End of term PARTY!

And what a term it has been.  It is now time to celebrate our accomplishments, whether getting up at 6:00 a.m. or reclaiming a professional self, from 2500 GOOD words to Writerly Glow, from attending conferences to simply (ruthlessly) leaving campus in order to write, uninterrupted, elsewhere.

Here are the Main Goals for this 15-week session, for those who have attended regularly.  How did you do?  Award yourself a prize (or nominate someone else for one), and have a drink!  I’m offering caipirinhas, Mexican hot chocolate (can be made with soymilk for those with dairy intolerance; with or without alcholic additives, as you like), and Irish coffee for those who are still grading and need to be both alert and a bit numb.  I’m sure other party-goers will turn up with contributions in the comments!

Amstr: finish dissertation.  Another Postdoc: complete a book proposal and make a working outline.  Bavardess: finish article, finish draft of PhD proposal.  cly: finish fifth chapter of book. Contingent Cassandra: finish J article; continue P project; plan/schedule additional P sub-projects; continue freelance work.  Dame Eleanor Hull: Finish and submit MMP.  Dr. Virago: write 2500-word article and revise double book review into a review essay.  Elizabeth Anne Mitchell: plan, research and write first draft of new article.  emmawriting: 1. Three grant proposals: one in LOI form, one simple one in draft form, and one full proposal. 2. One article fully drafted. 3. Data collected for two main studies plus 3 minor ones.  4. Have baby!

GEW: write 20-25 pages of chapter 5 of my dissertation.  highly eccentric: keep writing new(ish) medieval academic content.  historisusan (ProfessorSusan): write an essay for one of those Oxford handbook thingies.  humming42: finish chapter 2 of the book manuscript.  JaneB: a) complete and submit a paper with multiple co-authors, b) complete and submit a substantial second paper from a different project, and c) write and submit a grant application for December 1st.  JLiedl: complete my own chapter for an edited collection, write a keynote and turn a conference paper into an article.  John Spence: prepare a short edition of a medieval text.  kiwi2: To submit two papers (Paper X and Paper Y) and complete my part of the analysis on Paper Z.

kiwimedievalist: Give articles a break, and work on novel idea which has been floating for years.  luolin88: 1. submit article that still needs revisions; 2. submit article that just needs proofreading and re-formatting; 3. write MLA paper.
Matilda:  conference paper (November) / a journal article based on the paper.  meansomething:  1) 10,000 words on a lyric essay; 2) a complete draft of a poetic sequence.  Metheist: finish my dissertation.  Notorious Ph.D.: transform a conference paper I gave last January into an article MS.  nwgirl:  revise four chapters of my book manuscript.  Pika: Large proposal (P1) due mid-October, small proposal (P2) due mid-December. Pilgrim/Heretic:  30,000 words written towards a book draft.  Premodern: new book chapter.

rented life: Move fiction book project forward and figure out my idenity as a writer. Salimata: turn conference paper into a ready-to-submit article.  Sapience:  job market materials and applications, review article.  sophylou: rework article for submission.  tracynicholrose: 1. Finalize and submit P&P paper; 2. Turn LM paper into HM presentation; 3. Complete first draft of TS paper; 4. Complete analysis and write up findings for BE paper.  Trapped in Canadia: write two chapters of my dissertation.  Undine (Not of General Interest): finish two chapters of the book manuscript.  What Now?: draft first chapter.  Widgeon: turn a conference paper into a book chapter.  Z (Mictlantecuhtli/Profacero): Keep to semester’s research schedule.

A few prizes just to get us going:  Z, most inspiring, for freeing her writing from prisoner-of-war status.  Pilgrim/Heretic, brightest glow, and Dr Virago for best bardic reference.  emmawriting, newest baby.  John Spence, bravest man (or maybe Most Like Sir John, a very high compliment from me) for hanging out all term with all us chicks.  Elizabeth Anne Mitchell, best fairy-tale image for writing.

And finally, remember the next writing group, to be run by JaneB and Trapped in Canadia, will be found here: http://acaderanged.blogspot.com/

It’s been great.  I enjoyed hosting you all; I hope the group was helpful to you.  I look forward to seeing you around the internets and in future writing groups.

Sept-Dec Writing Group, Week 15 Check-In

Wow, that went fast.  I can’t believe this is week 15.  I teach my last classes today.  Then there’s grading, of course, and holiday hoo-ha, and planning for spring, but I am very much looking forward to having at least a few weeks in which I can mostly bury myself in the MMP and the MS-owner’s life.

Whether you’re looking for time to throw yourself into a project, or looking forward to a bit of time off, best wishes for the break.  Come back next week for the party and to reflect on what you’ve done during this group’s lifespan.

