akbari how we write ebook
TRANSCRIPT
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H O W W E W R I T E
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HOW
WEWRITE
THIRTEENWA
YSOFLOOKINGAT
ABLANKPAG
E
EDITEDBY
SUZANNECO
NKLINAKBARI
ApublicationoftheDEADLETTEROFFICEvia
punctumb
ooks
brookyn,n.y.
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xiiiSuzanneConklinAkbari
Introduction:WrittenChatterandtheWritersVoice
xxvAbouttheImages
xxviiWhoWeAre
1MichaelCollins
WildernessGroupTour
9SuzanneConklinAkbari
HowIWrite(I)
19AlexandraGillespie
HowIWrite(II)
25AliceHuttonSharp
TeCommunityYouHave,
TeCommunityYouNeed:
OnAccountabilityGroups
35AsaSimonMittman
TisWouldBeBetterIfIHadACo-Author
45JeffreyJeromeCohen
OntheNecessity
ofIgnoringTose
WhoOfferTem
selvesasExamples
Tableof
Contents
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59MauraNolan
How
IWrite(III)
73RichardH.Godden
Erran
tPractices
83Bruce
Holsinger
Cushion,Kernel,Craft
95StuartElden
WritingByAccumulation
107Derek
Gregory
Trave
llingTroughWords
119SteveMentz
WetWork:WritingasEncounter
131DanielT.Kline
Writing(Life):TenLessons
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IN
TRODUCTION
HOWWEWRITE
xiv
xv
conditionsofacademicwritingingraduatescho
ol.Michaels
thoughtfulengagementwithhisownexperienceofwriting
postedandrepostedonanumberofFacebookpagesledto
anoutpouringofpersonalaccountsofthedissertation-writing
years,bothfromthosecurrentlyinthetrenches
andthosefor
whomthoseyearsareverymuchintherear-viewmirror.What
emergedwa
saclearsenseofthediversityofwritingpractices
thatareout
there:theresnosinglerightwaytowrite,and
exposureto
thatrangeofpracticesmighthelpthosewhoare
intheproce
ssofmasteringacademicwritingto
feelmorecon-
dentintheirownabilities,mostofallbydemo
nstratingthat
suchmasteryisanongoingpotentiallylimitlesseffort.
LikethethirteenversesofWallaceStevenspoem,which
givesthisbookitssubtitleandepigraph,whatfollowsisthir-
teenindivid
ualyetrelatedpartsthatmakeupa
singlewhole.
Eachessayrefractsitswritersexperience,generatingaspec-
trumofperspectiveswheremuchcommongrou
ndappears
andmuchvariety.Tisishowitcameintobeing:inresponse
toMichaelCollinssblogpostandtheensuingwrittenchatter
(especiallyo
nFacebook),AlexandraGillespieandIwrotea
jointpost,generouslyhostedbyJeffreyCohena
ndhiscollab-
oratorsatth
eIntheMiddleblog,titledHowD
oWeWrite?
Dysfunction
alAcademicWriting.Iwasfascin
atedbythe
waythatthisconversationseemedtostrikeane
rveformany
readers,bothacrosstheblogsandonFacebook,
andtherefore
decidedtotrytondawaytogathersomeofthismaterial
tomakeitm
orereadilyavailable.Ibegantoask
colleagues
whetherthe
ymightbewillingtocontributesom
ethoughts
ontheirownwritingprocessforaveryshortvolume,having
http://ndtxt.com////wilderness-group-tour-phd-dissertations-
and-writingsupportaccountablity-groups/
http://w
ww.inthemedievalmiddle.com///how-
do-we-write-
dysfunctional-academic.html
heardfromanumberof
peoplethatsuchacollectionmight
be
usefulnotindescribinghowtowrite,buthowweactually
dowrite.
Basedoninputfromfriends,colleagues,andstudents,I
decidedthatwhatwouldbemostusefulwouldbeaveryshort
volume,withaboutado
zencontributorseachprovidingan
essayof20003000wor
ds.Wonderingwhatsortofrange
ofcontributorstoinclude,Iaskedgradstudentsandrecent
graduates,whosaidthatwhattheyfoundparticularlyuseful
wereaccountsbymoreexperiencedwritersnotexactlythe
sameasseniorscholars,
asthiscouldalsoincludethosewith
amplewritingexperienc
ebeforethePhD,orwhoconcurren
tly
writeinothermodes.Accordingly,thecontributorsrangefrom
graduatestudentsandrecentPhDstoseniorscholars,working
intheeldsofmedievalstudies,arthistory,Englishliterature,
poetics,earlymodernstudies,musicology,andgeography.All
areengagedinacademicwriting,butsomeofthecontributo
rs
alsopublishinothergenres,includingpoetryandction.Sev-
eralcontributorsmainta
inaveryactiveonlinepresence,includ-
ingblogsandwebsites;allarecommittedtostrengtheningt
he
bondsofcommunity,bo
thinpersonandonline,whichhelpsto
explaintheeffervescent
senseofcollegialitythatpervadesth
e
volume,creatinglinkage
sacrossessaysandextendingoutward
intothewideworldofw
ritersandreaders.
Tedissertation-writingroundtableImentionedtookplac
e
on25May2015;Michaelsblog
postappearedon26May,and
thejointblogpostbyAlexandmeappearedon30May;another
participantintheroundtable,AliceHuttonSharp,alsowroteup
herreections,publishedonherblogon5June.AsIwritethis,
https://theaccidentalphilologist.wordpress.com////
the-community-you-have-the-community-you-need-building-
an-online-accountability-group/
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IN
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HOWWEWRITE
xvi
xvii
readingovertheessayssubmittedbythecontributorssome
stillindraft
form,someappearingindraftasblogpostsoverthe
lastfewweeksitismid-July.Inotherwords,thisbookisthe
productofconversation,isitselfpartofaconversation,emerging
fromarapid
lyproliferatingseriesofshort-formwritingonthe
topicofhow
wewrite.Onecommentarygenerat
edanother,each
onecharacterizedbyenormousspeed,eloquence
,andemotional
forthrightness.Tiscollectionisnotabouthowtowrite,buthow
wewrite:un
likeaprescriptivemanualthatpromisestounlock
thesecretto
efficientproductivity,thecontributo
rstalkabout
theirownwritingprocesses,inalltheirmessy,frustrated,exuber-
ant,andawkwardglory.
