Write Regularly

I keep forgetting to post my Monday Motivator for those of you who don't subscribe to my newsletter.  So... here's today's quote and quip.

Monday Motivator: Write Regularly

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'Write even when you don't want to,

don't much like what you are writing,

and aren't writing particularly well.'

                           

                   --  Agatha Christie

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Most of the academics I work with have big plans for the summer.  With the end of classes, they hope to finally find the time to write.

What about you?

To get those papers submitted, or those dissertation chapters drafted, this summer I recommend that you begin each workday with a short writing session.  It can be a warm-up bout of focused freewriting - my term for choosing a specific topic and then freely allowing yourself to jot or type down whatever comes to mind on the subject.

Your daily writing session can also begin with a brief period of revising the previous day's work: But please don't forget to plunge back into rough drafting after 10 or 15 minutes.

Writing as a response to scholarly reading can be a useful component of your daily habit:  But be sure to write your notes in full sentences, rather than cryptic phrases.

What you choose to write is less important than the act of writing itself. Your goal should be to establish a habit of regular, predictable writing sessions.

The point is to sit down, begin writing, and keep at it even when your rough draft feels jagged and ugly rather than merely bumpy.

What are your summer writing plans?  Is this your chance to finish those manuscripts that have languished this spring?