INTRODUCTION XV chapter by chapter.If you do this,you will have a journal article ready to go out in twelve weeks.There is a lot to be said for clear guidance. If you hate to be told what to do,and like the freedom of making your own decisions,but still feel that you have much to learn about writing a publishable journal article,then don't follow the detailed instructions. Instead,set aside an hour every week to read a chapter of the workbook and outline its implications for your revising of your article,and set aside at least four hours a week to work on actual revising.After the first week, you can read the chapters in any order and focus each week on the main tasks outlined in that chapter,for example,improving your argument or selecting a journal.When you have completed them all,you are ready to send off your journal article.It may even be a good idea to switch the order of the chapters,since the most discussed aspect of this workbook has always been the order of advice.In the early years,I kept changing the order-moving the chapter about journals forward or back in the weekly line up,for instance-but soon found that no matter what order I picked, someone wanted another.All had excellent rationales for wanting the jour- nal chapter in the first week or the editing chapter in the third week.I think the current order of chapters in the workbook is the best order,but you are free to construct the best order for your particular circumstances. Two warnings about this approach.Freedom has its price-inertia.If you have a problem staying focused or have not written much in a long time,you should really try to follow the structured approach for the first three weeks. Then,if you want to follow your own path through the workbook,you will be doing it backed by the strength of habit.Two,try not to work on your arti- cle only one day a week or only on the weekend.The workbook is structured to keep you working on the article steadily,keeping you and it fresh,while you go about the rest of your life.Writing research shows that writing a little bit every day is more effective than bunching up your writing into big blocks.The Week 1 chapter explains this more thoroughly. If you find at any point that you have moved through a week's tasks more quickly than anticipated-for instance,if you already had a strong abstract or structure-don't stop working for that week.You can either move right into the next week's tasks or you can spend the extra time read- ing related articles or books.Since most of us feel that we have never done enough reading,this is a good use of your extra time. USING THE WORKBOOK ACCORDING TO YOUR DISCIPLINE This workbook is useful for those in the humanities and social sciences. Many scholars have used this workbook to write journal articles in the humanities on literature,art,architecture,film,television,digital media, drama,and music.Others have used it to write about social constructions like gender,sexuality,philosophy,race,culture,ethnicity,nation,region, class,and religion.Still others have used it to write journal articles in such
(i)- INTRODUCTION XV chapter by chapter. If you do this, you will have a journal article ready to go out in twelve weeks. There is a lot to be said for clear guidance. If you hate to be told what to do, and like the freedom of making your own decisions, but still feel that you have much to learn about writing a publishable journal article, then don't follow the detailed instructions. Instead, set aside an hour every week to read a chapter of the workbook and outline its implications for your revising of your article, and set aside at least four hours a week to work on actual revising. After the first week, you can read the chapters in any order and focus each week on the main tasks outlined in that chapter, for example, improving your argument or selecting a journal. When you have completed them all, you are ready to send off your journal article. It may even be a good idea to switch the order of the chapters, since the most discussed aspect of this workbook has always been the order of advice. In the early years, I kept changing the order-moving the chapter about journals forward or back in the weekly line up, for instance-but soon found that no matter what order I picked, someone wanted another. All had excellent rationales for wanting the journal chapter in the first week or the editing chapter in the third week. I think the current order of chapters in the workbook is the best order, but you are free to construct the best order for your particular circumstances. Two warnings about this approach. Freedom has its price-inertia. If you have a problem staying focused or have not written much in a long time, you should really try to follow the structured approach for the first three weeks. Then, if you want to follow your own path through the workbook, you will be doing it backed by the strength of habit. Two, try not to work on your article only one day a week or only on the weekend. The workbook is structured to keep you working on the article steadily, keeping you and it fresh, while you go about the rest of your life. Writing research shows that writing a little bit every day is more effective than bunching up your writing into big blocks. The Week 1 chapter explains this more thoroughly. If you find at any point that you have moved through a week's tasks more quickly than anticipated-for instance, if you already had a strong abstract or structure-don't stop working for that week. You can either move right into the next week's tasks or you can spend the extra time reading related articles or books. Since most of us feel that we have never done enough reading, this is a good use of your extra time. USING THE WORKBOOK ACCORDING TO YOUR DISCIPLINE This workbook is useful for those in the humanities and social sciences. Many sch_olars have used this workbook to write journal articles in the humanities on literature, art, architecture, film, television, digital media, drama, and music. Others have used it to write about social constructions like gender, sexuality, philosophy, race, culture, ethnicity, nation, region, class, and religion. Still others have used it to write journal articles in such
