Academic Writing Amplified

Are you worried about what your summer might look like as an academic this year? I'm sharing advice and actionable tips for how to get writing done, even this summer.   Summer has a beautiful appeal to us as academics. The spring semester is over and summer stretches ahead of us with the appeal of more control, more time, less demands. But, even when we're not dealing with a global pandemic, we of...

How do you feel about your writing right now? Guilty over outstanding projects? Overwhelmed by this unprecedented semester? Confused about how others are getting things done? Maybe one of these 3 mistakes is holding you back.   Academic women are a diverse and electrifying group. I truly get so much energy from working and interacting with such an incredible group of people.   But the more academi...

Is writing constantly dropping to the bottom of your to-list? Do you have a growing pile of half done projects? You may be holding on to myths about writing that are holding you back.   If you're like many women I work with, you have a list of almost-done projects: revise-and-resubmits, drafts that need to be hacked out, reviews you've promised. You're trying to figure out how to get through this...

What exactly is a writing system and why do you need one? I'm taking you through 3 parts of an effective system, and showing you why you need one.   You might think you already have a writing system if you try to write a certain number of words everyday, or you employ the Pomodoro technique in your writing sessions. But these are goals , not systems . So what is a writing system? And why do you ne...

Is it time to hit the reset button? When we are in unusual circumstances we are forced out of the 'norm'. And while that can definitely have its downsides, it can also give us an opportunity to reevaluate how we're doing things.    This moment in time might be the perfect opportunity to evaluate your academic life and hit the reset button on a few things. I am a relentless optimist, and it's my na...

How do you sustain a writing practice in times of crisis? Whether the crisis is a global one like a pandemic, or a personal one like an illness, taking these 5 steps will help you sustain a writing practice. We are in an unprecedented time right now, dealing with a global pandemic. You may be on lockdown, teaching from home, trying to supervise or teach your kids, caring for relatives, or practici...

If you struggle to find time to write, this is the podcast episode for you. I'm sharing 10 practical ways to find more time to write as an academic woman. One of the biggest complaints I hear from academic women is that they don't have time to write. In this episode, I'm laying out ten different actions you can take to create time in your schedule for writing.  Don't fall for the idea that your ti...

Ever wish there was another you to get more done, make things easier, reach more people? On this episode I'm sharing three ways to multiply your effectiveness; no clone needed.  I've been sharing the ideas that we use for our Amplify program framework for going up for tenure with confidence as part of a 3 part series of The Academic Woman Amplified. In episode 24 we looked at the Clarify aspect of...

The coronavirus has been declared a pandemic, and this is affecting the academic community in significant ways. Universities are going online, travel is being canceled, and the impact is profound.  How can you finish the academic semester and continue your writing practice during this difficult time? In this episode, I'm sharing my recommendations for creating a minimum viable semester. Listen in...

Are your working hours spilling over into nights and weekends as an academic? Do you feel powerless to squeeze everything into a 'regular' work week? This is the episode for you. As an academic woman, you undoubtedly have a lot on your plate. You may feel like there is simply no way to fit all the work into a regular work week. And if you enjoy working on the weekend, by all means, do it! But if y...

What one thing is key to writing and publishing more? The answer is clarity. Without it, you're inviting overwork, overwhelm, and a strain on your creative output.  In this first episode of a three part series, I'm showing you how getting clarity around your career goals not only turns overwhelm into purposeful work, but it actually kick starts your ability to write and publish more. In order to f...

Have you ever done professional development? So often, it feels like academics get professional development wrong. Usually, it's done with a one-off training, but the problem is that there's no follow through or follow up. There's no relationship with the leader or the participants.  I want to help transform professional development for academic women. I've been in academia since 1998, and in all...

It's completely acceptable to get help with your writing, even as a full professor. So what does that look like in academic writing? I'm giving you the lowdown on what's available for writing help. It's important to understand that it is absolutely ok to get help with your writing. Savvy academics get help in a variety of ways in order to shape their writing into the best finished product it can b...

What makes a writing practice, or any habit, sustainable? How do you create new practices that stick when the old ones aren't serving you well anymore? Creating sustainable practices can be difficult, in writing and in life. Especially when what used to work for you may not work any more. It's important to begin change from the right place if you want to create a lasting habit and get the results...

Why is it acceptable in our academic cultures to go to conferences, but less so to attend writing retreats? I'm diving in to the (evidence-based) benefits of retreats and how you can find one that works for you. Writing retreats might be viewed by some institutions as a vacation more than an important work activity, but that just isn't true! Retreats are shown to have measurable positive effects o...

Writing is a practice that we probably all need to practice more. But it can be hard to get the ball rolling. I'm sharing 6 strategies to build momentum, so you can ride out the rough writing days and not let them stop you in your tracks. Momentum infuses writing with energy and helps your writing practice take on a life of its own. When you've created some writing momentum, you reduce guilt and o...

Academic culture makes us believe that the "traditional" path through academia is the "normal" path, and a "non-traditional" path is often code for "less-than". Don't believe it! Your path is valuable. Today I want to talk about disrupting this idea of the "traditional" path in academia.  So many of the women I talk to during the application process for Amplify and Elevate (our programs for pre-an...

As writers, we know the words we use matter. But what about the words we don't use? The way we frame our thoughts matters. So what are some words I avoid using as a writing coach? In doing a little reflecting on what makes me different as a writing coach, and what my philosophy is about, I had a light bulb moment. Sometimes, what you don't say (and why) defines your attitudes and actions as much a...

While January 1st can be seen as an arbitrary date, New Year's feels like a clean slate. And because I believe that successful writing is all about how it feels , I would love for you to create some resolutions to help you start this year off on the right foot. A resolution is different than a goal, and very different than a plan. It is something that we resolve to do (and that usually takes deep...

Need a gift for the academic woman in your life, or ideas for what to put on your own wish list?  In this episode of The Academic Woman Amplified, I'm sharing 5 of the books you should gift yourself or someone else to make this the best year yet for your professional life.    The Slow Professor: Challenging the Culture of Speed in the Academy by Maggie Berg and Barbara K. Seeber   The authors of T...

The culture in academia sets us up to see breaks as a time to catch up or get ahead. But should you spend break time writing? My answer as a writing coach might surprise you. As the semester reaches a crescendo, tasks pile up and it seems like there's just not enough time to do it all. It gets very tempting to push things into break time. After all, you don't have teaching tasks during break, so t...

When you're in a season of overwhelm you might feel like all you're doing is putting out fires, and nothing is getting accomplished. On this episode I'm sharing how to work through the overwhelm and move the needle forward.  Are you at a point in your semester where overwhelm is taking over? If you are having trouble figuring out where to put your energy, distinguishing between what is important a...

So often our (lack of) writing makes us feel guilty and overwhelmed. Why is that? What can you do to change it up by changing the way you think about your writing and how it fits into your academic career?  Guilt is the biggest killer of writing productivity for academic women. In this episode we are learning how to cultivate a positive relationship with writing by fighting back against the guilt....

Sometimes it feels like writing and teaching are at odds in our academic lives, but they're not! There are ways to level out your teaching tasks, create more room for all your responsibilities, and give yourself a more comfortable semester experience.  When you are in the throes of the busiest times of your semester, you may feel overwhelmed, like you can't possibly keep balancing all the differen...

Academic years ebb and flow; some parts of a semester are much busier than others. As your semester ramps up, your writing might need to take a backseat, but make sure you have a plan to bring it back to the center. Semesters have pretty predictable pattern. In a traditional North American semester system of 15 weeks, things start coming to a head around week 10. You may notice any of the followin...