Hi Reader!

Several of my coaching clients come to me for help with academic writing and publishing. They need to publish to get tenure. They don’t feel like they’re good writers. And that feeling can keep them (and you?) stuck, even when they have ideas they want to share!

We coach around mindset, taking action even when it feels hard, and small incremental steps.

But here’s what I want everyone to know:

👉 You don’t have to like writing to publish academic papers. ​
👉 You don’t have to be “good at it” to get academic papers published.

👉 You just have to do it enough to get your ideas out of your head and on to (digital) paper. 📝

Try this list of ways to get started:

• Read articles in your field, and when you have thoughts about what you read, make notes about it (where ever you keep your research notes). Don't wait to make notes of your thoughts, write them as you think them. This helps you not start with a blank page later when it's time to "write," and it helps make sure you don't forget any key ideas you had!
• Make a structural outline of someone else's article so you'll have a starting place the next time you need to write an article. (By structural outline, I mean what are the major parts and what is each paragraph doing in the article.)
• Bullet point ideas that you have - don't worry about fancy sentences, just get ideas out of your head.
• create a mind map
• Just start typing or writing stream of consciousness writing
• Record yourself (signing or talking) with your thoughts; you can transcribe or translate it later.
• When you read a sentence, phrase, or transition that you liked, copy it into your notes (with citation), and then analyze the structure of the sentence. See if you can create your own sentence with the same structure. If it's a transition phrase, see if you can find a place to use a similar transition phrase.
• Look through this Academic phrasebook to get some new ways to phrase your ideas.
• Hop on a zoom chat with a friend or colleague and tell them what you're thinking. Ask to record the conversation and then transcribe or translate the call.
• Send an email to a friend talking about the topic. This is a good way to reduce the stress of finding the right way to say something. Emailing a friend usually doesn't cause us too much fear of the blank page, and we know our friends aren't' judging how we said something.

Once you've got ideas on paper, the rest of the process is just adding more details, revising ideas, removing details, and moving details around.

You can do all of the revising and editing yourself. Or you can outsource parts of it. Of course, coming up with new ideas is all on you. Sometimes those ideas come from chatting with others, so don't feel like you have to do it on your own, you're responsible for crafting your ideas! The revision and editing can be outsourced.

Some ways to outsource a draft:

1️⃣ Transcribe or translate your recordings. If you've recorded your thinking you have someone transcribe or translate what you said into typed text.

2️⃣ Swap drafts with a colleague to focus on your thinking and where you could strengthen or clarify your argument. Make sure to let them know what you're looking for while they read. If it's a nearly new draft, you probably want their comments about the big picture ideas and argument, not grammar or punctuation mistakes. Then use a writing process from above that felt good to you, to capture how you'd respond to their comments, questions, or feedback.

3️⃣ Put your work through an AI tool. I know, I know this can feel sketchy as academics...but here are some ways I think you can ethically use an AI tool to help you with your writing (Some ideas I took from the ongoing discussions on the ThesisWhisperer Blog and podcast (On The Reg):

• Give it a paragraph and tell it to give the main point in one sentence. This can help you see if you're communicating what you thought you were communicating.
• Give it your text and ask it to check where the message isn't clear.
• Give it bullet points and tell it to make it into paragraphs.
• Give it your text and ask it to make it more concise.
• Give it your text and ask it to outline or draft an introduction for you. (You'll need to revise and edit this, but it can help get you started.)
• Give it your text and ask it to clean up any grammatical errors.
• Give it your text and ask it where someone might disagree with you. This is kinda like a conversation you'd have with a colleague. It may come up with lousy ideas, but it'll get you thinking more about what you should include.

4️⃣ Outsource to a Human Editor. I've talked to several early career faculty who don't realize that many academics hire editors for various stages of their work. It's a valid and highly valuable way to get extra support with your writing projects. Even if you've done lots of revising and editing, you still might to contract with an editor for your work. There are several different types of editors you can hire when working on a manuscript (some even before you have a draft!) and you'll want to talk with them about the type of editing you need for your project. I often hire a line editor for my articles before I submit them. I've hired other types editors as well.

It can be kinda scary to hire an editor. You're likely to feel like you're being judged. I understand! I was scared the first time I hired one!

As someone who has done lots of editing, I can tell you that editors aren't judging the person who wrote the piece! We're always trying to figure out how to help authors make the piece better!

Soon I'll be chatting with Hannah de Keijzer the author of How to Enjoy Being Edited on the F​aculty Success YouTube Channel (go click subscribe so you don't miss that episode!).

The more you write the better you get at writing. Put fingers to the keyboard!

Do you have a writing project you need to make progress on this year? I'm hosting a week-long writing retreat, June 2 - 7, and you're invited! Over the course of the week, we'll move your project toward submission! Whether you're starting with an idea and references, or you have a draft you need to polish you'll make significant progress by giving it your undivided attention this summer.

Don't worry we won't just write! We'll take some time for coaching around your writing blocks and time for relaxing with yoga or a trip to the lake.

I thought you might really be interested in the retreat, Reader. I'd really love it if you'd join me!
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Do you have questions that weren't answered on the info page? What's holding you back from signing up? I'd love to know.
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​Hit reply or grab a spot on my calendar ( https://kimberlyjhale.com/QwK).

Keep Exploring!
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Kimberly J. Hale, Faculty Success Coach
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