear fruit? I'm curious to see how that works in different disciplines. Is is about, in the words of one of Hattie Crisell's interviewees, about 'connecting two disparate things'? Is it about accidentally stumbling on something - in an archive, in a text, an unexpected result of an experiment?

Last week's goals

Dame Eleanor

--2 hours writing/research on each of 3 days
--meet with TAs
--tackle teaching report for annual review
--add time estimates to list of class prep items
--prep for my class and for a guest class
--write one letter of recommendation; advise on another student's statement of purpose
--process grad applications (6?) and read PhD exam essays
--3 hours on garage
--remember to look at calendar/lists every day

Julie

1. Finish finding examples for Big Article (2 days, but working around meetings).
2. Start on review article (1 day).
3. Work on local history chapter (1 day).
4. Chase mentee.
5. House/life admin: tax return, other financial stuff if time, more summer trip planning, four January birthdays, decluttering if time.
6. Self-care/fun: read, exercise, journal, maybe plant bulbs at weekend, text friend.

Heu mihi

1. Read over essay and figure out next steps
2. Schedule a couple of meetings with student groups
3. Work out goals and plans for the coming semester/year
4. Sit some amount
5. Read a dissertation chapter (two, if I really get into it)
6. 35 pages of Italian

Susan

1. Finish and post the syllabus
2. Survive the start of classes chaos week
3. Letter of recommendation
4. Send notes to students I will interview for admission to my undergrad alma mater
5. Send various emails
6. House: Deal with the Room of Doom
7. Select upholstery fabric for chair (still dithering)
8. Do fun things
9. Continue not looking at my iPad before bed, and reading instead.
10. Keep up with exercise, physical therapy

JaneB

SELF-CARE: all process goals, for three term time months:
a) intentional movement 20x3 or 15x4
b) some kind of making (art or craft) x2
c) something gently social x2
d) read at least one chapter (of fiction) every day this week
IMPROVING MY ENVIRONMENT: goals carried over!
a) 75% of weekly list of chores
b) make a sketch for the new idea for the shelving in living space
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
a) finish third year grading and mark bits with extensions
b) prepare class materials for second week of teaching - some fairly substantial revision needed this year
RESEARCH
a) lead meeting, write up plan, for lead author paper
b) chase up emails sent out before Christmas for grant application
c) read and reply to email from Unexpected Collaborator

2026 Session 1, Week 2

Welcome back! I hope last week went well for you. This week's quote and question are about finding people to read your work, beginning with these words from Ann Lamott's classic Bird By Bird.

"Whenever I'm giving a lecture at a writing conference and happen to mention the benefits of finding someone to read your drafts, at least one older established writer comes up to me and says that he or she would never in a million years show his or her work to another person before it was done. It is not a good idea, and I must stop telling my students that it will help them. I just smile, geisha-like, and make little fluttery sounds of understanding. Then I go on telling people to consider finding someone who would not mind reading their drafts and marking them up with useful suggestions. The person may not have an answer to what is missing or annoying about the piece, but writing is so often about making mistakes and feeling lost" (162-3). 

Maybe you have someone who reads your work; maybe you have a writing group in which you exchange short or long bits of writing; maybe you have one or more people who get together for writing dates (I believe this is now called Body Doubling, and you can watch videos of people working if you don't have a real person to study/write/whatever with). What is your experience with such readers or working groups? If you have one, how did you find or create it? If they don't work for you, why not?

And then let us know how you did with your goals, and what you're going to attempt this week!

(I'm wondering if Daisy is Overcome By Events, but I hope you'll be back! Anyone else who wants to join in is welcome; we don't have a set number of spaces and would be happy to have you join. Since it's a short session this time, maybe this would be a good chance to try us out knowing it's only for another 10 weeks . . .)

