Reflections on WC--The Change I need

I guess I don't need to explain why this last week has been crazy. What might not be as apparent is why I felt so hopeful last Friday that this week would be not as bad as last week. The time demands were a little different but still many and persistent. I actually did write last Friday, a little on Monday--then everything frizzled.

I don't know all the chapters my self-help writing book would have, but several would be about reminding myself that my writing is worth it, is worthy of the demands it makes on my time even though it makes me feel selfish to do it instead of things that seem to more immediately help other people. One chapter might be to collaborate regularly: if I'm working with other people, I honor those commitments (plus I enjoy the process). Another might be to make my writing a priority even if it's a non-collaborative project. That's the big issue--writing just for me, not for anyone else or an externally imposed deadline.

I found the most helpful aspect of this club the motivation I had to make myself write and blog about it or I'd be letting other people down. So that was helpful to motivate me to write, but maybe just enabling my tendencies to do things for other people instead of ones that seem just for me.

I joined this club to get that kind of motivation. I think some other people may not have joined because they might have seen the interactive part of the club (and the reflective part) as more work that would take away from their time and focus on their own projects. Maybe that's not true, but I imagine that there are folks out there who are able to be productive because they focus mainly on their own work and involve themselves as minimally as possible in other work-related networks since they might distract from the narrow focus on what they are trying to accomplish. This may not be many people, but I imagine it's quite a few. I also wish I had their ability to require that focus on their own projects before other things.

Now I have to figure out how to make myself prioritize my writing even when it's solitary.

Hit the doldrums

I have been working on the article this week, but not blogging until now. I feel like I'm putting in the time but not moving forward at all. I spent 20 minutes Monday and 40 today reading a long article. It was helpful, but I still feel like I've accomplished nothing. And it was very tough when I started thinking about Sally's question about targeting an achievable goal to complete for the next 2 weeks (now it's a week and a half). Here's where I feel like all the little chunks aren't adding up to much. And this week is really busy: we've had phone interviews on a search committee I'm on plus the English 100 conference is this Friday, and I'm doing a lot of the organizing for that--and all that's on top of the usual hecticness winding up the semester.

I can either jump into more of my lit. or web searching or draft part of the article that I already have the angle and info on. I don't know what will be most helpful to target. But I'm still trying to work in at least 15 minutes for the next two days and try for 30 minutes four days next week. I'll sleep on it and decide tomorrow what I'll focus on.

Update on Thanksgiving week work

I didn't get any work done until yesterday. (We went out of town for Thanksgiving, plus I got sick, and got better. But I made an appropriately lowball estimate, which I met.)

I drafted for a while last night, sitting with the cat on my lap out of view of a clock, so I don't know exactly how long it was. I drafted several pages, and think it was at least 45 minutes, probably more, but I called it 45. This morning I typed that in and tinkered with a word or two: 15 minutes. Later today I started some lit review searching, found a good article which I read and found at least one good idea/quotation that will fit with my paper. 35 minutes.

So I think I exceeded my estimate by 5 minutes, it might have been a tad more if I underestimated how long I wrote and thought last night. But I was pleased that I got as much worked in on a holiday week. (Graded a batch of papers too!)

I was hoping I'd end up doing more, but as I made that estimate I tried to be as realistic as possible, so I guess I succeeded.

Prediction for the week

I predict I will write one and a half hours this week.

Days off from blogging, but I did write

I feel better looking at all the blogs and seeing that I wasn't the only one with a few days of not posting. I actually did write (about 30-40 min. on Thur. and 2 hours on Friday--maybe more). It was to finish up those last few changes the editors wanted on my chapter. Thursday was spent addressing some informational/clarification questions and condensing a few student quotations. Friday was spent writing a brief intro paragraph to one section, my bio-blurb, and the abstract--and proofing again one last time.

It did feel very good to get that sent off--I hope for the very last time!

Today I worked on some more website searches for my WC project again. Found a few, but my searches are suggesting that few wc websites contain such info about student publishing ops. One reference I found was in connection with a creative writing club the wc hosted, so I'm going to do a new search just for those.

Another 15 minutes

After my busy Tuesday not writing (as I had planned), I got back at it today. I worked 15 minutes (just before 7, even). I looked for publishing info on three more writing center websites and found some good stuff on two.

It didn't seem like much to have accomplished, but I was pleased that I did anything at all since I have so much grading still to do. I know that without having made this blog writing club commitment, I wouldn't have done anything. And just a little bit did make me feel like I had accomplished something.

I will continue the 15 minute plan tomorrow and hope to have a bit more time Friday to double that. That's pretty good at this busy time of the term with only self-imposed deadlines looming.

P. S. The binge was successful last week: the editors like the chapter overall and only want minor changes by Friday. That project is not the focus of this blog anymore, however, so those revisions won't figure in my discussion so I'm not tracking two proj. at once.

