You know you need to be publishing your research and yet you seem unable to get started or make time to work on your papers. Working as an academic writing coach, I see various reasons for my clients not getting their writing done. It’s easy to say, ‘I’m too busy’ and avoiding your academic writing. But let’s look at some … Read More
How to shorten your sentences
Overly long sentences are a common problem in academic writing. I say ‘overly long’, rather than just ‘long’, because we need a variety of sentence lengths in our writing, just as we do in our speech. Having every sentence super short makes writing sound choppy. However, a common barrier to comprehension is when every sentence is too long, so that’s … Read More
When you say yes to others, you say no to yourself
I’ve built a business upon the realisation that so many academics just aren’t writing their journal articles. When I ask people why that is, they reply that they don’t have time. When I dig a little deeper, to find out why they don’t have time, it turns out that it is because they are so busy helping everyone else who … Read More
What’s your fear about submitting your article?
I’ve just spent the last week in Los Angeles, learning new coaching techniques and also attending a business workshop where I had to look within and face my fears. It was confronting, as I realised that the biggest impediment to my business is myself, but also rewarding, as I realised that I can control what I do. Although I’m no … Read More
Improving the writer-editor relationship
In the ideal world, writers and editors work as a team, both committed to making a document the best it can be. Of course, as with any relationship, this can be a challenge, including in the academic setting. Whether you are a graduate student writing a thesis, a supervisor of a graduate student, or a co-author on a paper, grant … Read More
Who cares about those who do the caring?
This week I was a panellist for an alumni event at my old university, talking about women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths), and I was also interviewed on the radio the day before the event, on the same topic. In the lead-up to these conversations, I spent a bit of time thinking about my work with scientists and … Read More
It’s OK to seek writing support
Somehow an idea has taken hold that if English if your first (or only) language then you shouldn’t need help with your academic writing. I’m not sure why people believe this; after all, every great work of literature has been edited by a person other than the author. More than one person, in fact. But writing support is so often … Read More
Good is better than perfect (is better than crappy)
Almost every week on social media I see a meme that says something along the lines of ‘a crappy first draft is better than no draft’. Is that true? Of course, it’s better to get started rather than not do any writing at all. But I want to dispel the notion that simply writing thousands of words is always the … Read More
Making time for academic writing
Sorry to be blunt, but there’s no getting around it — writing, especially academic writing, takes time. I say this as the classic procrastinator type, who likes to see just how late I can leave something before the panic sets in, and then prove how fast I can churn out some words. This is not an advisable strategy if you … Read More
How to find the right editor
So, you need an editor for your document. What is the best way of finding someone suitable? Well, of course, since you’re on my website reading this, you can simply go to my Get in touch page and we can take it from there! However, if you don’t think I’d fit the bill then that’s fine, I’m not offended … … Read More
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