More Writing

I earned my doctorate 3 years ago. I had not taken a single look at anything related to my dissertation until Fall 2014. That's when I started to convert a chapter of it into an academic article. I'm proud to say that the article is under review after a series of corrections. It will, for now, likely come back as a revise and resubmit, but I'm game to revise and resubmit and move it into proper publication.

But those of us who engage in academic writing cannot rely on only one piece of writing at a time (I suspect this is the case with other writers as well). The process of revising writing for an article reminded me of the following:

1. It doesn't matter whether or not I get a tenure track position (I was damned close this spring!). What does matter is that I publish my work. 
2. My work is interesting and although it is about another time and place, it provides much perspective about the U.S. today. What happened in Jamaica happened across the hemisphere!
3. I like writing. This isn't a new conclusion, but I also like academic writing. So write I shall do.

This means that I have all manner of writing projects lined up for this summer. I want to have the outlines of a book proposal based on my dissertation by the time the school year starts again. I am absurdly energized about my project again and am making better sense of what it is all about! This is refreshing. And I don't think this would be possible without taking a two-year break. The journal I submitted my piece to had a suggestion about writing up a couple of other sources, and I shall do that.

I love my dissertation, but editing makes me sleepy. 

So yes, you'll be hearing from me as I seek to keep myself accountable for writing. You all have to do that with me.

And if you need someone to keep you accountable doing your writing, oh yeah, I'm a life coach who can do just that. Or maybe you don't want to write and you want to do something else. I can help with that too!

Just sayin'

The Joys of Academic Writing

Yes, I'm going to try posting regularly again. And you will see my normal snarky commentary about events in the news affecting people of color and women and women and people of color and gay folk, and gay folk. But you will also see me mulling over the joys of academic writing.

After 2 years, I've finally been able to LOOK at my dissertation again. And I can tell I can turn something (fairly quickly) into an article. I've been waking up at 5 a.m. doing my thing. Except for this part: the resource I'm using (Laura Belcher's Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks . . . ") asks that you journal about how the last week felt.

Yes, I have fairly unintelligible mutterings in my handwritten notes (ok, I can read them). But in the spirit of public accountability, I'll post stuff here as well.

I'm a week and a half behind! Not because I've been knitting, eating bonbons and watching CNN/listening to NPR during the days while knitting or crocheting (I would rather do that. I'm not into filing and cleaning to procrastinate . . . GIVE ME YARN and news. Yes. I wrote knitting twice. I love it that much.). Because I actually have two writing projects, am teaching, and I'm trying to write journalism pieces as well (hey, check out http://amsterdamnews.com/news/harlem-focus/, because if you've missed this blog, you can catch some of my fabulousness there!). And it's getting to the point where the tasks take more time. It took me what feels like forever to find appropriate journals.

So as one who does try to meet some deadlines, I find this frustrating.

Now to move on to the business of buttressing my sources. Hopefully I won't be a month behind at the end of this!

Just saying'.