XVi INTRODUCTION g social sciences as cultural anthropology,applied linguistics,geography, archaeology,education,political science,public policy,psychology,social welfare,sociology,business management,international relations,and urban planning.Those in the natural sciences who are writing less scien- tific articles have also used it-such as those in bioethics,public health, medical anthropology,development studies,and sometimes,economics. Only a few have used it for legal writing. Those writing up research in the sciences-in such fields as biology, mathematics,chemistry,engineering,computer science,and physics-will not find the workbook very helpful,as the writing process for and the structure of scientific articles varies so much from those in the humanities or social sciences.I have had some authors use this workbook in such fields,but they have had to extrapolate quite a bit from the text,so I don't recommend it.If you are in such a field and use this workbook,let me know if you found it useful. USING THE WORKBOOK ACCORDING TO YOUR CAREER STAGE I wrote this workbook for graduate students and junior faculty and never thought it would be used by anybody else.Then I found out that draft copies were circulating among senior faculty.Since I think it is important not to aim at pleasing all possible audiences,I have kept this workbook oriented toward those who have rarely or never published before.Despite this,the workbook continues to appeal to those who have already published,perhaps because published authors aren't always sure what enabled their published articles to succeed or because they still feel the need for deadlines and structure to com- plete further articles.Perhaps most of us never stop thinking of ourselves as graduate students;certainly,learning to write well is a lifelong journey. USING THE WORKBOOK BY YOURSELF You can use this workbook by yourself.Some of the tasks require submit- ting parts of your journal article to another student or a professor for com- ments-but otherwise you can use this workbook independently.You should set aside about an hour a day five days a week to work through that week's readings and exercises. USING THE WORKBOOK WITH A WRITING PARTNER You can also use this workbook with a writing partner.This is a wonderfully effective method for completing your journal article.Since most students
xvi INTRODUCTION - - social sciences as cultural anthropology, applied linguistics, geography, archaeology, education, political science, public policy, psychology, social welfare, sociology, business management, international relations, and urban planning. Those in the natural sciences who are writing less scientific articles have also used it-such as those in bioethics, public health, medical anthropology, development studies, and sometimes, economics. Only a few have used it for legal writing. Those writing up research in the sciences-in such fields as biology, mathematics, chemistry, engineering, computer science, and physics-will not find the workbook very helpful, as the writing process for and the structure of scientific articles varies so much from those in the humanities or social sciences. I have had some authors use this workbook in such fields, but they have had to extrapolate quite a bit from the text, so I don't recommend it. If you are in such a field and use this workbook, let me know if you found it useful. USING THE WORKBOOK ACCORDING TO YOUR CAREER STAGE I wrote this workbook for graduate students and junior faculty and never thought it would be used by anybody else. Then I found out that draft copies were circulating among senior faculty. Since I think it is important not to aim at pleasing all possible audiences, I have kept this workbook oriented toward those who have rarely or never published before. Despite this, the workbook continues to appeal to those who have already published, perhaps because published authors aren't always sure what enabled their published articles to succeed or because they still feel the need for deadlines and structure to complete further articles. Perhaps most of us never stop thinking of ourselves as graduate students; certainly, learning to write well is a lifelong journey. USING THE WORKBOOK BY YOURSELF You can use this workbook by yourself. Some of the tasks require submitting parts of your journal article to another student or a professor for comments-but otherwise you can use this workbook independently. You should set aside about an hour a day five days a week to work through that week's readings and exercises. USING THE WORKBOOK WITH A WRITING PARTNER You can also use this workbook with a writing partner. This is a wonderfully effective method for completing your journal article. Since most students