Asnoted
above,thiscollectionhasgrownbyaccretion,which
isanunconventionalbut(Ithink)interestingorganizational
strategy.ItwasinspiredbythelanguageofaFacebookpostby
MichaelCo
llinswherehelinkedtotheguestblogpostthat
hadjustbee
npublishedonIntheMiddle,usingthemetaphor
ofthepebbleandthelandslide.Michaelintroducedhislinkto
thepostbyAlexandmethisway:
Respec
tedtenuredscholarswhobingewrite,whose
writing
practicesarewrongjustasmanygradstudents
aree
xcepttheyarentwrongatall.Teid
eathatwriting
ispersonalandnoonewritingpracticeiscorrectand
agood
writingpracticeisbuiltonself-knowledge.Tis
sprung
fromthatblogpostIputuplastweek.Posting
someth
ingonablogiskindoflikepushingapebbledown
amountain.Oftenitjustclattersdownall
alone.But
sometimesotherpebblesjoinanditbecom
esawonderful
landslideandherethemetaphorbreaksdown.ButIguess
Ibring
thisupbecause:weareneverwritin
gintoavoid
evenif
itsometimesfeelsthatway.Writingisasocialact.
Youneverknowhowthatpebbleisgonnabounce.
Spurredonbythiscomment,IaskedMichaelifwecouldusehis
pebblethatis,hisblogpostastherstessayinthegro
up,
followedbymeandAlex,andthenothersinroughlytheorder
thattheyparticipatedin
theconversation,startingwithAlic
e
HuttonSharpsblogpost,whichalsoemergedfromthe25M
ay
roundtable.TeTableofContents,accordingly,demarcatesthe
ripplesinthepondthat
arosefromthepebbleofMichaelsblog
post:contributorswereinvitedbecausetheyhadcommented
ononeoftheposts,orb
ecausetheyhadrepostedalinkwith
additionalcomments,orsimplybecausetheconversationha
dled
totheirvirtualdoor.
IbeganbyaskingJeffreyCohen,AsaMittman,MauraNolan,
andRickGoddentomakecontributions,allfourofwhomhad
respondedininteresting
waystotheinitialblogposts,andtheir
responsesandcommentsled,inturn,tootherpotentialcontrib-
utors.Jeffreysessayfocu
sesonhowhisperspectiveonwriting
practiceshaschangedsincehewrotea2011blogpostonthis
topic,anditsownaccretivestylemovingfromthe2011po
st
toaseriesofwritinglockdownstatusupdatesfrom2013,and
nallytoareectionfro
mthepresentmomentisamicro-
cosmoftheaccretivestyleofthisvolumeasawhole.Asawrites
abouttheprocessofcollaborativewriting,aformatthathehas
particularlyembracedin
spiteofthefactthatthebureaucratic
administrativeprocesses
aroundhiring,tenure,andpromotionin
humanitieseldsaregenerallyill-equippedtoevaluatecollab-
orativework.AsaandI
haveverydifferentwritingstyles,as
we
discovered(!)whenwewroteanarticletogetherlastyear;his
essayherehashelpedmetounderstandhowhelpfulitisforall
ofustohaveafrankdiscussionaboutwritingpractices,toshare
ourcommonexpectationsandidiosyncrasies,beforeembark
ing
onjointprojects.
MauraNolanandRickGoddenhavecontributedessaysthat
bringouttheirexperiencesofteachingwriting,bothtograd
uates
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IN
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HOWWEWRITE
xviii
xix
andundergraduates,andthewaysthatindividuallifeexperi-
encesespeciallyastheychangeovertimeinectourown
writerlypractices.BruceHolsingerandSteveM
entzcontribute
essaysfrom
theperspectiveofwriterswhoared
eeplyengaged
inacademic
writing,butwhoalsowriteinothermodesBruce
beingaprolicwriterofction,andSteveinteg
ratingpoetry
intohisliteraryproduction.Stevealsodrawsouttheintersection
ofblogging,seascapeenvironments,andlonger-
formacademic
writing.StuartEldenwhoseregularblogging
andwriting
abouthisworkinprogresshavenourishedmyo
wnwriting
practiced
escribeshisaccretiveoraccumulativewritingstyle,
whichinvolvesputtingtogetherlittlebitsofwritingintobigger
forms.Like
Stuart,DerekGregorydescribeshisworkinprogress
throughblogging,andhaswritteninthepastabouthispractice
ofintegratingoralandwrittenformats,usingth
eactofspeaking
publiclytodevelopawrittentext.DanKlinelaysoutaseries
oflessonsthatemergefromhisownwriterlylifethatis,the
waysinwhichhiswritingprocesshasevolvedashislifehas
takendifferentturns,andthewaythatwritingh
asservedasa
meanstoprocesstheexperienceofchangeover
time.Troughout,
theaccretivemodeofwritinghasunderlainthe
overalldevel-
opmentoft
hiscollection,justasithasunderlainthewriting
practiceofmanyofourcontributorsasdescribedinJeffrey
andStuarts
essays,andinthefoundationalmet
aphorcoinedby
MichaelCo
llins.Tislandslidehastakenona
dynamicofits
own,madeupofmanyfallingpebbles.
Buttobecleartheaccretivemodeofwritingisnotthe
onlywayto
write.Myowncontribution,below,
describesa
methodthatcouldbeaptlydescribedasputoff
writinguntilyou
cantavoiditanymore,thenhideyourselfandd
onothingelse
untilthewritingisdone.Iwouldnotrecomme
ndthismodelto
others,notjustbecauseitseemslikeaterribleideabutbecause
Iamand
havealwaysbeenashamedofit.T
isfactbecame
cleartomeonlywhenaninsightfulcommentontheITMblog
postdrewattentiontotheself-deprecatingqualityofwhatI
hadwritten,tothepointofself-contempt.Tecommentelic-
itedmoreconversationonthisself-contemptfrombothAlex
andme,asfollows:
8June2015
10:50AM
AlexandraGillespiesaid...