Last week's goals:

Dame Eleanor Hull:

--2 hours writing/research on each of 3 days
--Latin prep for Friday's group meeting
--meet with TA's
--meet with other faculty
--tackle teaching report for annual review
--put together that list of class prep items, with time estimates
--3 hours on garage
--remember book group meeting
--remember to look at calendar/lists every day

 Heu Mihi:

1) Finish syllabus and ViLE page
2) Get to 5500 words of messy draft of essay; read over it to see where I am, figure out next steps
3) Creative writing x 1
4) Finish knitting sweater for friend's new baby
5) 35 pp. of Italian
6) LoR for former student
7) Sit some amount
8) Finish book for festschrift intro

JaneB:

SELF-CARE: all process goals, for three term time months:
a) intentional movement 20x3 or 15x4
b) some kind of making (art or craft) x2
c) something gently social x2
d) read at least one chapter (of fiction) every day this week
IMPROVING MY ENVIRONMENT: goals carried over!
a) 75% of weekly list of chores
b) make an appointment with declutterer
c) make a plan for the shelving in living space
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
a) finish second year grading and start first year grading
b) set up ViLE for module that starts late February
c) schedule and complete appraisal meetings (it's a "cascaded duty" which makes it rather pointless - but I have to appraise three juniot colleagues this week)
d) prepare lectures for first week of teaching
RESEARCH
a) read over referees comments and suggested responses for minor author paper
b) schedule a meeting to discuss plan for lead author paper
c) read papers in advance of meeting for Large Funded Project
d) read and reply to email from Unexpected Collaborator
e) make a list of all the projects that might need attention this session!

Julie:

1. Research: go through notes and archive photos to find examples for Big Article
2. Writing: new, longer introduction to local history chapter.
3. House/life admin: return library books, do some research for summer trip, pay in a cheque, do some decluttering, organise for weekend away.
4. Self-care/fun: text friend, read, exercise (find a weights class?), weekend away with family.

Susan:

1. Finish syllabus for new course, post on LMS
2. Create budget for conference
3. Revise letter of reference for student for the perfect job
4. Pack up two boxes of books for second hand bookstore, and two for the "book sale/giveaway" I'm doing on campus.
5. Keep up with exercise and physical therapy exercise.
6. See people and be nice to them.
7. Have some fun

 

2026 Session 1, Week 1

Welcome to the first session of 2026! Dame Eleanor and I will be co-hosts. The session will run through until Easter, as both of us are away some of April, so the last session would be 29th March. That makes this a shorter session than usual, only 12 weeks, so if people want to continue some informal goal setting over April, particularly people in the US whose teaching might not align with these dates, feel free.

As usual, this first week will be for setting session goals, introductions if anyone new joins (all welcome!) and first week goals. Normally, prompts will be related to writing: a mixture of quotations from real and fictional writers, and questions taken from Hattie Crisell's book In Writing, based on her podcast of the same name of interviews with writers about their practices. (If anyone is interested, I'd recommend the podcast over the book.)

For this first week, however, I wanted to use Susan's New Year post about kindness, because that seems such a good way to start what is already proving to be a tough 2026. I particularly liked the point that kindness is within our control. So how can we be kind in 2026? This could be to ourselves, to others or both.

I have no equivalent of a Shoutypants to entertain you all with each week, but have a photo of New Year's Day sunrise over the river, taken on my way to park run. May there be light for all of us these next few months.

Happy New Year!

 Last year was a hard year for many in higher education globally, so I thought it would be nice to welcome the new year with hopes for kindness in the year ahead.  

And as with all intersession posts, feel free to post resolutions/hopes/goals/intentions, report on events, or just say hello!  

My slightly wonky tree, providing light on a rainy day, when I'm sitting and working on my index. 

2025 Session 3 - Week 14, wrapping up

 End of semester, end of session, end of year... we made it!  Thank you everyone for being here and sharing the journey!

No stationary prompt this week, bit I thought I'd share a pic of my "chair of chaos" 3-D cardboard advent calendar (image grabbed from internet but you get the general idea).  You start with an empty chair and add all the pieces as the month goes on.  The black cat bottom right is clearly Shoutypants.