INTRODUCTION XVi real challenge when it comes to writing is actually getting writing done, having a partner helps ensure that you persevere.Moreover,such writing partnerships can turn into lifelong working relationships.I recently helped a department's graduate students set up writing partnerships and it trans- formed their educational experience. To use the workbook in this way,find another student who wants to revise an article and is willing to commit to doing so in twelve weeks.It is best to pick another student with similar academic goals and abilities,but you do not need to be in the same discipline or field.In fact,it can some- times be helpful to work with someone unfamiliar with your content,so that you are forced to be clear about your topic.Since writing in the social sciences,the humanities,and the sciences are so different,it is best to work with someone from the same broad category,but this is not absolutely nec- essary.It is more important to pick a partner who is likely to persevere.It is also wise to think about what kind of person is most likely to keep you going:someone supportive or someone competitive.Ideally,your partner will be both,someone who encourages you when you feel discouraged, but whose drive pushes you to keep up. As individuals,you should set aside about an hour a day,five days a week,to work through that week's readings and short exercises.As part- ners,the two of you should commit to meeting once a week to talk through that week's readings and exercises and to report on how you have com- pleted the week's goals as stated in the workbook.This is best done in per- son,but can be done over the telephone or by e-mail.When the workbook task is to submit your article to someone else for review,you should sub- mit them to each other for comments. Since this is a serious endeavor,and will only work if both of you take it seriously,I recommend that you make a written commitment to each other to work together for twelve weeks.Although it may seem forced at first,people who make binding,formal agreements find it works to keep them on task. Either design your own agreement or copy the form on the next page.Then sign it and post it near your computer,front door,or refrigerator as a reminder. Many people have found it useful to promise to pay a penalty for not following through on their commitment.One writing instructor required his students to write a $25 check to a political organization that they abhorred and give the check to him in an envelope addressed to the organ- ization(Boice 1990,75).If the student did not meet his or her commitment, the instructor promptly sent the check.He claimed that this worked as a great motivator!Other possible payments can be penance(such as grading exams for the writing partner)or public shame(such as writing about your failure to three friends). Others prefer the carrot to the stick and like to use positive incentives rather than such negative ones.Some rewards you can give yourself for meeting your twelve-week commitment are a weekend trip,a celebratory meal with friends,or a particular concert.Of course,the best reward will be the sense of accomplishment you feel when you submit the article. There is no substitute for it!
Iii- INTRODUCTION XVii real challenge when it comes to writing is actually getting writing done, having a partner helps ensure that you persevere. Moreover, such writing partnerships can turn into lifelong working relationships. I recently helped a department's graduate students set up writing partnerships and it transformed their educational experience. To use the workbook in this way, find another student who wants to revise an article and is willing to commit to doing so in twelve weeks. It is best to pick another student with similar academic goals and abilities, but you do not need to be in the same discipline or field. In fact, it can sometimes be helpful to work with someone unfamiliar with your content, so that you are forced to be clear about your topic. Since writing in the social sciences, the humanities, and the sciences are so different, it is best to work with someone from the same broad category, but this is not absolutely necessary. It is more important to pick a partner who is likely to persevere. It is also wise to think about what kind of person is most likely to keep you going: someone supportive or someone competitive. Ideally, your partner will be both, someone who encourages you when you feel discouraged, but whose drive pushes you to keep up. As individuals, you should set aside about an hour a day, five days a week, to work through that week's readings and short exercises. As partners, the two of you should commit to meeting once a week to talk through that week's readings and exercises and to report on how you have completed the week's goals as stated in the workbook. This is best done in person, but can be done over the telephone or by e-mail. When the workbook task is to submit your article to someone else for review, you should submit them to each other for comments. Since this is a serious endeavor, and will only work if both of you take it seriously, I recommend that you make a written commitment to each other to work together for twelve weeks. Although it may seem forced at first, people who make binding, formal agreements find it works to keep them on task. Either design your own agreement or copy the form on the next page. Then sign it and post it near your computer, front door, or refrigerator as a reminder. Many people have found it useful to promise to pay a penalty for not following through on their commitment. One writing instructor required his students to write a $25 check to a political organization that they abhorred and give the check to him in an envelope addressed to the organization (Boice 1990, 75). If the student did not meet his or her commitment, the instructor promptly sent the check. He claimed that this worked as a great motivator! Other possible payments can be penance (such as grading exams for the writing partner) or public shame (such as writing about your failure to three friends). Others prefer the carrot to the stick and like to use positive incentives rather than such negative ones. Some rewards you can give yourself for meeting your twelve-week commitment are a weekend trip, a celebratory meal with friends, or a particular concert. Of course, the best reward will be the sense of accomplishment you feel when you submit the article. There is no substitute for it!
