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Sunday 13 May 2018

Doing it with Style (Short Session Week 5)

I recently starting reading/skimming Helen Sword's Stylish Academic Writing, and as result, I've been thinking about matters of style. Most of the TLQers in our group have significant writing goals, and many of us write academically and creatively (not that they are mutually exclusive, but that's kind of the point of this post). Much has been said (note the passive voice) about the labored prose of academia, but it seems many academic writers (especially newer academic writers) feel that they can't break free from such prose.

I know that on this blog we usually talk about productivity habits, but some of us have also talked about trying to reclaim the joy in our academic work, and greater joy might lead to greater productivity. So I'm wondering: How would you describe your academic writing style. Do you take risks? Do you have flair? Do you CYA with citations? Do you opine/analyze freely? Do you stick to clean, direct prose? You might also share whether or not your style has changed over time or whether certain stylistic choices have enhanced your joy or productivity over the years.


Daisy
This week I'm away for field work,so my only goal here is going to be:
Don't fall into the ocean or off a cliff!


Dame Eleanor Hull
Self-care: Keep up with regular stretching and exercise, plus 36 knee pushups with good form; do what's necessary to eat safely away from home.
Research: finish and upload the last chunk of translation. Work on teaching and research statements for Full application.
Teaching: grade one set of exams, calculate and post final grades.
House/Life: Instructions for cat-sitter, mow lawn.


Elizabeth Anne Mitchell
Write or edit 5 hours x 5.
Avoid rabbit holes when researching.
Proofread 1 hour x 5.
Transcribe handwritten notes 1 hours x 5.
Walk 5 miles x 7.


GoodEnoughWoman
1) Get all of the grading finished and recorded by Friday.
2) Screen candidates by Thursday night.
3) Write 500 words of fiction.
4) Give proper b-day attention to my son on Wednesday. Wrap his presents (etc.) by Tuesday evening.
5) Go to our literary journal reading on Thursday.
6) Maintain a sense of patience with other people and with myself.
7) Do some stretching and push-ups.


heu mihi
1. Meditate twice
2. 5 hours on Silence (I like the idea of taking writing breaks at the conference, since I love the social aspect but also find it overwhelming.... Plus, a lot of my friends won't be there this year, because NCS is in July and they aren't doing both)
3. Finish grading


humming42

1 Read half of next book for review
2 Set up project pages in new bullet journal
3 Copy project notes to bullet journal
4 Decide whether to submit abstract to nearby conference

JaneB
1) be professional in meetings etc. Make steady progress with small bureaucratic niggles that keep coming up right now.
2) finish marking all the work that came in on time
3) do something other than mess with phone each evening - at least one evening, do something OTHER than reading
4) visit the summer's calendar and try to find time to do NOWT
5) try to get work hours down to more like 8 a day than 10 a day (maybe a bit too ambitious for THIS week...)


Susan
1. Get moving on Witch (I've been thinking about it, so it's probably not as bad as I fear)
2. Keep moving on items for my review this summer
3. Keep walking
4. Try to go to bed early. 



24 comments:

  1. Ooooo, interesting prompt (and another book to add to the one day list)!

    How would you describe your academic writing style? Wordy! But my goal is clarity, simple structures, clearly defined terms.

    Do you take risks? not really. I'm in STEM, my goal is Plain English Science. I have a very different voice for writing student materials in many cases and THERE I take risks and have fun.

    Do you have flair? I hope not, in papers, as my goal is to DEflair my writing - I want clarity, in my academic writing. Flair is for grants and fiction!

    Do you CYA with citations? I do cite a lot. And I take pleasure in citing slightly more obscure sources especially when I can cite someone who made a point before the "big paper" everyone defaults to, or pieces by relatively small groups or led by people with less academic priviledge. I don't do enough of that... but I try when I can.

    Do you opine/analyze freely? OHH yes, I've decided that it's for the referees to decide if I over-analysed, not for me to judge whether other people will disapprove (that is, I opine/analyse to what I consider to be the appropriate level given the data, whereas I used to try and judge how other people might judge what I was doing. Getting out of that habit has been liberating!).

    Do you stick to clean, direct prose? for writing science, yes. It's hard. Totally not my natural voice. But I'm getting better...

    You might also share whether or not your style has changed over time or whether certain stylistic choices have enhanced your joy or productivity over the years. I like writing "clean spare science" as long as I get to write in other ways too. My joy was definitely enhanced by allowing myself more freedom in the other work writing I do (for example, this year I have produced a worked example of the stages of a challenging research design assignment for students in a new second year module, which came up in multiple lectures, handouts etc. When I first taught this sort of thing I would have gone to great pains to work out something that was realistic and suited the majority of the students' interests. This year I wrote the whole thing as a study on the ecology of an imaginary creature which likes hot places such as ovens and can be detected by the footprints left in butter pats. I took a lot of pleasure in making up the references, the journals etc., and in the back story of these creatures, their ecology, the people who had studied them. It made a chore into a game. And some of the students really liked it too).

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    1. I adore your ecology assignment--what a great way to put your creativity to work. It's also a good reminder that not every piece we write has to adhere to prestigious-journal-guidelines. I definitely write those sorts of things better when I have some freedom.

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    2. I too love the assignment, and read it out to Sir John so he could enjoy it as well!

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    3. Great assignment! Now that you've done that world-building, maybe you need to write some stories set in that world (or perhaps you already have done so? Put your natural flair to "work."

      I really like your citation goals. It seems really useful to hook back to work done before "the big article"--to tell a more complete story. And it also establishes your research credibility rather nicely!

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  2. last week's goals:
    1) be professional in meetings etc. Make steady progress with small bureaucratic niggles that keep coming up right now. mostly. I am not very good at meetings, and it's stressful...
    2) finish marking all the work that came in on time no, I have 4 projects to go, and ten reports. But it's steadily whittling down
    3) do something other than mess with phone each evening - at least one evening, do something OTHER than reading mixed. Mostly I read, and phone-messed, or listened to a pod cast. Must start doing houseworky things, the place is deteriorating again...
    4) visit the summer's calendar and try to find time to do NOWT I need to do that TODAY
    5) try to get work hours down to more like 8 a day than 10 a day (maybe a bit too ambitious for THIS week...) yeah no, not this week. I did one 8 hour day as I had to pick up a prescription and do a couple of small chores, and was slightly baffled as to how much more spacious the evening felt. Bad habits become HABITS, regardless

    the coming week:
    A bit mixed. Tuesday and Wednesday are research focused days which will be fun, but there will still be a lot of student and bureaucracy stuff to do around the edges.

    goals for next week:
    1) be completely up to data with marking and marking bureaucracy
    2) reaquaint myself with one of the three paper-related things I need to do - probably Gallimaufrey paper, but may replace that with something more fun...
    3) do something other than mess with phone each evening - at least one evening, do something OTHER than reading
    4) book at least one summer thing which is not work
    5) try to get work hours down to more like 8 a day than 10 a day for two days

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    1. I hope that on Tuesday and Wednesday the student and bureaucracy stuff stay along the edges and don't creep into the center. And I hope you can get work days down to eight hours in order to make the edges/margins bigger.

      You seem to still be chipping away at the TLQ, so that's good.

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  3. Topic: When I started writing long academic prose in graduate school, I brought too much of my love of clever phrasing and innuendo into my work. I loved the clever phrase before the colon--that sort of thing that blogging and SEO beat out of me. Even worse, I sneaked up on the topic as though it were a sleeping bull. Unfortunately, my Master’s thesis director wrote the same way, and had no problem with it. Several years later, my husband printed out the first pages of about ten philosophy articles as templates on how to approach the topic head-on. I was completely converted when my latest dissertation director told me not to wait until the nineth page to give the purpose of the dissertation. Who would have thought?

    I do offer my opinions freely, but I learned quickly how not to do it. After trashing an article at my first presentation at Kalamazoo, I found out the author was in the audience. The next year, I watched Charity Cannon WIllard, grande dame of Christine de Pizan studies, firmly but gently correct several mistakes made by one of the speakers, and have modeled myself after her ever since.

    One major impetus toward clear prose was writing fiction. After a few critique groups ask for justification of every word in moving forward plot, character, or setting, one tends to leave clever phrases behind. Also, I have edited academic prose for many years, much of which has come from disciplines that foster the verbose and turgid.

    So, yes, my style has changed greatly over the intervening years. I do enjoy writing much more now that I concentrate on a clear path to my topic, my hypothesis, and my conclusions. I leave the clever phrasing to my fiction, where my critique groups fasten on it and tear it out, snarling and stamping on it.

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    1. Your story reminded me of the sage advice of my own PhD supervisor on my writing - "It's not a detective story, with subtle hints leading up to a clever reveal on the last page. Try writing an ANTI-detective story where you explain each clue as you find it!"

      Also "stop reading anything written before 1950, this chapter has a bad attack of the Austens again" (he was partially right. Whatever I was reading at the time did tend to filter through into how I was writing. The source was Georgette Heyer re-reads rather than the more elevated Aunt Jane, but... I read some popular science written by journalists and apparently it did help!)

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    2. I love that first piece of advice from your supervisor, JaneB! I will remember that.

      The second piece is good, too. I often find odd phrasing when I revise, usually a product of writing too soon after brushing up on my Latin. Right now, I'm indulging in historical romances, so I'll keep an eye out for "wherefore," and the like.

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    3. JaneB, I say the same things to my students who want to have vague thesis statements! I say, "It's not a mystery novel! [etc.]" And I love "bad attack of the Austen's." That's awesome.

      EAM, I would love to see a video of Willard doing that firm but gentle correction. It's to have models.

      I'm a bit surprised that your fiction writing group is so vexed by your clever language...

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  4. Last week’s goals:
    Write or edit 5 hours x 5. Done
    Avoid rabbit holes when researching. I did a pretty good job staying on track, with only a few deep dives.
    Proofread 1 hour x 5. Done
    Transcribe handwritten notes 1 hours x 5. Done
    Walk 5 miles x 7. Only three days.

    Analysis:
    I found this past week somewhat frustrating. Campus was in the final days of classes, which meant that parking was impossible, everyone was cranky, and even the most tucked-away corners of the libraries were crowded and loud. Working at home is not quite set up the way I want it to be, although I plan to spend some time making it so tonight and tomorrow. I also started getting a hitch in my hip while walking, which slowed me down to 3 miles a day. I have a doctor’s appointment next week to check out my bionic joints, which may be forcing a weird gait and causing the hip pain. So, although I am still deliriously happy with the project, everything else was meh. I didn’t even respond to comments on last week’s topic, although I will go back to respond once I have posted this reply.

    Next week’s goals:
    Write or edit 5 hours x 5.
    Go to doctor’s appointment.
    Proofread 2 hour x 5.
    Read criticism ½ hour x 7
    Walk 3 miles x 7.

    I realized that I find writing about past criticism rather dull, except when I have to tone down my response, so I put it early on in the writing schedule, only to realize that I have to read it before I can write about it. *facepalm*

    Have a great week, everyone. Excelsior.

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    1. Think how happy you will be when you are done with the past criticism! At least you have the project to be happy about.. and 3 miles a day is not to be sniffed at!

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    2. I'm glad that you are still thrilled by your project (I mean, I hope you'll be thrilled for all of the next several months). I hope the noisy, stressed-out, non-sabbatical people can fade a bit into the background this week. Do you have a good practice for transitioning back into your focused work after having to encounter or navigate around such people?

      Also, I hope you get some helpful guidance about that hip.