This week, we need to: report on last week, report on the session, talk about who might be up for hosting the next session.

And here are a couple of final pictures of the boy himself:

Laser toy victory!

Stairway judgement

LAST WEEK'S GOALS

Daisy

Make tables and supplementary figures for paper

Read more grad student chapters

Get data for students done

Finicky sample processing

Exams in two courses

Final grades for all courses

One more music thing

Dame Eleanor Hull

- swim x3, cardio x3, weights x2, yoga x5

- at least 4 writing sessions

- locate and contact possible reviewers

- campus day in the b00k l@b

- dentist appointment

- massage

- update CV, fill in one other form for annual review

- prep & mail cards/small presents for great-nibs

heu mihi

1. Finish reading that book

2. Get organized for new service task that just dropped into my lap because my colleague who was going to take it on to cover for my other colleague on medical leave agreed to do it, then said she would like some kind of token payment, then, dissatisfied with the token payment she was offered, decided that she "couldn't do it on those terms," which means that I had to take it over for free. Well, joke's on her: When my chair heard this, he, being deeply annoyed, decided to pay me the amount that she wanted but didn't get. Of course, I'll *never* tell her or anyone else in the department that, because I can guarantee that the story would get twisted!

3. Finish Christmas shopping

4. Do some house-cleaning

5. Start knitting sweater for friend's baby while waiting for that last skein of yarn

6. Catch up on journal work

JaneB

SELF-CARE:

a) intentional movement for at least 15 minutes three days

b) send last Christmas package

c) write letter to friend who sent me a letter with my birthday card (early November)

d) making a couple of times a week

e) two gently social things (D&D hopefully)

f) keep up reading for pleasure

IMPROVING MY ENVIRONMENT

a) 75%+ of the weekly list of chores

b) make a plan for the shelving in the living room

c) don't make clothes worse

TEACHING AND ADMIN:

a) mark first year assignment

b) NO teaching and admin after I end work on Thursday!

RESEARCH

a) read revised manuscript from last autumn's visiting post-doc.

b) work on outline grant text (edit background section, meeting with collaborators this week)

c) work on modelling - make notes for a zero draft of the paper (so we can write as we go)

d) read and comment on paper from not-my-grad-student

Julie

1. Finish revisions and resubmit.

2. Tidy desk and organise papers (parking on downhill slope and can listen to podcasts at same time).

3. Christmas: buy and wrap remaining presents, post cards, make mince pies, organise everything for going away.

4. Self-care/fun: exercise, walk to local ruined priory if we have a nice day, lunch in favourite cafe, make soup, pizza and Christmas film night with kids, keep reading, journal.

Susan

1. Finish last three expenses

2. Wrap and ship presents

3. Finish Christmas letter

4. First read of proofs (backward)

5. Deal with changes in TA assignments because of budget cuts

6. Keep up with exercise and healthy eating

7. Do something nice

8. Sleep

SESSION GOALS:

Daisy

Turn two half-done papers into submitted papers
Figure out exercise routine
Try new teaching things with favourite courses
Shepherd four research students through their work

Dame Eleanor Hull

- keep up with morning exercise
- finish chapter for volume of collected essays
- write abstracts for three conferences next year (shoot me now)
- process student work in timely manner
- find readers for essays, do other editorial work
- deliver various not-museum-studies workshops (about half a dozen planned at present)
- try to do a couple of things on my Life Stuff list

heu mihi

1. Finish proofs and index for forthcoming book (has to get done, but I'm putting it here anyway)

2. Rough plan for Companion essay; research for essay; get ready-ish to draft in January

3. Teach my tiny class as well as I can (it's a required course for our major, but for weird demographic reasons I only have 3 students!)

