This post is going up as a place to exchange greetings and chat about whatever wants sharing. As a possible topic, how about we share some of the 'gifts' we've gotten from the TLQ group or from other sources of writing inspiration in the past year (new ideas, reframings, tool kit additions), and if you're jonesing for a bit of structure, why not set yourself a goal or two for the days between now and the official start of the next iteration of the TLQ group, which starts on the weekend of 9-11 January, 2016?
I'll kick off with a few 'gifts' I'm delighted to be taking forward into the new year:
- using coloured highlighters to divide up editorial comments on my work (my own or those of others) into a small number of categories (e.g. syntax, grammar and spelling, communication of ideas, content and arguments) then look at each in turn - however tempting it is to go after easy fixes, fixing all the grammar/spelling is a waste of time if later changes of content or structure delete those sentences! - I'll definitely be sharing this one with my students, as colouring in is something of a treat, and this is a useful way to get them to start thinking about how to use feedback...
- I need to keep reminding myself that writing makes me happy. The bad feelings, the anxieties and stresses, they are ALL about stuff which happens outside the writing - whether that's the politics of building an academic c.v. or disagreements with co-authors or imposter syndrome. Finding words to explain ideas and putting them on paper makes me happy and if I can find and hold onto that feeling, I will get more written. What happens to it once it is written is a different story...
- stickers are encouraging, new stationary is non-fattening, legal and happy-making, and dinosaur note-paper makes writing thank you letters a joy (maybe I should write my second drafts on dinosaur-embellished paper too??).
- and you, my dear writing group, are one of the best gifts a woman can have - friendship and encouragement and understanding and wisdom shared - so here's to a new year with a lot of great writing in it!
Happy new year, all! I'm looking forward to the next TLQ, especially after having a few weeks of restoring my sense of something akin to balance. I have a revise and submit due Monday, followed by an ambitious writing schedule for the year. And a new planner (with stickers!). And big hopes.
ReplyDeleteRevise and REsubmit.
DeleteGood luck with the R&R! And Happy New Year!
DeleteGood luck with the R&R - and enjoy the new stationary. mmmm, new stationary...
DeleteYay for new planners and stickers! Maybe I need to go to the store. I'm thinking we could revisit the "planners" topic as we start the new year. Bullet journals? Passion planner? Etc.
DeleteHappy New Year! I love the idea of colour coding comments and edits - I think this would work really well when reading student work, particularly some international students. I seem to spend a lot of time correcting syntax in sentences that must then be rewritten due to issues with the ideas.
ReplyDeleteI'm also looking forward to the next TLQ - I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of it.
I got stuff to do in the next week. A lot of deadlines between now and 18th of January that don't involve the marking.
1 - revisions to Gemstone paper
2 - write scary paper 1 and scary paper 2
3 - make good progress on 3 conference presentations (scary project, picture project, and house project).
And then there is all the marking.
Perhaps I need to invest in some stickers!
I picked up the idea talking to someone who works a lot with international students, and how to give them the feedback they need without overwhelming them - I tried it with LikesMaths (international graduate student), and the colouring in seemed to really help them go through the comments and think about them rather than just pitching in at the beginning (or being really daunted and scurrying back to the lab where there are No Comments!).
DeleteDefinitely get stickers, they are remarkably encouraging. But wow, what a busy start to the year, even without marking! Maybe caffeinated stickers??
Whew. That's a lot of writing to get done! Good luck!
DeleteHappy New Year! I'm looking forward to the next group, too. Alas, I'm particularly eager because this break has not been a break -- my mother has been in the hospital since December 16, and I've been there pretty constantly. It is not an environment conducive to work. With luck, she will go to rehab tomorrow. That will allow me to get back to some semblance of normal life, and perhaps even go to the conference I'm supposed to go to later this week.
ReplyDeleteI just appreciate the support, and the ideas, some of which actually help me. And the sense that there are others out there who are, like me, taking one day at a time, and trying to do a good job at all their work. Also, there is something about the combination of intimacy and anonymity that's very helpful.
Sorry to hear about your mother - hope it's nothing too serious and that she gets to rehab as planned.
DeleteYeah, the company on the journey - and the pseudonymity seems to be part of it, a bit like having conversations in a dimly lit space - is what makes writing group and TLQ special for me.
Yes, so sorry about your mom. Not a good holiday it seems. Move like water?
DeleteI hope things do get back to normal (at least somewhat) and that your mother is improving.
I am so reassured to have found this group - just reading the posts has helped me. Can I join? I'm finding my work life increasingly unsustainable and unhealthy as a UK lecturer with too many admin responsibilities, a love of teaching, and a fear of research / writing.
ReplyDeleteI also have a question - which quadrant does work email checking fall into for most people? Does it depend on the email content? This takes up so much of my time and I think I am treating all email as "urgent & important" unnecessarily. If this question would be more appropriate once the group starts am happy to wait!
You are very welcome to join us, Scottishwinter! It will be nice to have another UK person (as far as I know it's just me and kjhaxton who are UK-based at the moment)...
DeleteThe session leaders might want to pick your topic up, but I'll start now! I find it really hard NOT to respond to an email when it pops up if I'm already working, regardless of how urgent or important it is, partly because I am ultra-distractable, partly because if it's something that's a quick fix I like to act on it rather than leave it for later and have it niggle, partly because, well, I have colleagues (and students) who get really annoyed if they come by my office half an hour after sending an email and see me at my PC!