Update: the writing group to be run by JaneB and Trapped in Canadia will be found here: http://acaderanged.blogspot.com/

Amstr: Ch. 2 to primary advisor; research + 5000 words on Ch. 4, send to writing partner.
Another Postdoc: read book for book review and take notes; make revisions to online article; begin edited volume chapter.
Bavardess: no check-in.
cly: write every day.
Contingent Cassandra: reconnect a bit with the P project, since I’m headed to a DH workshop related to it in about a week, and need to have some materials ready to experiment with.
Dame Eleanor Hull: 2 hours a day, plus some product goals: a map, a family tree, a timeline, and at least two topic sentences + paragraphs written in the article, or else at least six topic sentences without paragraphs.
Dr. Virago: after cleaning up the 2500 word article, get back to revising that double review into a review essay.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell: Refine the outline; highlight the missing pieces; plan how to address finishing the article in the following two weeks.
emmawriting: Really, really try to work flexibly and in those 15 minutes, eat-a-snack breaks from baby-caring.
GEW: Work 6-7 a.m., Tuesday and Thursday.
historisusan: read one book.
humming42: Reward myself with daily time with the manuscript.
JaneB: no check-in.
JLiedl: Another 500 words (and road trip to the Tudors with your hostess!).
John Spence: (a) indexing: put page numbers against 20 pages of entries; (b) proof-read two chapters of my book.
kiwi2: analyse half the data for my second paper Paper Y, and submit another peripheral paper.
kiwimedievalist: no check-in.
luolin88: 1) survive it. 2) 30 mins MWF
Matilda: write the main part and finish the introductory part / write 15 minutes a day.
meansomething:  1) 20 minutes on the residency app.; 2) start assembling a complete draft of the poem sequence: print drafts, read, mark up, etc.
metheist: no check-in.
nwgirl: 1 hour per day (total of 6 hours).
Pika: – this week: read and comment on paper of student 1.  – next week: read and comment on paper of student 2.
Pilgrim/Heretic: 2,000 more words.
Premodern: no check-in.
rented life: Write 2500 words, read.
Salimata: resting.
Sapience: final batch of pre-MLA job applications.
sophylou: just read the article, see how it sounds, take notes on those two last items.
tracynicholrose: Submit P&P paper? Rework TS intro.
Trapped in Canadia: Mark 100 finals, turn in final grades, and survive somehow.
Undine (Not of General Interest): 1000 words.
What Now?: Fill in three specific major holes in the draft.
Widgeon: no check-in.
Z (Mictlantecuhtli/Profacero): do finals and touch work every day.

Sept-Dec 2012 Writing Group, week 14 check-in

We’re getting close to the end here!  This week, next week, and then “finals,” where I hope everyone will report on what you have achieved from the time the group started (if you dropped out at some point, feel free to come to the party and let us know what you’ve been up to).  To everyone who has been ill, best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Question of the week: is your work (research project) your ally or your enemy?

Amstr: research + 1000 words on Ch. 4; send Ch. 3 to 2nd advisor; send Ch. 2 to primary advisor.
Another Postdoc: no check-in.
Bavardess: Another 5 hours on the article – re-write/edit/delete section two and rewrite the conclusion; outline conference paper.
cly: be writing again by mid week.
Contingent Cassandra: Touch base in some way with the J article on 2-3 days. Depending on what I find about the internal funding sources (I need to do some research tomorrow), I might substitute writing a proposal for funding, probably for some portion of the P project.
Dame Eleanor Hull: 1 hour Monday; day in major research library Tuesday; 1-1.5 hours Wednesday; 2 hours each on Thursday and Friday (can make up on Saturday if Friday gets away from me).
Dr. Virago: Cut some more!
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell: Touch article O five out of seven days for at least half an hour each time.
emmawriting: cultivating discipline! Small bouts of work every day.
GEW: Get up early Tuesday and Thursday to work for an hour each of those mornings. This is a new strategy for me and will be painful.
highly eccentric: no check-in.
historisusan: no check-in.
humming42: Finish revise & resubmit. Then tiny goals of 30 minutes a day with manuscript project.
JaneB: spend two hours (in fifteen minute chunks if necessary) stitching all the comments into the latest version of the multi-authored paper. Probably on Saturday or Sunday, but as long as it gets TOUCHED I’ll be oK with that.
JLiedl: Write another 500 words.
John Spence: (a) index 15 pages; (b) proof-read two chapters of my book.
kiwi2: Deliver the three talks. Be nice to everyone! And when I get back next week, another two and a half days on Paper Y, specifically reading relevant papers and rewriting the introduction.
kiwimedievalist:  Map out the article for a conference paper which I just found out I was still signed up for.
luolin88: 1) survive it. 2) 30 mins MWF.
Matilda: write the introductory part of the paper/ write 15 minutes a day – I keep trying to follow this rule.
meansomething: 1) 4 12-minute sessions on poems; 2) 1 12-minute session on the residency app.; 3) 1 12-minute session on lyric essay (probably just reading); 4) get out one submission.
metheist: Spend one hour each day on my project. On Tuesday and Thursday, I can spend a minimum of 4hrs because I have gotten caught up on writing my lectures and grading.
Notorious Ph.D.: no check-in (2nd week in a row).
nwgirl: an hour of work each day (6 hours).
Pika: I’ll reconsider my writing goals the first week of December, when I am back from conferencing.
Pilgrim/Heretic: 2,000 words.
Premodern: Finish 3 grant applications. 4 x 30-minute writing sessions on book chapter.
rented life: Work on book 3 times. Read.
Salimata: I’m going to let the paper rest for a week, and come back to it the week after.
Sapience: no check-in.
sophylou: print out full draft and edit by hand (just works better that way); take notes on last two items to be read.
tracynicholrose: Send LM paper out??? Rework TS intro.
Trapped in Canadia: Finish marking and go through 3 ILL books.
Undine (Not of General Interest):  1000 words.
What Now?: Pull together a complete draft of the chapter. It doesn’t have to be pretty, and it will have holes, but I need to get the whole thing put together so that I can spend a couple of weeks doing real revision.
Widgeon: Two half days of research and two additional work sessions of 45 minutes.
Z (Mictlantecuhtli/Profacero): touch work every day.