4. Keep the administrative balls in the air; work on improving departmental climate/cultures

5. Get plenty of exercise, plenty of rest, and plenty of time for quiet contemplation

6. Think ahead to a creative project for the future

7. Finish my current Italian novel

JaneB

SELF-CARE: I struggle with this, so putting in some process goals -
a) intentional movement for at least 15 minutes three days a week (this can be stretching or more active exercising, but it needs to be intentional and additional to just "doing life"),
b) doing some kind of making (art or craft) a couple of times a week,
c) doing something gently social (playing D&D online counts, or a multi-text exchange with a non-work friend - living alone makes hermitting easy when life gets stressful and work uses up most/all/more than all of my interaction-tokens for the day) a couple times a week
d) keep up reading for pleasure - I seem to have my mojo back, and its definitely a Good Thing
IMPROVING MY ENVIRONMENT
Another thing which tends to go astray in busy/stressful times. And this is my heavy semester of teaching (plus the new stuff).
a) keep doing the weekly list of chores - aiming for 75% done every week to be realistic.
b) sort out new shelving in my living space - and maybe a sofa
c) clothes storage solutions (currently all my actually-in-the-rotation clothes are either in the laundry basket, on the airer, or piled on a chair or in the clean undies basket. This is not ideal).
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
Basic goal is to deliver every class as timetabled and grading on time - this is my heavy trimester, and I'm still having various burn-out-related health issues, so I don't feel like this is entirely a guarantee. Also dealing with some ISSUES with teaching team colleagues - the changes left us with several not-exactly-competent colleagues and the smaller staff numbers push me into interacting with them more often ::grumble:: But I'ma set some goals anyway. I only have familiar admin roles so nothing new there, and whilst there's a lot of reacting to smaller changes from the Centre, I don't have any big projects in mind. So only two goals for this session:
a) end each work week (Thursday) with everything set up ready to go for the following week and, if possible, have a solid start on the week after that.
b) limit working on teaching and admin issues over the weekend (let's say no more than 5 hours) and if possible ZERO
RESEARCH
I have a lot of balls in the air at the moment. I'm not sure how I feel about most of them.
a) submit multi-author paper (due 15 October) & hopefully get through to acceptance this session.
b) be on top of contributions to large project where I have a small part
c) make measurable progress with at least three other writing/data processing projects (I'll make a list now of what I'm working on)

Julie

1. Research

I am on research leave this academic year, so this should allow TLQ stuff to take priority more.

(a) Write chapters for two different edited volumes (one I have a rough draft of, the other is in the outline stage, both need reading I can't easily do here).

(b) Research trip for two weeks: use archive and library time well.

(c) Revisions to journal article when these come back in (should be this session).

(d) Work on article for Big Journal

(e) Book review (due 30th October)

(f) Follow-up conversations from workshop last June.

Teaching/Admin

1. See PhD student through viva and hopefully minor corrections.

2. Two PhD vivas (one internal, one external).

3. Keep up with mentees.

4. Plan for conference next year (last year on the committee, but it's a big centenary conference, so probably more work than usual).

Kids:

1. Steer daughter through university application process.

2. Help son with school work (this is going to be a lot of Latin)

3. Be general taxi driver, sports cheerleader, handy target for emotional teen outbursts, breathing ATM.

House/life admin:

1. Big project: clear piano and old cupboards from dining area, get new bookcase.

2. Medium project: get garden shed built.

3. Small projects: aim for one a fortnight.

4. Travel plans for next year (two significant birthdays to celebrate)

Self-care/fun stuff:

1. Reading for pleasure

2. Keep up with journaling.

3. Exercise: running, pilates, walks, maybe start some weights.

4. Buy a standing desk (for back problems).

5. Do more creative stuff.

6. See friends as much as possible.

Susan

Research:

1. Any follow up on Famous Author, or Big Collaboration

2. Get microfilms on Interlibrary Loan and scan them so I can read them on my computer; start reading them

3. Write 2 papers that I have accepted for conferences this fall

Administrivia:

1. Keep up with whatever needs to be done for the graduate program

2. The Systemwide committee I chair is at the sharp end of a major proposal from our regents that is NOT GOOD, so between now and November 10 I will be running a workgroup to have the faculty response to the whackadoodle proposal. It will be insane.