Goal met but on revised day

I met my goal (actually I did 30 min. instead of 15) of writing first thing this morning before anyone else but my cat was up. I did it Monday instead of Saturday. I think I was not thinking that part through very well when on Friday I said "tomorrow." I had a Master's thesis defense/oral exam to attend Saturday, so it felt like I had worked half the day anyway when that was through at noon. I decided to stick to my original goal days and not try to work on the weekends--for now.

What worked was having this set of goals and group to make me work. This time the reason was unexpected: I wasn't dreading the task but looking forward to it. (I always enjoy writing more when the project is 100% mine, i.e. before I've submitted it somewhere and am then bound to the reviewers'/ editors' suggestions for revision, so this is still the honeymoon stage for this paper with lots of fresh ideas and excitement). But my problem was feeling guilty about working on it because I felt like I should be grading instead--addressing a more immediate deadline. I got over that by reminding myself it was just 15 min--but then did 30 because 15 minutes of webpage searches for publishing ops. promoted by writing centers seemed like next to nothing.

I plan the same for W, Th, and F this week. If I also do some tomorrow, that will be a bonus.

Back at it after day off.

Did you manage to work on your project in the past day?

No and yes. I had planned to work 15 min. yesterday but didn't because work for the search cmte. I'm on and upcoming E100 Conference demanded my attention. But I don't feel bad since I worked Tuesday when I hadn't planned to. I did work this morning, though, as planned.

If so, how many minutes did you work on it?

This morning I worked 15 minutes and was really pleased at how much brainstorming about a new project I could accomplish in that time.

If not, what interfered and how can you change the situation so you can get working time?

I was on a roll and planning to work longer than 15, but my son woke up and demanded my attention (the cat had thrown up a hairball on the couch and he thought it needed cleaning up immediately!) . But I was pleased I'd met my minimum and got more done than I'd thought possible.
Specific goal for tomorrow:

15 minutes before anyone wakes up starting on some lit. searching for this new topic(but me--and the cat who always wakes me).

What is working well in your writing habits?

If I hadn't been in this club, I would definitely not have started a new project right after finishing the old one (whose deadline, and not my work ethic, demanded that I finish it). At this busy time in the term, I would not usually be finding any time for my writing except thinking about it while driving home, maybe.

Binge finished

What writing I did yesterday and today:
Last night I wrote for 4 hours, not quite finishing. This morning I wrote for an hour at 7 and put in another 2 this afternoon to finalize the revisions on my chapter. It included a lot of reordering and smoothing as well as a new subsection on designing an English department website on undergraduate research opportunities. I feel like it's strong. Please cross your fingers for me.

Comment on my process:
I know binge writing must happen sometimes, but I am trying to put an end to it as my usual M.O. I want to begin a new project tomorrow characterized by steady work in small chunks and no frantic late nights to meet a deadline. I'm hoping this writing blog club will help me shape my behavior in that way. So far my writing sessions have been motivated by the external deadline given to me by my editors. I'm hoping my commitment to you will keep me going in the new habit.

Writing progress update

I have been working regularly. I worked yesterday for at least 30 minutes planning some rephrasings, shifting content around and outlining a new section. I also worked for at least 30 minutes researching some existing English department webpages about undergraduate research as a basis for what I will recommend in that section.

Today, even though I hadn't pledged to write, I have. I worked for 20 minutes at 7 this morning doing some more re-reading the draft, adding transitions and more information, and clarifying places. Even though that's enough for my "quota," I'm going to have to do some binge writing this evening or afternoon since I have much more to finish up.

Goals for my writing sessions

Oops. I forgot to spell out my specific goals for work. I will aim to work from 8-8:15 MWF and 11-11:15 on Thursdays.

Blog Start

Like Sally, I'll be switching projects mid-month. Actually my first project needs to be finished this week. So late this week I'll choose a new one.

My first project is a second round of revisions for a book chapter on promoting undergraduate research in English departments. I'm drawing on interviews with students I've interviewed who have given papers at local or national conferences, published poems, essays, etc. I'm also discussing the available venues specifically for undergrads to publish/present their scholarly work in English studies areas in comparison to what venues are usually promoted on English department websites (I looked at a sample of 75). I finish with recommendations of how English faculty can do more to motivate students and make them aware of their opportunities. The editors wanted me to add a section with some specific advice about creating a department webpage to promote Undergrad Research in English studies. The organization of this article has undergone major shifts and has been challenging--I think partly because of the different sorts of data I'm drawing from and partly because of changing ideas (from me and the editors) about what should go where. This has been a struggle and I'm looking forward to finishing up although I do expect another quick round of editing changes requested once I get this revision to the editors.