Category Archives: academic writing as work

writing home and away

I’m working away from my desk, as my out of office assistant puts it. But I’m still very much working. I’m writing out of place. I don’t have my usual working set up. And not just for a couple of … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, academic writing as work, office, space, writing routine | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

grow your own writing practice

You often hear writing described as a skill. And a skill is the capacity to do something well, to use expertise built up through practice. Skills are often seen as merely technical, but a skill requires specialist knowledge and often … Continue reading

Posted in artisan, connoisseur, PhD, practice, reading, routine, starting the PhD | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

writing the thesis – work, moves and structure

Before you start to wrestle your material into a thesis structure, it’s helpful to consider the work that the thesis has to do, and the moves that ensure the work is done. Once you understand the work and the moves, … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, academic writing as work, argument, four thesis moves, structure, thesis, thesis warrant | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

on (re)building institutional writing cultures

What goes on in a university? What would the brother from another planet think if they came to visit one today? They’d see teaching in term time. There’d be some visible signs of research, particularly in labs. But walking around … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, academic writing as work | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

2017 – the year of the ‘to do’ list

Social media folk delight in discussing the organisation of academic work. How to manage time. How to organise all that information that comes in and out. How to sort and select tasks in order of their urgency and importance. How … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, academic writing as work, to do list, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 20 Comments

is #acwri a hobby?

The most frequent question writers are asked is some variant on, “Do you write every day, or do you just wait for inspiration to strike?” I want to snarl, “Of course I write every day, what do you think I am, some … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, academic writing as work, Hilary Mantel, hobby | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments