If graduate school doesn’t adequatly prepare future professors for doing what it takes to write and publish, where do they turn? More and more professors are looking for guidance and support outside their ivy-covered walls. In fact, the lucky ones get outside support even before being awarded their Ph.D. One place that offers the support, structure, direction and encouragement that they need in order to write productively, publish, and find life balance is The Academic Writing Club, an online accountability tool created by Gina Hiatt, Ph.D., founder and president of Academic Ladder LLC.
The Academic Writing Club’s innovative methodology addresses professors’ and graduate students’ need to learn how to become productive writers. The Writing Club does this in way that emphasizes balancing writing with other responsibilities. It also provides interactivity with other academics around the process of writing. The online set of tools help academic writers get over writing blocks, stop procrastinating, and maintain writing productivity.
Writing Club members log on to a unique website where they can post information about their daily writing progress, receive feedback from academic writing coaches and from other participants, and also communicate via a message board. They are able to see not only their progress, but the progress of others. This shared experience increases writing productivity dramatically. Issues like perfectionism, negative thinking, and anxiety are all addressed by the coaches.
Although the Academic Writing Club was originally intended as a site for graduate students, it soon became apparent to Hiatt that post docs and professors also struggle with writing productively. Now separate areas of the site are available to grad students and professors.
The coaches who run the Writing Club have seen countless dissertations finished and books and articles published. Many participants have stayed with the Writing Club almost two years. Some have started as grad students and now continue as professors or post docs.
Here are some typical comments from three assistant professor participants:
"This program ROCKS! The discipline PLUS the support is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time (career–wise)
"I can see my work habits changing daily. For the first time EVER in my academic career I feel confident that I can not only live up to expectations but possibly even exceed them. (Immediate anxiety aside) work is fun".
“I actually managed to spend two more hours in the evening on my article, and just sent it to my editor (!)This feels really good. Thanks to the Writing Club! I don't think I would be so productive without it.”
Hiatt points out that although people can connect online through blogs or applications like Facebook, there are no structured sites other than the Academic Writing Club, for those who need to accomplish academic writing. In particular, there are no other sites like this that provide coaching guidance and feedback.
She hopes that faculty development and provost offices, or individual departments will someday help fund professors’ participation in the Academic Writing Club. In the mean time, she is trying to keep the site affordable, so that graduate students can help pare down the time it takes them to complete their dissertations, and professors can learn to write and publish, while maintaining balance in the rest of their professional and personal lives.
The next session starts July 28 and runs through August 24. For more information, go to http://AcademicWritingClub.com
Gina Hiatt, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, tenure coach and dissertation coach who enjoys helping faculty and graduate students complete their dissertations and publish, while maintaining high teaching standards and other commitments. She is president of Academic Ladder LLC, and also runs the Academic Writing Club. In addition to dissertation and tenure coaching, she teaches workshops and teleclasses on time management, writing, career planning and grad student/advisor relationships. You can write her at gina@academicladder.com. Get a free Dissertation Writer’s Toolkit at http://dissertationtoolkit.com.