Sept-Dec 2012 Writing Group, week 13 check-in

And lucky thirteen sees us at the US-ian Thanksgiving, so let me thank the writing group for participating, sharing ideas, and supporting each other in the comments.  I’m learning a lot from you!

This week’s topic is courtesy of Bavardess, who recently published two posts reporting on methodologies for interdisciplinary research in medieval/early modern studies.  I know that sounds very specific, not only because it’s for the humanities when I know we have some scientists aboard, but also because it focuses on specific time periods.  Nonetheless, I think these posts could be useful for a lot of us—at the very least, we do have a number of medievalists and early modernists participating; they also make points that could be generalized to other areas.  So, check them out and see if they give you ideas, or if you want to comment on them after the rest of your check-in.

Also (and speaking of scientists), in our preview of Coming Attractions, I believe JaneB and Trapped in Canadia will be hosting a winter writing group.

And here’s the list:

Amstr: start Ch. 4 draft, read for Ch. 4. Productive procrastination goals: send Ch. 2 to advisor, work on office cleaning.
Another Postdoc: excused absence.
Bavardess: 5 hours minimum on the article. Now that the proposal is basically off my plate for a couple of weeks, I really want to get this done!  Outline conference paper. I have some ideas about what I want to do, but need to decide on some primary sources to include.
cly: Write every day; work on re-organising manuscript. I’ll be distracted from this by another round of job applications.
Contingent Cassandra: excused absence.
Dame Eleanor Hull: One hour Monday (writing date, yay); two hours each day for the rest of the week.
Dr. Virago: continued revisions and cutting!
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell: Weave together the holes of article O; spend 4 hours this next week in whatever configuration I can manage with the holiday.
emmawriting:  30 minutes on actual writing, two days in the week. Smaller tasks for smaller RAs thought up and sent. Also: MUL data rearranged, grant finally submitted (Monday), maybe even try to submit paper #1.
GEW: 60 minutes of work–taking it where I can get it.
historisusan: get back to reading for the project.
humming42: excused absence.
JaneB: spend two hours (in fifteen minute chunks if necessary) stitching all the comments into the latest version of the multi-authored paper.
JLiedl: Get past the halfway point on the keynote.
John Spence: (a) index 20 pages; (b) proof-read two chapters of my book.
kiwi2: Two and a half days work on the analysis for paper Y. And prepare a talk on Paper Y for a conference the following week.
kiwimedievalist: strengthen conclusion.
luolin88: 30 minutes Monday. Steal some time on Wednesday and Friday.
Matilda: re-revise my presentation to make it into a publishable paper/ write 15 minutes a day
meansomething: 1) 4 12-minute sessions on poems; 2) 1 12-minute session on the residency app. Also hope, over Thanksgiving, to get some ms. submissions done, but not top priority.
Notorious Ph.D.: no check-in.
nwgirl: checked in.
Pika: no check-in.
Pilgrim/Heretic:  Zero Words, though I will be very pleased with myself if I get a little bit of a head start toward the following week’s 2,000.
Premodern: Sketch out/begin three more grant applications. Catch up on this wave of grading. Main goal: slot in four thirty-minute writing sessions.
rented life: work on book 2 times Continue reading book D. Record as needed.
Salimata: again, 1 hour of writing each day, but now from Mon thru Sat; content-wise: need to figure out how to connect the 3 main ideas that are currently floating randomly thru the paper.
Sapience: More request for more information essays; December applications; sleep.
sophylou: print out full draft and start cutting. Determine what else needs to be read/reread. Pet the article (so that it doesn’t start chewing on the furniture…).
tracynicholrose: Make edits on LM paper; finalize P&P or TS paper (depending on which comes back first).
Trapped in Canadia: write all of my remaining lectures, two study guides, and my final exams this week; in the last week of class, go through my ILL books before they are overdue, so that December is my Month of Writing. I’ve given it a title to make it come true.
Undine (Not of General Interest): 2 hours a day of working on the manuscript. Let’s see if the change helps.
What Now?: Two hours of work. Setting a low bar!
Widgeon:  Two days of research before heading off for Thanksgiving. Some early writing and outline drafting.
Z (Mictlantecuhtli/Profacero): part 1: get more time. I have a full weekend with other things so I am starting the week Monday. Saying 25 minutes helps me get started but I hope to get ahead of that. So this week, let us say 25 minutes M and T, 50 W and Th, and 100 F and Sa, and 150 minutes Su. That should be a good exercise for getting to the new goal of 120 minutes 6 days.  Goal for next week, part 2: I have to start putting my argument together. This means spreading things out on the table.

