Writing can be . . . . FUN!!!

I've had a couple of great writing days! As you know, I've been following Wendy Belcher's book, How to Write an Academic Article in Twelve Weeks and I am having more fun with it the second time around. Last week's edit (I'm a week late now!) is to reorganize your article.

I outlined my article according to what actually happened as opposed to what I thought happened and that was eye-opening. I sorted out that the structure of my article did not comport with my argument. Which means that my current draft needs work.

I remembered that I used to storyboard chapters when I was in grad school and decided to do that again. I labeled each paragraph according to what it did and created a matching index card. I then taped the paragraph to the card.

Very revealing! I can then rearrange the order, delete cards, and write my comments about what the structure needs to be on the back of the cards! I'M LOVING THIS!

I love writing. But these past couple of days have been FUN!!

Just sayin'!

The Joys of Academic Writing

It's been a while and I realize that I haven't been accountable about how writing feels, with all of the stumbles and all. So here we go!

I submitted something to a different journal late last year, and a month ago, I received another rejection with a general reason attached that I didn't understand. What was different this time is that I immediately sent it to two colleagues for their feedback. I wanted to understand the way they arrived at that decision. I have their feedback and I need to get working on that article back on my calendar. I am excited about what's possible here. I just could use a few more hours per day!

I am working on another article about sources another journal said they wanted to see. It's been harder to work on it because the draft was not in as good a shape as the first article. Everything I work on though, for academic purposes, is linked, so it's exciting to have what a write reinforced by something else.

Finally, I continue to work on my book. I am working on succinctly describing what it's about. By the end of next week, I'll start reworking chapters.

I write this because no matter the rejections, I figure out how I have to carry on. I schedule time every weekday to write. To quote Chon A. Noriega: "One usually gets better at whatever one does on a regular basis. If one does not write on a regular basis, one will get better at not writing. In fact, one will develop an astonishing array of skills designed to improve and extend one's not writing." So I get better at writing.

So write I do. Just saying'.

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Back to Writing

I was excited to send a reworked article to another journal. I learned this morning it was rejected. I'm bummed out, but not the same way as last time. But I will admit I struggle with sorting out what academic journals want.

I'm not the first person who has done academic articles who has been rejected more than once, I do understand that. But this time, what is different is that I decided to pull in more resource around me while I work on the other article. I sent the article to two historians and someone who works on literature to take a look at it and address the overall critique of it.

I told them not to hold back. With their help, I will figure out how to do this.

It's important for us to be honest about the setbacks to publishing. If you're not careful, you think that no one has these struggles.

I'll just be open about them.

Just sayin'.

I turned it in

Happy New Year!

When last I wrote, I was still licking my wounds. I had submitted my very first academic article to a well esteemed academic journal and it was rejected!

Yeah. That hurt. Badly.

I know I was not the first and certainly will not be the last. But it hurt anyway.

It took me a month to even look at the feedback. They wanted me to refine my perspective on one part of my argument and this refinement was accompanied with an extensive reading list.

Let me say that the rejection did not help with the book writing project either. 

My partner kept saying hurry up and incorporate the edits. Let's just say that rejection and "hurry up" don't go together well.

This summer I plodded through their reading recommendations. I enjoyed that and my mind started grappling with changes in my argument. I loved reading this stuff just for the sake of reading it. It's part of what I live about being an historian. I found the love of doing this part of academic work. And that made the rejection worth it!

By December, though, I realized I had something new and improved! Their feedback did make it a more subtle article. I have lovely people around me and I had another journal teed up. I'm pleased that it is submitted!

I have a four month wait for that article. Meanwhile, the journal that rejected me said that they would be interested in an article using a particular clump of sources, so I shall get to work on that. I have a nice part of a draft, there's more to go. Belcher shall guide me on writing it (How to Prepare an Article  in 12 Weeks or something like that!).

And I know that I very well should possibly expect another rejection. Perhaps a revise and resubmit? That would be progress!

Stay tuned!