Life:

1. Keep up with exercise, 5-6 days a week (bike, yoga, weights). I've started working with a trainer on weights every few weeks, and that keeps me going. But it's a good way to deal with stress, of which there is a bit.

2. Do something fun with people every week. Like JaneB, I can become something of a hermit, especially until it cools down here and I want to spend time outside.

3. I am planning to move when I retire, so I am starting now on the de-cluttering process. By the end of this session, I want to have got rid of the teaching books I will not need, and reduced my book collection by about a third to a half. I also want to have dealt with the boxes of stuff in my extra room. And cleared the garage a bit.

2025 Session 3 - Week 13, oddments

Well that's done, last day of teaching has happened for us - now there are just student emails about assignments with extensions, the grading (at least our grades due deadline is in January), and the pile of things that were put aside because of wrapping up teaching between me and the break.  Wishing everyone with another week of classes strength and patience!

In stationery talk, lets discuss the other things that end up in the pencil case or pen pot - what oddments do you include in your stationary kit?  I can see two rulers, a teaspoon, a screwdriver, a waterbrush, a bookmark, a crochet hook and a memory stick in my penpots right now.  What about you?

very tall Shoutypants stealing things off my desk

<b>LAST WEEK'S GOALS:</b>

Daisy

Set exams
Read grad student chapters (one for each would be good)
Data for students
Be external on PhD defense
Catch up on huge pile of grading
Set, supervise, and mark lab exams
Admin planning retreat
Program review tasks
Learn two more batches of new music

Dame Eleanor Hull

- swim x3, cardio x3, weights x2, yoga x5
- at least 4 writing sessions
- grade all papers that come in
- finish writing grads' final exam, grade it too
- write learning objectives
- order Xmas presents

heu mihi

1. Finish miscellaneous grading to make way for final papers
2. Next big step in my knitting project
3. Acquire ingredients for cookies; bake cookies over the weekend, probably
4. 3 hours(!!) on the writing project that's due in July--I feel like I could start roughing in some sections, so I should do that!

JaneB

SELF-CARE:
a) intentional movement for at least 15 minutes three days
b) ring GPs to see if I can make a non-urgent review appointment, go to dentist
c) wrapping Christmas stuff, finishing Christmas shopping
d) making a couple of times a week
e) two gently social things (D&D hopefully)
f) keep up reading for pleasure
IMPROVING MY ENVIRONMENT
a) 75%+ of the weekly list of chores
b) make a plan for the shelving in the living room
c) don't make clothes worse
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
a) mark first year assignment
b) limit teaching and admin to 5 hours at weekend
c) continue feedback for Senior MSc by Thesis student
RESEARCH
a) read revised manuscript from last autumn's visiting post-doc.
b) read chapter for meeting in December
c) work on outline grant text
d) work on modelling - make notes for a zero draft of the paper (so we can write as we go)

Julie

1. Review article.
2. Tidy study, organise papers and folders (paper and online).
3. Follow up a few references I found reading for the chapter.
4. Write reference for student.
5. Title and abstract for invited seminar in April.
6. House/life admin: more Christmas, financial stuff, plumber, organise cookery books when new bookcase arrives.
7. Self-care/fun: exercise, read, journal, something creative, sleep, catch up with friends.

Susan

Survive and...
1. Get in expenses for events and travel
2. Organize Christmas presents that need to be ordered/shipped
3. Clear journals off desk by putting in zotero and recycling
4. Be kind to my students
5. Deal with the administrative stuff and budget mess with out completely losing my mind
6. Keep up with exercise, healthy eating
7. Get enough sleep
8. Draft Christmas letter (it would be nice to send out cards BEFORE Christmas for once!)