Sept-Dec Writing Group check-in, week 12

Let’s talk about mentoring this week.  Do you feel you were well-mentored, ill-mentored, or just not mentored?  What was the best piece of advice you got from a mentor?  Where did one of yours go spectacularly wrong?  How are you/would you like to be different with your own grad students?  How would Present-you mentor your Younger Self, if you could send a message back?  How would you like to be mentored now?

Apologies if I’ve lost track of anyone, or said you didn’t check in when you warned you’d be away, or anything of that nature.

Amstr: get Ch. 3 out to advisor, read for and outline Ch. 4, (if Ch. 2 comes back from writing partner) work on getting Ch. 2 ready for advisor, and more work on office tidying.
Another Postdoc: Redefine writing goals for the rest of the semester. Make plan to complete a bunch of little projects. Outline short article for online journal. I am going to a conference next week and might not be able to check in.
Bavardess: At least five hours writing on PhD proposal. This should be enough to get it into a final draft that’s good enough for supervisors to review.  Five hours working through article revisions.  Start thinking about/outlining conference paper.
cly: keep moving forward.
Contingent Cassandra:  (next check-in the weekend of 11/24): stay in touch with project, make progress on some of the small sections/projects I’ve identified to work on.
Dame Eleanor Hull: 2 hours a day, 1-3 MTTh; either 1-3 or 2-4 W; I’ll fit in one hour on Friday. Keep working on organizing and writing topic sentences for the second part of the MMP.
Dr. Virago: continued revisions and cutting.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell: Write 650 word on article O. Touch it for at least half an hour a day.
GEW: keep it up and also to push a couple of my sessions from 15 min to 30.
highly eccentric
historisusan: read book for review (relevant to project).
humming42:  Submit abstract and go to conference.   I probably won’t check in next week, as I aspire to devote my attention as fully to conferencing as possible.
JaneB:  work on something which is purely research writing for an hour.
JLiedl: Polish the first third of the keynote for publication.
John Spence: (a) index 20 pages; (b) proof-read two chapters of my book.
kiwi2: The portfolio (which has now moved to being a job for this weekend because I can’t put it off). To reserve my probably-one-day-available for writing (on any of my projects).
kiwimedievalist: no check-in.
luolin88: Submit conference abstract by Wednesday.
Matilda: making a revision plan of my presentation, writing 15 minutes a day.
meansomething: 1) 30 minutes on the lyric essay; 2) 5 12-minute sessions on poems; 3) 30 minutes on a residency application that’s due in December (including asking for references).
metheist: no check-in.
Notorious Ph.D.: 90 minutes a day… but this time, while keeping on top of other things as well.
nwgirl: Continue with revisions and a similar work schedule with the goal to complete 11 hours on the revision.
Pika: look at the article, see what needs to be done and make a plan for finishing.
Pilgrim/Heretic: 2,000 words, and petting the file every day.
rented life: work on book 3 times–specifically making Tuesday, Thursday, part of those times. Continue reading book D. Record as needed.
Salimata: write each day on the conf paper Tue-Sat, for a minimum of 1 hour. Plus one hour of reading notes.
Sapience: December job deadlines, go back to trying to work on the review that is due at the end of December.
sophylou: cut down the introduction (both for length and to tighten argument). Finish book I am arguing against. Pet the article (love that phrase) every day if possible.
tracynicholrose: Get TS paper to co-author; start making edits on LM paper; catch-up.
Undine (Not of General Interest): 1500 words.
What Now?: Spend at least three hours going through the additional sources that I found. No word count goal for writing.
Widgeon: Three full days of research plus two additional short sessions (30-45 min).
Z (Mictlantecuhtli/Profacero): some type of work per day, 25 minutes at least and 2.5 hours ideally, on this manuscript.

Sept-Dec Writing Group, week 11 check-in

I’m still sick, and feeling worse as of Thursday.  So I’m punting on this week’s discussion.  Here’s a link to advice about being productive from the Chron fora: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,76982.msg1832723.html#msg1832723

If you care to read it and discuss, go for it.  I’m going back to my hot drinks and kleenex.  Carry on!  We’re entering the home stretch.