Onself-contempt
well,itsrealright?Forwhateverreason
Idontexperienceitwithrespecttomywritingpractice
and
neverdidbutheapsofpeopledo(andIexperienceit
in
otherplacesinmyacademiclife).AlmostallmyPhDsuper-
viseesexhibitsome
degreeofself-loathingabouttheirw
rit-
ingpractice.Itsquitesomethingtoseesomeoneasesta
b-
lishedasSuzannee
xpressthefeelinghonestly,andyetlightly.
Telightnessiscritical:thedifferencebetweenmyyoun
ger
andolderselvesself-contempt,isthatwhenyoungerit
was
cripplinglypainful.Nowitsmore,wrylyamused.Ind
my
pathologiesendearingIlikethem,bcIlikemyself(m
ost
ofthetime).Suzan
nehastospeakforherself,butitseems
tomethatshedoesnttakeherself-contempt,anymore
than
shetakesherself,overlyseriously.WhenIsaypractice
patienceandempathywithyourself,Idsay,forgodssake
dontbeatyourselfupforbeatingyourselfup,ifyoucan
helpit,bcyoucant
helpit!Chillaxaboutbeingtotallynot
chillaxed!Andotherparadoxes.
11:01AM
SuzanneAkbarisaid...
Onself-contempt:
itisreal,andIthinkmanyofushaveit.
Alexisrightthatit
canbecripplingearlyonandbecom
es
lesssoovertime,butwestilltendtohideit,evenasestab-
lishedscholars.Ite
merges,Ithink,fromtheveryhabitsof
mindthatmakeus
goodscholars:wejudge,almostcon
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IN
TRODUCTION
HOWWEWRITE
xx
xxi
stantly,themeritofworkthearticleswe
readforresearch,
thebookmswereadforapress,abstractsubmissions,
studentworkandsonaturallywejudgeourselvesaswell.
Tisis
agoodthing,becauseweholdourse
lvestothesame
highst
andardweholdothers.Butwhilewithamsreview,
atenurele,orastudentpaper,webeginb
ypraisingthe
positivebeforeturningtocritique,werarelystoptopraise
ourselv
es.
(Comm
entsfromITMblogpostHowDoWeWrite?
Dysfun
ctionalAcademicWriting,8June2
015)
Ireproduce
thesecommentsinfullbecausetheycapturethe
avorofthe
exchange:welearnfromoneanother,withcommen-
taryfeeding
backtothewriters,allowingusinturntomovetoa
newposition.MaybeIwillstoptopraisethepo
sitive,nexttime;
maybeIwillstopassumingthatthisterrible,im
maturewayof
writing,whichIlonghopedIwouldgrowouto
f,isadefect.And
maybethev
alueoftalkingfranklyaboutourow
nexperiences
ofwritingw
illnourishothersinourcommunitiesasmuchasit
nourishesourselves.
Alaterco
mmentinthesamethreadbrought
outtheseren-
dipityofourconnectionstooneanother,andth
ewaysinwhich
frankconversationsabouthowwewritecanenr
ichbothourown
practiceand
ourcommunities,notonlyonthegroundbutalsoin
theonlineenvironment:
10:13A
M
AnneliesKampsaid...
Tispo
streachedmebywayofmysister.I
aminIreland;
sheisinNewZealand.Tewondersofsoc
ialmediaallowed
hertoconnectmetothisdiscussion.Andashaveothers,
Idlike
tothankyouforpursuingthisthoughtaboutbeing
dysfunctionalandhowproductiveitcanbe!
Itoohavehadtolearntowritemyownway.Inrecent
weekstherehasbeenaseriesofshortarticlesbyction
writersoutlininghowtheywrite:inthemiddleofthenight,
rstthinginthem
orning,onlywithsustenance,always
witharitual,never
witharitual.Andsoon.Tatgaveme
suchheart.Despitehavingproducedafewbooksanda
numberofarticlesthatIamproudtocallmyown,Ihave
oftenstruggledwit
htheideathatIshoulddoitbetter.
Colleagueswhoadvisemetheyareuplateatnightafter
thechildrenhaveg
onetobed,orrstthinginthemorning
beforetheircommutetocampus,havealwaysleftmew
ith
alingeringsenseofbeingsomehowinadequate.Tatsnot
howIwork;butIdowork.AndIloveitwhenthatwo
rk
ofwritingisdoneinawaythatfeelsrighttomebecause
thatcreatesthecon
ditionsformyideas,mylittleuniqu
e
contribution,totak
eform.
Isharethesekindsofstorieswithmystudentsasthey
strugglewiththeir
ownsenseofhowtobegin.Somany
resourcesdonot,tome,giveanysenseoftheembodied
author.Iwouldlovetoseeresourcesowfromthisdiscus-
sionandIdbedelightedtosupportitinanyway,shape
orform.Tankyou
both,andtoallwhohavecontributed
comments.Oh,andthanksTinaforconnectingme:-).
Here,acomplexwebof
connectivityunderliestheonlinecon-
versation:thewriterand
hersister,whodirectedhertotheblog;
thecolleagueswithwho
mshesspoken,recountingtheirexp
e-
riencesofhowtotthe
workofwritingintotheinterstices
of
domesticobligation;herstudents,whoalsostrugglewiththeir
writingprocess,andwithwhomthewritershare[s]herow
n
historiesofwriting;the
writersoftheblogpost,andthosew
ho
havecommented.Teantipodeansweepofthewritersopen
ing
phraseIaminIrelan
d;sheisinNewZealandismirrored
inthegeographicalsweepoftheessayscollectedhere,ranging
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IN
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HOWWEWRITE
xxii
xxiii
fromMicha
elCollinssNewfoundlandtoDanKlinesAlaska,
throughCanada,theUS,andtheUK,andpassingthrough
diverseland
scapesandseascapes.