XV INTRODUCTION Commitment to Writing Partner I commit to meeting with every week on [partner's name】 at_ During each of the next twelve weeks,I commit [day] [time] to reading the appropriate workbook chapter and completing the weekly exercises. I also commit to spending at least fifteen minutes a day.five days a week,on revis- ing my article until it is ready for submission (or for twelve weeks,whichever comes first).I commit to carefully reading and reviewing_ [partner's name] article during the fifth and ninth weeks.If I cannot meet any of these commitments due to a prolonged illness or a family emergency,I will inform [partner's name] immediately.if I cannot meet any of these commitments for any other reason,I will pay the following: If I meet all of these commitments,I will gain the fol- [fee] lowing: [benefit] [signature] USING THE WORKBOOK IN A WRITING GROUP You can also use this workbook with a writing group.Groups are great for helping you to stay motivated because they provide support and friendly pressure. Find three or more people who want to revise an article and are willing to commit to doing so in twelve weeks.If your department already has a journal reading group or writing group,this may serve as a good starting ground.You do not need to be in the same discipline or field,however.In fact,it can sometimes be helpful to work with people who are unfamiliar with your content,so that you are forced to be clear about your topic. As individuals,you should set aside about an hour a day,five days a week,to work through that week's readings and short exercises.As a group, you should commit to meeting once a week to report on how you have com- pleted that week's goals as stated in the workbook.This is best done in per- son,although some extremely committed groups have succeeded in meeting by e-mail.When the workbook task is to submit your journal arti- cle to someone else for review,you should exchange articles with others in the group.If possible,you should read the article of the person who is read- ing yours,rather than randomly exchanging articles,so that you have an
XViii INTRODUCTION -lil Commitment to Writing Partner commit to meeting with _ _ every week on [partner's name] ______ at . During each of the next twelve weeks, I commit [day] [time] to reading the appropriate workbook chapter and completing the weekly exercises. I also commit to spending at least fifteen minutes a day, five days a week, on revising my article until it is ready for submission (or for twelve weeks, whichever comes first). I commit to carefully reading and reviewing _________ _ [partner's name] article during the fifth and ninth weeks. If I cannot meet any of these commitments due to a prolonged illness or a family emergency, I will inform _________ _ [partner's name] immediately. If I cannot meet any of these commitments for any other reason, I will pay the following: ____ . If I meet all of these commitments, I will gain the fol- [fee] lowing: ___ _ [benefit] [signature] USING THE WORKBOOK IN A WRITING GROUP You can also use this workbook with a writing group. Groups are great for helping you to stay motivated because they provide support and friendly pressure. Find three or more people who want to revise an article and are willing to commit to doing so in twelve weeks. If your department already has a journal reading group or writing group, this may serve as a good starting ground. You do not need to be in the same discipline or field, however. In fact, it can sometimes be helpful to work with people who are unfamiliar with your content, so that you are forced to be clear about your topic. As individuals, you should set aside about an hour a day, five days a week, to work through that week's readings and short exercises. As a group, you should commit to meeting once a week to report on how you have completed that week's goals as stated in the workbook. This is best done in person, although some extremely committed groups have succeeded in meeting by e-mail. When the workbook task is to submit your journal article to someone else for review, you should exchange articles with others in the group. If possible, you should read the article of the person who is reading yours, rather than randomly exchanging articles, so that you have an