Amstr: finish fix-it tasks for Ch. 3 and send to advisor, do some reading for Ch. 4, and tidy office.
Another Postdoc: Complete the Bibliography and end notes. Smooth over any rough areas of the article.
Bavardess: at least 5 hours writing on proposal; tidy up/ edit article abstract.
cly: impose or find some sort of structure.
Comrade PhysioProf: no check-in.
Contingent Cassandra: Spend at least a short time doing something on the J article on 2-3 days.
Dame Eleanor Hull: schedule 2 hours of research a day: 4-6 Monday, 1-3 TWTh, 4-6 Friday. I want to plan writing tasks, as well, but the main thing is good topic sentences for the new(ish) draft of the MMP.
Dr. Virago: revision of the draft, including a conclusion and some winnowing of the excess (maybe down 300 words by next week).
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell: Write at least 650 words on article O. Touch it every day for at least half an hour.
emmawriting: Keep self and baby alive. Actually, though, I should come up with tasks to give to RAs too.
GEW: Write 1,000 words of Chapter Five.
highly eccentric: less writing, more planning. Two arbitrarily selected tasks: identify 4000 words for writing samples; skeleton out conference paper.
historisusan: Keep brain engaged.
humming42: Write every day with plan for 500 words/day.
JaneB: no check-in.  Was there an excursion or something?
John Spence: (a) index 20 pages; (b) review another possible (but unlikely) source for the text.
kiwi2:  I will contact my co-author on Paper X at the end of the week about the revisions; draft a 200-400 word webpage; and prepare (revise and update) my portfolio of experience for a job.
kiwimedievalist: Get this [expletive deleted] article out of the way, hopefully for good; non-academic: write 500 words a day – they may not make the final cut, but just get writing!
luolin88: 30 mins Monday and Friday for the article; 30 mins Wednesday getting started on a conference abstract.
Matilda: start revision of the presentation; make a revision-writing plan.
meansomething: 1) 30 minutes on the lyric essay; 2) 5 12-minute sessions on poems; 3) 30 minutes on a residency application that’s due in December (including asking for references).
metheist: try to write something every day.
Notorious Ph.D.: 90 minute work sessions every day, though these can be split.
nwgirl: Continue with chapter 3 revisions, working 1 hour on teaching days (3) and 4 hours on non-teaching days (2).
Pika: decide if to keep proposal as a goal (and if so, get instructions) or if I should switch to something else (and if so, decide which journal paper to prioritise).
Pilgrim/Heretic: 1000 words (AND at least looking at the file, every day).
Premodern: More applications early in the week.  Keep writing!
rented life: work on book 3 times–specifically making Tuesday, Thursday, part of those times. Continue reading book D. Record as needed.
Salimata: read book and organize notes for conference paper.
Sapience: finish all the job applications for November. Try again on the proposal.
sophylou: finish last section of article in order to have a zero draft written. Finish book I am arguing against. If time, and zero draft gets done, start editing zero draft (will need cutting down to meet word count).
tracynicholrose: excused absence for conference.
Trapped in Canadia: write two lectures and get the conference paper up to perfect or near-perfect, but I won’t be checking in because I’m leaving Wednesday for the conference.
Undine (Not of General Interest): 1500 new words.
What Now?:  Two before-school writing sessions, 500 words; get through additional sources.
Widgeon:  One day of reading.
Z (Mictlantecuhtli/Profacero): Saturday through Tuesday, 25 minutes each. Wednesday and Thursday, 2.5 total hours each.

Sept-Dec 2012 Writing Group, Week 10 Check-in

Theme for the week: decision fatigue.  I’ve seen a lot of reports on this lately; here’s an example, and here are some suggestions for countering it.  This is one reason to write early in the day, so that your willpower is strong and you’re less likely to start doing the laundry or skiving off on the Internet.  It’s also a reason to write at the same time, in the same place, every day, so that you don’t feel like you have to make a decision about what to do now; if it’s that time and place, then you write.  And that’s also what writing assignments, like What Now? plans out over the weekend, are good for; you don’t have to decide what to write today, you just have to write it up.

This is also why, lately, I’ve been grading first thing in the morning instead of writing.  It’s easier to decide what to do about a series of student papers (all those decisions!) when I’m fresh.  If I have a writing assignment for later in the day, and it’s clear what I need to do for that writing task, it’s a better use of my energy to reverse my usual write-first practice.

How could decision-theory help you with writing?