Onestrik
ingcommongroundintheseessays
istheirfocuson
notjusthow
wewrite,butwherewewrite.Tisismanifestedin
severalofth
eillustrationsthataccompanytheessays,andalsoin
thevividaccountsofthephysicalenvironmentinwhichwrit-
ingtakesplacesometimesinapeaceful,almostsacredspace;
sometimesinthemidstofdomesticchaos,orin
anyoneof
manytransitoryorliminalspaces.AsAliceSharpputsit:Ihave
writtenontrains,IhavewritteninTimHortonssurrounded
byirtingpre-teens,Ihavewrittenatthediningroomtable.
Iwritethisnowontheporchofarelativeshom
e.Evenwhen
writingtake
splaceinabusyenvironment,surroundedbyirting
pre-teenso
r(inSteveMentzsaccount)withamonth-oldson,
red-facedandscreamingonyourshoulder,ther
eseemstobe
aninnersolitude,astillcenter,thatsustainsthe
writingprocess.
Paradoxically,itiswhenwearetogether,united
inastrongsense
ofcommunity,thatweareabletondtheinnersolitudeand
senseofstabilitythatenablesthewritingprocess.
Itcomesasnosurprise,therefore,thatthephysicalenviron-
mentwhere
writingtakesplaceisasiteoffecun
dity:forJeffrey
Cohen,writingtakesplaceinthetheformernurseryofour
house,aroo
maboutthesizeofawalk-incloset;forSteve
Mentz,swim
mingtimeisalsoakindofwriting
time,sothat
Writingem
ergesfromputtinglittlebodiesincontactwithvast
seas.Ourw
ritingspaceisasitewherethecreativeimagination
doesitswork,wherewegivedeniteformtoargument,toclose
reading,tocreativeanalogy,totheaffectiveturn
ofphrase.We
arealone,whenwewrite;butwhenwefeelalon
e,wecanalso
feelparalyzed,hopeless,unabletobegin.
Tatswh
atthisbookisfor:notfeelingalone.Tewritten
chatterofthevariousessayscollectedhereismeanttostim-
ulatemoreconversationabouthowyouwrite,reiteratingand
reinscribingasharedsenseofcommunity.Tepebblesthat
followfromMichaelCollinssinitialinterventionthrough
the
variegatedshardsandfragmentsthatspilledoutinitswake
makeupalandslideinw
hichyou,Reader,arealsoinvolved.
Wearelookingforward
tohearingyourchatter,spokenor
written,inpersonoronline,andlisteningtoyourwritersvo
ice.
SuzanneConklinA
kbari
NorthTruro,July
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W
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WEARE
HOWWEWRITE
xxviii
xxix
afriend,andthreedigitalexhibitionsofimages
frommedieval
manuscripts.Shewasfailingtowritethelastfewparagraphs
ofanessayowedtoacolleague.Asusual.
ALICEHU
TTONSHARPisanAndrewW.Mellon
Foundation
PostdoctoralFellowintheHistoryandClassical
StudiesdepartmentatMcGillUniversity.Sheiscurrently
writingabo
okabouttheoriginsoftheGlossaOrdina-
riaonGene
siswhilepursuingnewresearchontheuseof
reasonasadeninghumancharacteristicintwelfth-and
thirteenth-c
enturytheology.Sheblogsveryoccasionally
attheaccide
ntalphilologist.wordpress.com.
ASASIMO
NMITTMANisProfessorofAr
tHistoryat
CaliforniaS
tateUniversity,Chico,authorofMapsandMon-
stersinMedievalEngland(2006),co-authorwithSusanKim
ofInconceivableBeasts:TeWondersoftheEastin
theBeowulf
Manuscript(2013),andauthorandco-authorofnumerous
articlesonm
onstrosityandmarginality.Heco-editedwith
PeterDendletheResearchCompaniontoMonstersandthe
Monstrous(2012),andco-directswithMartinFo
ysVirtual
Mappa.CAA,ICMA,Kress,Mellon,American
Philosophi-
calSociety,andNEHhavesupportedhisresearch.Heedits
bookserieswithBoydellandBrill,andisfoundingpresident
ofMEARC
STAPAandafoundingmemberof
theMaterial
Collective.
JEFFREYJEROMECOHENisProfessorof
English
andDirecto
rofInstituteforMedieval&Early
Modern
StudiesatG
eorgeWashingtonUniversity.Heb
logsat
inthemedievalmiddle.comandafullbiomaybe
foundat
jeffreyjerom
ecohen.net.Hispunctumprojectsin
cludeAnimal,
Vegetable,Mineral:EthicsandObjects;InhumanN
ature;Burn
AfterReading;andObjectOrientedEnvirons.
MAURANOLANteachesmedievalliteratureatUC-Berkeley,
whereshealsodirectsBerkeleyConnect,acampus-widepro
gram
inwhichadvancedgraduatestudentsmentorundergraduates
(www.berkeleyconnect.b
erkeley.edu).Herrstbook,JohnLydgate
andtheMakingofPublic
Culture,waspublishedbyCambridgein
2005.Shehaspublished
widelyonChaucer,Gower,Langland,
Lydgate,Maitland,Adorno,Aquinas,andarangeofessayso
n
medievalaesthetics,beauty,style,andsensation.Hercurrent
projectfocusesonsensorypoeticsinChaucerandGower.
RICHARDH.GOD
DENisaPostdoctoralTeachingFellow
atTulaneUniversity,andhaspublishedinpostmedievalandNew
MedievalLiteratures.He
isalsocoauthorwithJonathanHsy
of
AnalyticalSurvey:Enco
unteringDisabilityintheMiddleA
ges.
Hiscurrentworkfocuse
sontheintersectionsbetweenthep
olit-
icaltheologyoftheneig
hbor,temporality,andDisabilityStudies
inmedievalromance.H
ealsoworksonthealliancesbetwee
n
DigitalHumanitiesand
DisabilityStudies.Hehaspresented
numerouspapersthroug
houttheUSonrelatedsubjects,and
hisresearchhasbeenfundedbytheNewcombCollegeInstitute,
TulaneUniversity,andW
ashingtonUniversity.Heisafounding
memberoftheGrammarRabble.