INTRODUCTION XIX incentive to be kind and clear.Nothing encourages careful reading like knowing that you will be critiqued by the person you are critiquing. It is also worthwhile to have one of your group do a little additional reading on that week's topic and report to the group on findings.As you know,having to teach something helps you to learn something. If you have never participated in a writing group before,you might want to look in advance at the Week 9 chapter on giving,getting,and using feedback.You should make sure your group is a supportive environment for writing,not a graduate seminar for deconstruction.Be sure to treat all drafts and discussion as confidential since the group must be a safe place for people to bring their writing at any stage.Criticisms should be offered with care and clarity.Remember that you are working together to become productive writers,not perfectionists. This is a serious endeavor and will only work if your group takes it seriously.I recommend that you sign a written commitment to each other to work together for twelve weeks.Although it may seem hokey or forced at first,people who make their work together intentional in this way find they are more productive.Design an agreement of your own,or make copies of the form below for each member,and have each person sign all the copies.Then consider posting your copy near your computer,front door,or refrigerator as a reminder. Commitment to Writing Group I commit to meeting with [names of group members] every week on at_ During each of the next twelve 【day [time] weeks,I commit to reading the appropriate workbook chapter and completing the weekly exercises.I also commit to spending at least fifteen minutes a day,five days a week,on revising my article until it is ready for submission (or for twelve weeks. whichever comes first).I commit to carefully reading and reviewing other group mem- bers'articles during the fifth and ninth weeks.If I cannot meet any of these commitments due to a prolonged illness or a family emergency.I will infomm the group immediately.If I cannot meet any of these commitments for any other reason,I will pay the following: If any of us do meet all of these commitments,we will gain the following: [ee】 [benefit] [signature]
Ii)- INTRODUCTION xix incentive to be kind and clear. Nothing encourages careful reading like knowing that you will be critiqued by the person you are critiquing. It is also worthwhile to have one of your group do a little additional reading on that week's topic and report to the group on findings. As you know, having to teach something helps you to learn something. If you have never participated in a writing group before, you might want to look in advance at the Week 9 chapter on giving, getting, and using feedback. You should make sure your group is a supportive environment for writing, not a graduate seminar for deconstruction. Be sure to treat all drafts and discussion as confidential since the group must be a safe place for people to bring their writing at any stage. Criticisms should be offered with care and clarity. Remember that you are working together to become productive writers, not perfectionists. This is a serious endeavor and will only work if your group takes it seriously. I recommend that you sign a written commitment to each other to work together for twelve weeks. Although it may seem hokey or forced at first, people who make their work together intentional in this way find they are more productive. Design an agreement of your own, or make copies of the form below for each member, and have each person sign all the copies. Then consider posting your copy near your computer, front door, or refrigerator as a reminder. Commitment to Writing Group I commit to meeting with ______ _ [names of group members] every week on ______ at ___ . During each of the next twelve [day] [time] weeks. I commit to reading the appropriate workbook chapter and completing the weekly exercises. I also commit to spending at least fifteen minutes a day, five days a week, on revising my article until it is ready for submission (or for twelve weeks, whichever comes first). I commit to carefully reading and reviewing other group members' articles during the fifth and ninth weeks. If I cannot meet any of these commitments due to a prolonged illness or a family emergency, I will inform the group immediately. If I cannot meet any of these commitments for any other reason, I will pay the following: ____ . If any of us do meet all of these commitments, we will gain the following: [fee] [benefit] [signature]