Amstr:  (1) finish Ch2 mashup and send to writing partner; (2) 5 tasks for Ch. 3; (3) start a book for Ch 4.
Another Postdoc: Rearrange sections of paper to accommodate recent epiphany. Add one more paragraph to the conclusion. Begin the bibliography and endnotes.
Bavardess: Work on fleshing out the theoretical framework section of my proposal and incorporate new material; apply to attend February postgrad workshop.
cly: checked in.
Comrade PhysioProf: checked in.
Contingent Cassandra: Work on J article on at least one, even if for a short period of time.
Dame Eleanor Hull: schedule 2 hours of research a day.
Dr. Virago:  *really* finish the draft of the 2500-word essay, which requires re-watching a streaming video of a live performance, as well as writing.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell: Write at least 650 words on article O. Touch it every day for at least half an hour.
emmawriting:  produce baby. If still waiting, on Monday, create more jobs to send to RAs; next, get over the illogical perfectionistic hangup over Study 1 that’s preventing me from moving forward.
GEW: Four 15-minutes sessions, do the Scrivener tutorial, take a training session on my new computer.
highly eccentric: At least an hour’s writing on at least two days of the week.
historisusan: excused absence, I think, due to a conference.
humming42: continue to write every day with warm up for AcWriMo.
JaneB: look for some low-hanging fruit, then pluck the buggers.
JLiedl:  finish revisions on accepted chapter.
John Spence:  (a) index 20 pages; (b) write up some information about features of the language in the text.
kiwi2: To be brave. To attempt my analysis for Paper Z and spend at least a day on it.
kiwimedievalist: Academic: revise article and resubmit. Non-academic: make notes from books, and plan for NANOWRIMO. Write at least 500 words a day on ideas, themes etc for the book.
Kris: no check in.
luolin88: 30 mins Monday and Friday.
Matilda: do presentation as well as possible.
meansomething: 1) 30 minutes on the lyric essay; 2) 5 12-minute sessions on poems; 3) 30 minutes on a residency application that’s due in December.
metheist: Do the best that I can to get my ideas down on paper. So write something, no matter what or how much, every day.
Notorious Ph.D.: no check in.
nwgirl: a). print out revised chapter one; b). begin work on revising chapter 3 (one hour of work on teaching days and four hours on non-teaching days); c). review remaining two chapters that I had hoped to revise this semester to decide whether I need to adjust schedule; d). review other writing commitments scheduled for this semester.
Pika: get instructions for this smaller proposal from the funding agency website.
Pilgrim/Heretic: 500 words.
Premodern: Return to the book chapter Friday and Saturday; 500 words. Also start thinking about the next essay I need to write by February.
rented life: work on book 3 times. Continue reading book D. Record as needed.
Salimata:  read 1 book and 2 articles I need for conference paper, write notes; plus find/organize older notes that might be useful.
Sapience: next batch of letters done and sent. If I don’t lose power, I want to try and write a conference proposal.
Sisyphus: no check in.
sophylou: think about how to integrate secondary material I read last night (or relegate it to another project!); do enough writing that I’m not ashamed to report here.
tracynicholrose:  I’m not checking in next week as I’ll just be getting back from Montreal. My only goal is to present my paper at the conference and hopefully learn something new.
Trapped in Canadia: OBSandy.
Undine (Not of General Interest): no check in.
What Now?: Three days of writing before school, at least 1000 words. “Prep” the writing ahead of time — either in one fell swoop on the weekend or on the night before.
Widgeon: Three partial research days. Work through primary sources.
Z (Mictlantecuhtli/Profacero): 1 hour in morning and 1.5 in evening, each weekday.

Sept-Dec 2012 Writing Group, Week 9 check-in

Something was in the air last week, since Nicole and Maggie came up with this post: http://nicoleandmaggie.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/sunk-costs-and-moderating-emotional-upsets/

That’s what I mean about moving forward.

But since to move forward, you have to recognize when you’re getting in your own way, this week’s topic is self-punishment.  Do you beat yourself up for not working?  Did you at one time, but stopped?  If so, how did you stop?

Amstr: 1) Ch2Article to book editor (finally!), 2) rework Ch 2–mashup article with new good chapter stuff that didn’t fit in, 3) Ch 3: 5 tasks, 4) read one book for Ch. 4.
Another Postdoc: print out article and read through closely. Mark what needs to be changed and make those changes.
Bavardess: no check-in
cly: an hour a day; figure out where I am (word count and draft wise) on my overall goal.
Comrade PhysioProf: no check-in
Contingent Cassandra: Work on J article on 2-3 days, even if for a short period of time.
Dame Eleanor Hull: schedule 2 hours research/writing time every day.
Dr. Virago: finish the draft part of that 2500-word essay, maybe start revising it, and start something on the review essay.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell: Write at least 632 words on article O. Touch it every day for at least half-an-hour.
emmawriting: Review document entirely done (as much as possible) by Monday. Grant proposal #2 fully revised into good-enough state on Monday and uploaded. Then extras: EOCP sent to journal. Results of Study 1 attacked with a practical eye so that I can do Study 3. If still no baby, Study 3 sent to collaborator (ask him if this is possible); otherwise have to wait until.. when? January? Feb?… Grant proposal #2 made better.
GEW: four 15-minute sessions.
highly eccentric: write on two days of the week; email Drs J and D.
historisusan: keep myself reading and thinking.
humming42: write every day.
JaneB: no check-in
JLiedl: no check-in
John Spence: (a) index 20 pages; (b) finish reviewing a possible source for my edition.
kiwi2: To finish my analysis for Paper Z. And to do my revisions on Paper X this week, to keep my collaborator in touch and interested in this paper. I have yet more marking to do this coming week, so one challenge will be to keep that under control and make time for the writing.
kiwimedievalist: Academic: revise article and resubmit. Non-academic, get the books out of the library, before my card expires!!
Kris: Write up the introduction and theoretical framework sections.
luolin88: Write or edit for half hour on Monday and Friday; take 30 minutes on Wednesday to think about conference paper coming up so I can get Interlibrary Loan requests in if necessary.
Matilda: finish the first draft.
meansomething: 1) an hour on the lyric essay; 2) 5 12-minute sessions on poems; 3) one submission.
metheist: write every day.
Notorious Ph.D.: Finish up researching and writing the Big Background, and read at least three items (1 book + two articles) for “cities” sections.
nwgirl: no check-in
Pika: get instructions for this smaller proposal from the funding agency website.
Pilgrim/Heretic: 2500 words. And a bonus celebration if I make it.
Premodern: Clear other things off my desk: 2 stacks of papers and another set of midterms, final versions of pre-tenure review materials (due the week after), a couple of grant applications. If I can get some reading in for the article, great, but otherwise this will have to be my reboot week.
rented life: work on book 3 times. Continue reading book D. Record as needed.
Salimata:  read 1 book and 2 articles I need for conference paper, write notes; plus find/organize older notes that might be useful.
Sapience: no check-in
Sisyphus: 1) finish the outlining and 2) reorganize paragraph 6. And then figuring out what is vaguely “off” about the rest of the paragraph order.
sophylou:  do some writing every day.
tracynicholrose: Finish TS edits; finish notes on P&P paper; final memo on BE analysis.
Trapped in Canadia: write the conference paper and make it brilliant so I can get a job and get out of adjunct hell.
Undine (Not of General Interest): 1500 words.
What Now?: Spend time this weekend sorting out my evidence and outline and prepping for my writing sessions during the week. Then, write at least three days (ideally before school), and aim for another 1,000 words.
Widgeon: Write the comment for the conference I am also presenting at this week. Complete (or possibly abandon) the powerpoint.
Z (Mictlantecuhtli/Profacero): Continue using research blocks as planned.