BRUCEHOLSINGE
RteachesintheDepartmentofEnglish
andCreativeWritingat
theUniversityofVirginia.Hehas
writtentwohistoricalnovels,ABurnableBook(winnerofthe
FisherPrize)andTeInventionofFire(HarperCollins/William
Morrow),bothsetinlatemedievalEngland.Heiscompleting
ArchiveoftheAnimal:Science,Sacrice,andtheParchmentInher-
itancefortheUniversity
ofChicagoPress,andhasjustbegun
aVeryShortIntroductionforOxfordUniversityPressonthe
subjectofhistoricalction.Hereviewsctionandnonctio
n
fortheWashingtonPostandhaswrittenforSlate,TeNation,
andothernationalpublications.
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W
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WEARE
HOWWEWRITE
xxx
xxxi
DANIELT.KLINE(P
hD,IndianaUniversity)isProfessor
andDirectorofEnglish
attheUniversityofAlaska,Anchorage,
wherehespecializesinmedievalliterature,literarytheory,and
digitalmedievalism.Hiscurrentresearchconcernschildren,vio-
lence,andethicsinlatemedievalEngland.Recentessaysinclude
contributionstoLevinasandMedievalLiterature(DuquesneUP,
2009)andTeTextsandContextsofOxford,BodleianLibrary,
MSLaudMisc.(Brill,2011).HeeditedtheContinuumHand-
bookofMedievalBritishLiterature(Continuum,2009),Digital
GamingRe-Imaginesthe
MiddleAges(Routledge,2014),and
co-edited,withGailAshton,MedievalAfterlivesinPopular
Culture(Palgrave-Macm
illan,2012).
STUARTELDENisProfessorofPoliticalTeoryandGeog-
raphyatUn
iversityofWarwickandMonashW
arwickPro-
fessoratMonashUniversity.Heistheauthorofvebooks
includingT
eBirthofTerritory(UniversityofChicagoPress,
2013).Hehasbeeninvolvedineditingseveralco
llectionsof
HenriLefebvreswritings,andhaseditedorco-
editedbookson
Kant,Fouca
ultandSloterdijk.HisnextbookisFoucaultsLast
Decade(PolityPress,forthcoming2016),andhe
isnowwork-
ingonitsprequel,Foucault:TeBirthofPower.Herunsablog
atwww.progressivegeographies.comandhopestoreturnsoon
toaproject
onterritoryinShakespearesplays.
DEREKGREGORYisPeterWallDistinguishedProfessorand
Professorof
GeographyattheUniversityofBritishColumbiain
Vancouver.EversinceTeColonialPresent:Afghanistan,Pales-
tine,Iraq(2004)hiswritinghasfocusedonlatermodernwar,
andonthewaysinwhichmilitaryviolenceboth
ontheground
andfromth
eairhasandhasnotchangedsince1914.Heis
currentlycompletingtwonewbooks,TeEverywhereWarand
WarMaterial,andhislatestresearchconcernsth
etreatmentand
evacuationofcombatantandciviliancasualtiesfromwarzones,
19142014.
STEVEME
NTZisProfessorofEnglishatSt.JohnsUniversity
inNewYorkCity.HeistheauthorofAttheBottomofShake-
spearesOcean(2009),RomanceforSaleinEarlyM
odernEngland
(2006),and
co-editorofRoguesandEarlyModer
nEnglishCulture
(2004)andT
eAgeofTomasNashe(2013).Hehaswrittenarticles
onecocriticism,Shakespeare,andmaritimeliteratureandcurated
anexhibitionattheFolgerShakespeareLibrary,LostatSea:
TeOceanintheEnglishImagination,15501750(2010).His
book,Shipw
reckModernity:EcologiesofGlobalization,,is
forthcomingin2015fromtheUniversityofMin
nesotaPress.
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anddetail-orientedworkshopping.Tiswasveryuseful,but,
again,holdingregular,timelymeetingsbecameachallenge.All
membersofthisgrouparenolongerfunded,andsomustpiece
togetherincomesthroughmultiplelow-paying
jobs,academ
ic
orotherwise.Further,th
erecentstrikeofTAsandCourse
InstructorsattheUniversityofTorontodrewallofourtime
and
energyaswefoughtabitterbattletoraiseourincomeatlea
sta
littleclosertothepovertylineitcurrentlyfallsshamefullyand
dramaticallyshortofaswefoughtfortherstrealraisesince
2008.Testrikewaslengthy,bitter,withanintransigentand
insultingadministration
,anditssmallsuccesseswerelimitedand
disheartening.Assuch,thiswritingworkshophasyettoholda
meetingin2015,andthe
futureofthegroupisuncertain.Many
ofusarebadlydemoralized.Someareconsideringdropping
out
oftheprogramandth
eseare,Isayveryearnestly,brilliant
scholarswho,inajustw
orld,wouldbetheguidinglightsof
a
halfdozenEnglishdepartmentsadecadehence.
Alloftheseexperiencestellmetwothings.First:thereis
agreathungerforthese
groups.Teyarealocusofhopefor
seniorPhDcandidateswhoarefeelingdesperateandadrift.
Second:thesegroupsarenotparticularlyeffectiveandareoften
short-lived.
Ihavesometheoriesastowhyboththingsareso.
Tinkaboutagraduatestudentstrainingtheupper-year
undergraduateseminar,thecourse-basedMastersdegree(andit
isalmostalwayscourse-
based;atthispoint,theMastersthesis,
whereitstillexists,issomethingofanantediluviansurvival),the
PhDcoursework,studyingforasetofcomprehensiveorquali-
fyingexams.Teseareallhighlystructuredandhierarchical,but
noneofthembearresem
blancetodissertationwriting.Mypoint:
graduatestudentsaretrainedtoworkwellwithinstructures.
Graduateschoolismostaccessibletopeoplewhothriveinstruc-
tures.Itself-selectsforthatsortofpersonbuttheinstitutions
hopeisthat,uponcandidacy,thegradstudentwillbecomea
Writingadissertationisoftenveryisolatinganddepressing,and
anylightin
thewildernessisapreciousthingto
thosewhowan-
derinthedark.But,asameansofensuringIgo
tthemajorityof
mycrapdone,weektoweektoweektoweek,it
didntworkwell
forme.