I made myself wait a full 24-48 hours over the break before replying to emails, and it was really hard! But it's easy to let each email steal 5 minutes here, and lose the concentration.
At home, I turn off the wifi pickup on my lap top for set periods of time when I'm writing, if I'm feeling strong minded. It's more of a faff at work to make my email shut up - anyone know how to make Outl0ok temporarily stop popping up without having to log in and out?
Good question about Outlook, JaneB. I'm going to look into that. I've been thinking of trying to leave my office computer off when I can, but I'm also going to be doing a bit more online work this term, so it would be great to silence the email. I'm also thinking of telling my students that I won't guarantee email responses outside of office hours. I'm sure I"ll read and respond more than that, but they should expect me to respond at all hours. That said, I often feel good when I'm able to offer last minute help to students.
DeleteReally it's email from colleagues that tends to drop sudden tasks in my lap. To Scottishwinter's question, it seems that one of the problems with email is that it almost always presents as urgent, but we have to attend to it in order to discover if it's important or not. It's like a phone ringing (in the old days). There's the rub.
Thank you both, I relate to lots of these issues - particularly feeling good when offering last minute help to students! Something to do with actually getting something resolved being very attractive. I've had some success with a 24-hour rule too - mainly for certain demanding colleagues for whom quick answers just generate more emails - but it is tempting just to get things done, plus that nice efficient feeling (which really means prioritising other people!).
DeleteNot a solution as such but I only use outlook as a webpage rather than a programme. it does make it a little easier to ignore / turn off perhaps.
Hello scottishwinter - I love your name. I battle with the email thing a lot. I've written into our course handbooks that it is reasonable to expect a response to email in 48 hours (2 working days) and not after 5pm or on weekends. This accommodates a multitude of staff preferences for email and sets some expectations for students (who seem to think it's like instant messaging sometimes).
DeleteI've been aiming at 1 working day for student queries and a variety of response times for the rest. I've also been trying to do an email blitz for the first 30 minutes of the day then turn it off for a few hours. I usually check in again around lunchtime and before home time (when my head is fuzzy and I can't focus on anything too intently). I usually spend a more intensive couple of hours every couple of weeks dealing with the rest - filing, replying and deleting.
JaneB, I haven't figured out how to "invite" Elizabeth Anne Mitchell and Daisy to be contributors to the blog. Is that something you have to do since you set up the blog? If I can do it, can you direct me as to how?
ReplyDeleteOh, and I have just returned from a winter wonderland vacation. It was fantastic, but now I have lots to do to prepare for the next semester (part of my sabbatical promise is to develop some new digital pedagogy, so I've got to hammer out some details and my syllabi changes), and, of course, the PhD thesis needs attention. I'm not sure what thesis work I should do before the term. Make some revisions to chapter 3? Start to draft the intro?
DeleteAnd I need to think about what kinds of TLQ goals will be realistic this year. Sabbatical is over (*sheds tears*) and I'll be back at work. And I'll be finishing the dissertation. I'm thinking I might have to accept almost everything else going to hell in a hand basket.
That certainly sounds like enough to keep you busy!
DeleteYou should be able to add people from Settings-Permissions in blogger - i'll try resetting your status in case it somehow switched you to author rather than admin, it sometimes does that to some people for some reason, something to do with email addresses I think. I have Daisy's email so I'll add her now, don't have Elizabeth's but could add it once I have it - I'm at mollimog at gmail dot com
Hello all,
ReplyDeleteI will add more later today once my brain kicks in, but my email is lapidaryprose at gmail dot com.
I look forward to connecting with all of you wonderful people again, and welcome to scottishwinter! I have been focussing on gratitude in the past few weeks, and this group plays a large part.
Hi, Elizabeth. I "invited" you to be a contributor. You should receive an email. Please let me know if you don't receive the invitation.
DeleteOh, and it looks like JaneB might have beat me to it, so you might get two.
DeleteThank you both, I am all signed up!
DeleteI read JaneB’s post early on the morning of the 31st, and buzzed away at work all day long, thinking of “gifts” and gratitude. But then, time got away from me, as is its slippery wont. But I want to share what I continue to gain from this group.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing to hit me was JaneB's statement that writing makes her happy. My DH has often pointed out that while I may stress out before presenting at Kalamazoo or other scholarly conferences, I come home beaming, full of ideas and redolent with shared vicarious searches through archives and libraries. I do love to write, and I am grateful for the chance to write in the interstices of the day job. I am even more grateful now that I have been officially told I can write “that medieval studies stuff,” that I have had to set aside to advance in the day job. I get to write what I want! What other victory would be as sweet?
I love stickers, and colored pencils, and stationery. My sister and I still write one another, usually on cards or lovely stationery. It is so nice to get a card in the mail, peeking out from between the bills and flyers. I am grateful she and I have each other, and have regained more closeness in the past year.
I am also grateful for this group, from whom I have learned so much. There are the tangible “gifts,” like the color-coding or hints on self-care, but more there is the approach to life and scholarship, and above all the feeling that one is not alone in the dimly lit room. Susan’s thought about the pseudonymity helping one to admit sensitive and personal topics resonated with me. I certainly know that I have revealed more here about my lost illusions about academic life, and it has helped me immensely. It feels like a community to me, a group I’d love to invite into my living room.