Sept-Dec 2012 Writing Group, Week 8 Check-in

I’m not feeling inspired about a topic for this week.  Bribery?  Coffee shops?  Finding a writing buddy or writing group?  If any of those appeal to you, discuss away, or make some suggestions I can use next time.  Sorry—but anyway, here’s the list.  How are you doing?

Amstr: 1) get Ch2Article back to reader, 2) Ch3: 10/29 tasks, 3) Ch2: type in changes, do 5/29 tasks, 4) Ch4: SFD of abstract.
Another Postdoc: Redo introduction and review section with the intention of clearly communicating what I want to say. Maybe begin the conclusion.
Bavardess: Finish revising article per supervisors’ feedback and figure out where I’m going to send it first; Read a couple of important theory articles for my proposal.
cly: write an hour every day.
Comrade PhysioProf: not checked in.  Probably because he drank too many cups of not fucken tea.
Contingent Cassandra: Finish current freelance piece; spend at least a brief period (1 hour if possible, as little as 15 minutes as not) on J article on at least 2 days; keep thinking/planning.
Dame Eleanor Hull:  Schedule 2 hours/day for research/writing; submit fellowship application.
Dr. Virago: pound out the rest of the draft of my 2500 word article and make some plans for the review essay.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell: Spend four hours on article O, and add at least 500 words.
GEW: four 15 minutes sessions again.
highly eccentric: write on two days, again.
historisusan: I want to keep reading, and maybe get myself an outline of the essay I want to write. I also want to hold on to the feeling of joy that I had when I was in a beautiful place.
humming42: still write/research every day, and turn writing into a daily habit again.
JaneB: (2 weeks’ worth) 1) write conference talk. 2) Survive conference. 3) Meet with colleague in conference-town and help them with their analysis. 4) go through few-author paper and make extensive list of what needs doing 5) draft case for support for small grant. 6) make appointment with chiropractor about neck.
JLiedl: Polish and deliver the keynote.
John Spence: excused absence
kiwi2: finish my analysis for Paper Z. I will also be talking to my collaborator on Paper X on Wednesday, so a secondary goal will be to work on rewriting that paper again to get it closer to submission.
kiwimedievalist: Get books out of the library. Write a character sheet for the priest.
Kris:  read two papers and figure out structure and argument of paper.
luolin88: 1/2 hour Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
Matilda: revise outline, mainly re-constructing my argument/ finishing writing a really rough first draft.
meansomething:  1) an hour on lyric essay; 2) 4 12-min sessions on poem sequence; 3) one submission.
metheist: write every day and stop caring so much about what happens, or does not happen, in the classroom.
Notorious Ph.D.: Finish researching and writing the Big Background.
nwgirl:  Finish revisions on this chapter.
Pika: proofread, finalise, upload and submit the proposal (deadline is at the end of the week). And then celebrate.
Pilgrim/Heretic: 2,162 words, and getting my groove back.
Premodern: no check-in
rented life: Write/expand/edit 3 times on book specifically. Reading book D. Record as needed.
Salimata:  keep working on very-first-article, 30 mins on (ideally) every day Mon-Fri.
Sapience: next batch of job apps. I may be late checking in as I will be out of town over the weekend.
Sisyphus: touch my chapter revisions every day this week.
sophylou: let myself do some writing every day.
tracynicholrose: Rewrite findings for LM paper; continue notes on P&P paper; work on TS paper edits.
Trapped in Canadia: get ILL books to write conference paper and write three pages of said conference paper, hopefully by writing for an hour each day.
Undine (Not of General Interest): 1500 words on major project. Finish last 1/2 of reviewing project.
What Now?: Write at least three days (ideally before school), and aim for another 1,000 words.
Widgeon:  Finish cutting down conference paper and compiling power point. Begin processing primary source material. Two full days of research plus 30 minutes on three additional days.
Z (Mictlantecuhtli/Profacero): 2 blocks before Sunday night.