Asecond
groupmetonlyafewtimesbeforemeltingaway.
Tiswasmo
reofawritinglock-inthananaccountability
group.Afellowcandidateinmydepartmentem
ailedawide
rangeofherpeers(myselfincluded),askingifw
edbeinterested
inbookingaroominourdepartmentforthepu
rposesofagroup
writingsessionnoconversation,nodistractions,justthree
hoursofngersgoingclick-clackonkeyboards,followedbya
decompressionsessionatanearbypubforanyinterested.Tis
wasbrilliantIrespondedverywelltothisformat,andIgota
hugechunk
ofwritingdoneattherstsuchme
eting.However,
italmostim
mediatelybegantocomeapartatth
eseamsthe
groupwaslarge,andthequestionwhenshallw
emeetagain?
becameanunmanageableone.PersonAcantdothisday,Person
Bcantdothattime,andsoon.Twomoresessio
nshappened,
asfarasIm
aware,eachonewithfewerattendees.Telastone
Iwentto,Ishowedupabout20minutesafteritwasmeantto
havestarted
,andtherewasnoonethere.Schedulingconicts
andthedem
andsoflabouroutsideof/beyondthedissertation
(demanding
labournecessaryfortenuoussurvival,Imuststress)
torpedoedthisgroup.
Athirdgroupisstillextant,althoughdorman
t,andismore
ofawriting
workshop.Terearevemembers,andintherst
sixmonthsofthegroupsexistencewetriedtom
eeteverysix
weeksorso
(itwassometimessevenoreightweeks).Afew
daysbefore
ameeting,twoorthreepre-selected
peoplecircu-
latedachap
terdraft,anarticledraft,orsomeothersubstantial
pieceofacademicwriting.Temeetingbeganw
ithsocialtime
(again,thishasagreatvalueinandofitself,and
Ineverthink
ofitaswas
tedtime).Itwouldthenmoveontofairlyintense
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HAELCOLLINS
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5
monthsofwritingleadintomonthsofrevisionwhereagood,
nished,inthebagchapterwillreasonablytaketwosemesters
tocomplete,ifnotmore
.
Testructureofthesystemhassetusuptofailithastaught
ustoworkandwritein
oneway,andthenaswitchisippedand
weareexpectedtowrite
andworkinaradicallydifferentway,
onewehavehadnopreparationfor,notrainingin,nofamiliarity
with.Mostnewcandida
tesdontevenhaveaclearideaofwhat
adissertationlookslike,howitsstructured,howitsbuilt.For
alloursmarts,itsanuncommongraduatestudentwhoread
sa
fewdissertationsbefore
embarkingonthewritingofone
and
certainly,itsararersupervisorordepartmentwhosuggestssuch
anactiontotheyoungP
hD.Tisispartlytodowithhowthe
dissertationseemsnottomatter.Itsabizarregenre,aone-off,
neithertermpapernormonograph.Onceyouhavewrittenyour
dissertation,youwillneverwriteanotherdissertation.Youo
nly
passoncethroughthisp
articulargrinder.
Tisisonereasonwhyaccountabilitygroupsfail:theyare
attemptstoreassertthe
structureofagraduatecourse,but
everyoneinthegroupis
fumblinguninformednovice,and,in
anycase,courses,asweknewandexperiencedthem,arenot
usefulmodelsfordissertationwriting,becausedissertations
are
little-understoodobscur
ities.
Teotherreasonthesegroupsfailisalsostructural.Inshort:
itsthemoney.Graduatestudentsliveaprecariousexistence
well
belowthepovertyline;inordertopayrentandbuygroceries,
mosthavetotakeonextrawork,havetopiecetogetheraliv
able
income.Icanttellyouthenumberoftimesanaccountability
grouphasmeltedawaybecauseschedulingmeetingsbecame
impossibleduetomultiplejobs,academicornotitshappened
twicetomealone.
Tesolutionstoboth
oftheseproblemsseemobvioustome.
First:thetrainingtha
tgraduatestudentsreceive,priorto
candidacy,needstoberetooledsothatitinculcateshabitsand
verydifferentkindofperson,apersonwhothrivesinavastopen
unstructuredplane.
Isuppose
thetheoryisthat,fromthemomen
tofcandidacy,
theaspirant
PhDwillbeself-structuring,havingexistedwithin
structuresforsolong.Butitsprettyclear:form
ostofus,when
themouldisremoved,weslopeverywhere,distressinglyamor-
phous;weattempttoattainastructure,butmostofusdonot
havetheabilityorresourcestomaintainthosea
ttempts.Tightly
controlledp
anicbeginstocreepin.
Tewritingoraccountabilitygroupisoneattempttocre-
ateandmaintainstructure.Itsanattempttoreintroducethe
structureof
courseworktothedissertation,toforcetheblobthat
isthecandidateslifetogrowafewbones.Asetgroupofpeople
haveregularmeetings,withdeadlinesforproducingwork;atthe
meetings,th
atworkisdiscussed.Itcertainlyloo
kslikeaclass.
But,asEric
Hayotpointsoutinhisstraightforw
ardandsensi-
bleTeElem
entsofAcademicStyle,thepracticeo
fprofessional
academicwritingbearsonlyapassingresemblancetothekind
ofwritingtaughtandmodeledingraduatecour
ses:
NooneIknowwritespublishableessaysin
threeweeks,
muchlesswhensimultaneouslyworkingononeortwo
othere
ssaysoverthesametimeperiod....Tewaythings
workn
ow,avisitorfromMarsmightreasonablyguessthat
thepurposeofthersttwoorthreeyearsofgraduatework
istotrainstudentsinawritingpracticedesignedtogener-
ate75pagesorsooverthreeorfourweeks.
AsHayotrightlysays,thekindofresearchan
dwritingexpe-
riencereceivedupuntilthemomentofcandidacydoesnottrain
studentstoawritingpracticewheremonthsofresearchleadinto
EricHa
yot,TeElementsofAcademicStyle:WritingfortheHumanities.