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  5. Clarity, clarity, clarity. (I have in fact been praised for my clarity, as well as--in my first book--my "smart, humble" prose.) I just read a dissertation written in a High Theory style, and it gave me more than one headache. SAY WHAT YOU MEAN AND SUPPORT IT WITH EVIDENCE, if you please.

    I'm trying to add a little more of a conversational tone to my writing, though, as I find that the academic books I have most enjoyed reading lately--e.g. Carolyn Dinshaw's "How Soon Is Now," everything by Barbara Newman--have a lively, immediate tone as well as being clear and supporting their claims. I'd like to write like that.

    Last week:
    Kalamazoo and Kalamazoo-prep pretty much took over.
    1. Meditate twice - Once (and on the plane, at that)
    2. 5 hours on Silence - More like 2 hours
    3. Finish grading - Done (except for one Incomplete that came in today)

    This week, I have a three-day workshop (that I applied for, so I can't complain!), with homework to do ahead of time. So I'm going to try to be realistic about what I can accomplish.
    1. Admin: Grade Incomplete paper and figure out how to turn in the grade, submit receipts for conference, grad clearances after Tuesday, NOT worry about taking care of paperwork for students that isn't due anytime soon--that can be next week
    2. Enter current revisions to Silence, integrate new research
    3. Finish reading the book I'm reviewing (70 pages to go--airline delays make for productive, if tiresome, evenings)

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    1. Oh and meditate! Twice!

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    2. Is High Theory like High Fantasy? [I am now imagining a dissertation written in the style of Lord Dunsany, and boggling slightly.]

      Sounds like some sensible goals for a busy week. Have fun at the workshop!

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    3. High Theory isn't nearly as much fun as High Fantasy. I would very much enjoy a dissertation written in the style of Dunsany, but alas, even in English we don't get those. Maybe you should write at least the abstract for such, to include in your academic-fantasy novel (which we still long to read, whenever you are able to get to it!).

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    4. I, too, have been praised for my clarity in the past, but I think some insecurities brought out weird ticks during the PhD process. As a result, now I'm trying to trim my prose to bare bones, but I, too, have been coming across scholars who have a bit more "voice," and I enjoy their work. I don't think I'm there yet though.

      I hope you have a good workshop and that you do NOT do that student paperwork that doesn't need to be done until next week.

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  6. I too have been praised for clarity. I do strive for plain, workmanlike prose, as it's all too easy for me to produce Austenese, or, worse, convoluted sentences crippled by Aureate Latin when that's what I have been reading. In fact, pretty much any age of Latin does very unfortunate things to my prose style, since word order either doesn't matter or is entirely a question of rhetorical effect, and that just doesn't work in English.

    I always think that I have edited and pruned severely to get rid of passive voice and similar blunders, and then pieces come back from editors, either marked up or just rendered unfamiliar to me by time away from them, and I am appalled by the wordiness. I swear some sort of Evil Writing Elves sneak in and add phrases like "it may be possible to show" and "it has been suggested."

    How I did:
    Self-care: Keep up with regular stretching and exercise, plus 36 knee pushups with good form; do what's necessary to eat safely away from home. MORE OR LESS. I did well with the eating; though exercise etc suffered a bit, I did 36 pushups in 3 sets of 12 this morning, and ran on the hotel treadmill more often than not. Stretching was the most skimped; must get better about that, this week.
    Research: finish and upload the last chunk of translation. Work on teaching and research statements for Full application. YESSSSS!!!! (translation). And NO (statements).
    Teaching: grade one set of exams, calculate and post final grades. YESSS!!!! I got all of that done Monday last week so I went to the Zoo free of the semester.
    House/Life: Instructions for cat-sitter, mow lawn. YES.

    New Goals:
    Self: walk or cardio every day, weights three times, stretch at least once a day.
    Research: prepare and turn in application and supporting evidence.
    House/Life: ignore as much as possible. Keep the garden in check, as rain and relative warmth are making things grow like mad.

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    1. I typically use that exact word, "workmanlike," to describe my prose. I have often felt insecure about not having "beautiful" prose, but everyone's comments here are encouraging! And I totally think the Evil Writing Elves are real. For me, not only to they insert cluttered, passive language, but also they add typos.

      Kudos on the translation chunk, and congrats on being free of the semester! Also, your exercise goals inspire me!

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  7. I spent most of my academic years being praised for clarity and for holding myself accountable to my argument, etc. During the PhD thesis writing, however, as I said above, I developed some poor habits/tics, mostly from insecurity, I think. When reviewers rejected my article last spring, one of them said, "The writing style is often uncomfortable despite being generally clear, and some of the statements are too obvious to deserve mention." And s/he commented on my unnecessary interjections (such as the dreaded "indeed," which obviously was inserted by Evil Writing Elves). So now I'm focusing on clarity, getting rid of interjections, and, I suppose, not belaboring the obvious? Making my writing more comfortable? Not sure how I'm faring on the last two. . .

    I find writing by Elizabeth Potter (feminist epistemologist) to be very clear and a great model. She wrote "Gender and Boyle's Law of Gases."

    Last week's goals:
    1) Get all of the grading finished and recorded by Friday. NOT DONE.
    2) Screen candidates by Thursday night. DONE.
    3) Write 500 words of fiction. DONE! At least 1500 words!
    4) Give proper b-day attention to my son on Wednesday. Wrap his presents (etc.) by Tuesday evening. DONE.
    5) Go to our literary journal reading on Thursday. DONE.
    6) Maintain a sense of patience with other people and with myself. DONE!
    7) Do some stretching and push-ups. A FEW PUSH-UPS TODAY.

    I have finally reached exam week, and even though the grading load will be heavy, it will be nice to have a break from being "on" with students. Now that summer is almost upon me, I must not start thinking that it will be over before I know it (a terrible habit I have: I start to panic that it's slipping away before it even begins).

    This week I have a lot of kid-related activities and a weekend camping trip. I wish I didn't. I just want to hunker down.

    Goals:
    1) Write 1500 words of fiction.
    2) Finish most if not all grading by Sunday.
    3) Be very patient as I help my son make a Cuban dish for his school's open house (for extra credit in Spanish class).
    4) Don't start desperately grasping onto summer before I've really finished the semester. In other words, don't blow off work tasks and grading in order to relax.
    5) 10 push-ups each day. At least one minute of stretching.

    Surely I can stretch for one minute.

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  8. Last week's goals:
    Don't fall into the ocean or off a cliff! DONE! It was fabulous!

    This week's goals:
    1) Fix up festering figures after co-author comments
    2) Plan out paper with grad student
    3) Plan out technical paper with lab guy
    4) Write one section of new fun paper

    Topic...
    -How would you describe your academic writing style.
    I have no style... If my writing was a style of dress it would be beige, polyester, no prints, no accessories, definitely no cool handbags or shoes...
    -Do you take risks?
    The only thing I will take risks with is the kind of journal I submit to.
    -Do you have flair?
    Nope, nope, nope... See beige above...
    -Do you CYA with citations?
    Always, but in my field that is like breathing and totally expected.
    -Do you opine/analyze freely?
    Analyze yes! Opine, only when really well supported by actual data.
    -Do you stick to clean, direct prose?
    I try very hard! My first paper I wrote had copious input and edits from my phd supervisor, and ended up being not at all something I was comfortable with writing. But, I didn't have the confidence to do anything different, so I submitted it and it got completely trashed (with reason)because it was repetitive beyond all sense and weirdly constructed. Now I am much more comfortable with my own approach and for subsequent papers everything was much more spare, and they had no trouble getting accepted.

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    1. Glad you made it back safe and sound and had great field time! It looks like you have a good week of writing-focused work ahead. I hope it goes well and that the writing is suitably beige. :)

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