Sept-Dec 2012 Writing Group, Week 7 Check-in

This week’s topic: celebrating accomplishments, which was something of a theme in last week’s comments.  Congratulations to Dr Sapience!  I hope you’ll do/have done something other than apply for jobs, the better to enjoy your new status.

Celebrating can be tricky.  Sometimes the timing just isn’t right, as when I got the MMP’s companion piece accepted in a bad week for cat health.  Sometimes you may feel like you really don’t deserve a celebration, or people around you may not understand why you want to celebrate.  You might just not want to behave like a snowflake who gets a medal for showing up.

All the same, if you do something that makes your writing special and enjoyable, won’t you be more likely to do it?  If you write in coffee shops, is it really just to hide out, or is the coffee (and maybe a cookie or a scone) part of the draw?  I say celebrate even small things, like having written your words for the day, or meeting your goal for the week, and then have a real blow-out for the big achievements.  Why be a Puritan?  Go on then, have a bit of fun, treat yourself.

And a related post, if you need something else to read.

Amstr: 1) (optional) do a readthrough of edited article (if I get it), 2) work on Ch. 3 (type changes, fix fns, reverse outline, do 4 or 5 tasks from list), 3) tidy up Ch. 2 draft and send to writing partner, 4) prep for writing retreat (starts Fri).
Another Postdoc: Redo introduction and review section with the intention of clearly communicating what I want to say. Maybe begin the conclusion.
Bavardess: Article: footnotes for pages 7 – 12 and incorporate a couple of additional sources (new pubs that are relevant to my argument); revise per supervisor’s feedback (mostly minor suggestions to improve flow and signposting.  Read and take notes on the two books I have on interloan so I can return them
cly: write (not read, revise or research, but write) for 45 minutes each day.
Comrade PhysioProf: checked in.
Contingent Cassandra: Finish handouts and do presentation; begin work on another freelance piece; take advantage of the break in routine provided by the conference to think about goals for the second half of the semester.
Dame Eleanor Hull: keep trying on the two hours/day goal. Final edits and mail the proposal.
Dr. Virago: checked in.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell: Spend seven hours filling holes in article O, in whatever configuration works.
emmawriting: EOCP sent to collaborator. LOI fully rough drafted (deadline after weekend). MC5 fully prepped and sent to collaborator. Review letter 2nd section drafted if necessary. Results of Study 1 (Short Paper) written BADLY.
GEW: 15 minutes per day, this time just four days for one hour.
highly eccentric: writing on at least two days of the week.
historisusan: read 3-4 more articles. I’ve also been trying to get back into exercise, and I think that may give me a disciplined structure that will enable more reading and working on this project.
humming42: write every day.
JaneB: 1) face that wretched few-author paper. 2) outline the paper for the conference and do some data analysis if possible and 3) send emails about the grant.
JLiedl: finish the keynote.
John Spence: Over the next two weeks, index 30 pages.
kiwi2: At least 2 hours on the analysis for Paper Z.
kiwimedievalist: no check-in
Kris: read and note two articles for the paper and some sense of the structure and argument.
luolin88: 1/2 hour Monday and Friday.
Matilda: finish reading materials/ revise outline of the presentation/ start writing the draft
meansomething:  1) 60 minutes on the lyric essay over multiple sessions over the course of the week. 2) Five 12-minute sessions on the poems.
metheist: checked in.
Notorious Ph.D.: 90 minutes of work a day, split between reading and taking notes-and-musings on the readings.
nwgirl: Tackle the EH section.
Pika: this weekend finish the CV sketch, then I am taking some time out, as I am travelling all week next week. The week after: proofread, re-edit, finalise and submit (deadline is at the end of that week).
Pilgrim/Heretic:  at least 2,162 words, and glow maintenance.
Premodern: 5 more pages, for a total of 10 pages. I have another essay I’m trying to finish and polish, so that’s the main goal for this week.
rented life: Write/edit/expand: three times this week. Continue reading book D. Any additional research/writing is bonus.  Practice audio-recording instead of writing at times.
Salimata: no check-in.
Sapience: First round of job applications.
Sisyphus: appeared in order to congratulate Sapience; no goals posted.
sophylou: get some notes typed up, finish skimming last two books for evidence of consumption, read/note one item.
tracynicholrose: Rewrite discussion for LM paper; rewrite intro on P&P paper; start drafting BE findings.
Trapped in Canadia: no check-in.
Undine (Not of General Interest): write minor presentation; finish 2 reviewing projects. Finish conference paper.  And write something, even if it’s only research notes, on the major project every day.
What Now?: Write at least three days (ideally before school), and aim for another 1,000 words.
Widgeon:  Two full days of research (taking notes, compiling ideas). And two additional days of a short block of research, at least 30 minutes.
Z (Mictlantecuhtli/Profacero): two blocks of 1-1/2 hours each, each week, more if available, put computer files of this project in organized place, keep touching work, keep *good* control of all else.