(NewYorkandChichester,WestSussex:ColumbiaU
P,),.
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HAELCOLLINS
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andSocialSciencesprofessorsastheyembarkonbookprojects?
Ifnot:whynot?Ifso:howcanweimprovetheirmarketing
to
reecttheirutilitytoo
underingjuniorscholarsintheliberal
disciplines,juniorscholarswhocanproducebeautiful,grammat-
icalprosewithoutasecondthought,butwhocantseemto
nish
thatstupidfuckinglife-ruiningchapterdraft?
Second:institutionalsupportneedstoberadicallyreimag
ined.
Writingadissertationis
meanttobeafulltimejob.Itneedsto
bepaidlikeone.Tereisnomysteryhere.PhDcandidatesdo
nothavethetimeandenergytocompletedissertationsontime
becausetheyaredistractedbyextremenancialandmateria
l
challenges.Icantstress
thisenough.Wearedemoralizedan
d
exhausted,likeanyotheremployeeswhoareoverworked,un
der-
paid,anddemonstrably
unappreciatedbythemostpowerful
withintheUniversity(iftheyactuallyappreciatedusasthey
claimtodo,theywould
payuswhatwereworth).Alostgenera-
tionofshould-beschola
rsisformingaroundthisproblem.Fixit,
anddissertationswillge
twritten.
rhythmsofprofessionalacademicwriting.Grad
uatestudents
needtobefamiliarizedwithhowalargeintellectualproject
movesfrom
rstideathroughtonishedschola
rlymonograph.
Perhaps,onceuponatime,theMastersthesisw
asusefultraining
inthis,butthisisnolongerthecase,asMastersdegreeshave
becomepurecourseworkatmostinstitutions.
Withoutsuchchanges,promotingwritinggroupsand
accountabilitygroupsismerelytheinstitutionpassingitsedu-
cationalresponsibilityontothegraduatestuden
tswhoarethe
samestuden
tsinneedofthateducation.Itislikeexpectinga
rstyearG
reatBooksliteraturesurveytobeself-taughtbythe
undergraduateswhohaveenrolledinit.
PerhapsP
hDcourseworkneedstoberadicallyreimaginedto
teachhowp
rofessionalacademicwritingpublic,publishable
scholarlywritingisdone.Perhapsdissertation
writinggroups
shouldhave
facultyshepherdswhoattendmeetingsandsetor
createappro
priatestructuresandgoalsforthegroup.Perhaps
thisisarole
thatdissertationsupervisorscantakeoninwhich
case,suchdutiesneedtobeformallylaidoutas
partoftheterms
offacultym
embersemployment.
Anotherpossibility:mydepartment,English,hasmandatory
PedagogyandProfessionalizationclassesinthe
secondand
fourthyears
ofthePhD,respectivelyperhaps
adissertation
writingclassinthethirdyearisinorder,where
,attheend
ofthesemester,eachstudentwillhavewrittena
chapterdraft
throughastructureofescalatingclassassignments(which
canthenbe
adaptedtothewritingoftheremainingchapters).
Academicw
ritingcoursesexist,but,atleastintheHumanities,
atleastinm
yinstitution,theyseempoorlyattended.Tereisa
sense(perhapsincorrect)thattheyteachmoreb
asicwritingskills
tostudentsprimarilyinSTEMeldswhomaybedecient
inthem.Tesenseisthattheyteachthekindofskillsaliterary
scholar,philosopher,orhistorianmasteredquite
sometimeago.
DoanyoftheseclassesteachthewritingpracticesofHumanities
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AKBARI
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15
withwhatI
hadlearnedfromTayler,andasafa
cultymember
atToronto,continuedtoteachthethree-partessayinmy
undergraduateclassesbutnotinmygraduate
classes.Icouldnt
imagineinh
abitingtheautocraticpersonathatwouldberequired
toputgraduatestudentsthroughtheexperienceIhadhadin
Taylersclasses;besides,thepeanutbutterjarof
ginis,alas,no
longeranen
d-of-termoption.
Masteringthethree-partessayrstasstudent,andthenas
instructor
gavemeahighdegreeofcondenceinmyability
towrite,atleastinshortforms.Ihadtheopportunitytogain
experiencewithlonger-formwritingthroughextendedseminar
papers,whichwasauseful(butnottransformative)experience.
Atthattime,ColumbiaMAstudentswereobligedtoidentify
oneseminarpaperpertermashavingspecialstatus.Tispaper
couldbelon
gerthantheusualseminarpaper,uptoabout20or
22pages,andwouldbepassedonfromtheinitialinstructortoa
departmentallyappointedsecondreader.Teexercisewasamod-
eratelyusefulone,inthattherequirementtothinkofwritingin
thelongerform(notaslongasanarticle,butlo
ngerthanausual
seminarpap
er)askedustothinkbeyondtheusuallimits,andto
imagineastilllongerformofwritingthatmigh
tlieahead.
Inadditio
ntothetraininginwritingthatcam
efromTay-
lerscourses,Ibenetedenormouslyfromhavinghadthegood
fortuneto
ndmytopicearly:inthersttermoftheMA(in
1988),inacourseonMedievalAllegory,Iwrote
apaperonTe
TripartiteN
arratoroftheFirstRomandelarose:Dreamer,Lover,
andNarcissus.Itwasalousypaper,butitspreo
ccupationwith
visualexperience,mythography,andwhatIwou
ldlatercall
structuralallegorybecamethecoreofwhatbecamethechapter
onGuillaum
edeLorrisinmydissertationandultimately
inthemonographthatIpublishedin2004.
WhenIs
tartedwritingthedissertation,Iwasencouragedas
IstillencouragemyownstudentstobeginwiththematerialI
knewbest.Accordingly,therstchapterIwrotewasontheopti-
calallegoryofGuillaum
esRose.Itwasntaverygooddissertation
chapter,anditsstillthe
weakestchapterinthebook;butitwas
theveryheartofthewh
oleproject,thepiecefromwhichall
theotherpartsemerged.Icanremembersittinginacafin
our
neighborhoodintheearly1990s,thinkingabouttheRoman
dela
rose,reectingonthetw
ocrystalsatthebottomofthefountain
ofNarcissusandthewaythatwhitelightwouldberefracted
in
them.AsIthoughtaboutthepassage,Ipeeredintothesur-
faceofthestoneintheringIwaswearing,andlookedatthe
differentsparksofcolor
thatashedintosight.IfeltlikeIw
as
motionlesslyseeingtheobjectofthought;thatifIonlylook
ed
hardenough,Iwouldunderstandhowthepartsoftheargument
relatedtooneanother,a
ndIwouldseetheshapeofthewhole.
Inretrospect,thatwasaself-indulgentandprobablysilly
experience.Butitwasabsolutelycentraltomywritingprocess.
Teprotractedperiodofsuspension,readingandthinking,d
oing
otherthingsteaching,lookingafterchildren,etc.were
necessarytosetthestageforthedissertationwriting,which
immediatelytookonar
hythmofitsown.Icouldreliablywrite
onechapterperterm,an
dattheendofthreeyearspost-eld
exams,thedissertationwascomplete.Icannotemphasizeth
is
pointoftenenough:the
paceofwritingwasnotbecauseIama
disciplinedwriter,becau
seIamtheoppositeofthat.ButId
id
havethecondencetob
elievethatthewritingwouldcome
when
itwasready,andIpushedhardtogettothepointwhenthe
wordswouldberipeandreadytofallonthepage.
Tesamefrustrationandsenseofdeferralmarkedtheyea
rs
leadinguptotheultima
tepublicationofthebookthatemerged
fromthedissertation.O
ntheadviceofoneofmyco-superv
isors,
Iputthedissertationasideafterthedefense.Inretrospect,this
maynothavebeengood
advice,becauseIfounditverydifficult
toreturntothisproject
afterafewyears,readytorestructureand
reviseitintomonographform.Ontheotherhand,thelengthof
timethatseparateddissertationandmonographnineyears
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SUZANN
ECONKLIN
AKBARI
HOWWEWRITE
16
17
tendencytobedistracted.Ispendwaymoretimewantingto
writeandnotndingm
ywaytoitthanIdointheactofwriting.
Butwhenitshappening
,theresnothinglikeit.
Howcanthisstorybe
usefultoothers?Maybe,justmaybe,by
lettingthosewhoarestilllaboringinthetrenchesofthedisserta-
tionknowthatthereare
manydifferentwaysofexperiencing
the
creativeprocessbecau
seitis,atleastinpart,acreativeproc
ess.
Academicwritingisbasicallysimple,practical,methodical,steady
work;exceptwhenitisnt,whenitsinsteadambitiousandexciting
andoverreaching.Icant
imaginehavingdedicatedsomuchof
mylifetothisworkwith
outtherewardsofthissecondaspectof
academicwriting.Sowh
atIwouldliketosay,tothosewhoare
nowwritingtheirdissertationsandfeelingfrustratedwiththeir
ownprogress,lackingco
ndenceintheirabilitiestocarryout
theirprojects,is:
.Areyouabletobeadisciplined
writer,whoputsdowna
coupleofhundredwordsorevena
wholepageeverymorning?Ifso,Godblessyou,youareon
eof
theluckyones.Tatsyourprocess,anditsaremarkablysane
and
productiveone;Ioftenw
ishIcouldworkinthatway.
Butifyoundyourse
lfthinkingaboutmanydifferentthings
atoncethechapteryo
ushouldbewriting,andtheconference
abstractthatsduenextweek,andtheguestlectureonOvid
youwillgivenextmonth,andthebabyyouhavetopickup
fromdaycareinafewhoursmaybeyousimplyarethatsort
ofthinker.Ifso,embraceyourprocessandcelebrateit,because
youwillbeabletocreatetheimpressionofremarkableproduc-
tivitythroughthemeansofwhatissometimescalledStructured
Procrastination.Ifthechapterisntcomingalong,writethe
conferenceabstract,eventhoughitsnotdueforanotherweek;
iftheabstractisntcomingalong,writethelecturethatscom
ing
upnextmonth.Youprocrastinate,avoidingdoingthetaskyou
shouldbedoingbydoin
gadifferenttaskthatyoualsohave
to
do.Andtheillusioniscreatedthemagnicentillusionof
beingabletodoatreme
ndousnumberofthings.
mayhavegiventheworkthatwasultimatelypu
blishedagreater
degreeofm
aturityandcohesivenesswouldhaveotherwise
beenpossible.Andthetensionthatexistedduringthatperiod
betweenthe
workthatIwasnishingup(SeeingTroughthe
Veil)andthenewworkthatIwasdeveloping(w
hatwould
becomeIdolsintheEast)wascertainlyveryprod
uctive.
Writinga
secondbookwasverydifferentfromtherst,in
severalways.Terst,andmostimportantdiffe
rence?Iknew
thatIcould
writeabook,becauseIhaddoneit;thismadeit
easytobecondentthatIcouldwriteanotherone,andtheonly
questionwa
swhatshapeitwouldtake.Tatshapepreoccupied
meonandoffduringtheperiod19952008,mostintenselyin
200507,afterpublishingSeeingTroughtheVeil,nishingacol-
lectionofessaysonMarcoPolo,andnallyturn
ingcompletely
tothetaskofwritingIdolsintheEast.Ihadinitiallyconceived
ofthebook
asseparatedintochaptersfocusedo
nindividual
booksorauthorsonthemodelofSeeingTroughtheVeil
butgraduallycametothinkoforganizingitthe
matically,which
isamuchm
oredifficultshapetocontrol.Aswiththeearlier
project,therewasakindofepiphanicexperiencethatcamesoon
beforethem
ainpartofthewritingperiod:Iwaswalkinghome,
shortlybefo
remeetingafriend,andsuddenlysawclearlyhowI
wantedtoconnecttheconceptoforientation,understoodina
polysemous
way,tothetheoryofOrientalism.S
oIstoppedon
thestreetan
dscribbledsomenotesoncardinaldirectionsand
howidentitymightbeconceivedofinspatialterms.TatAha!
momentwa
scrucialtomywritingprocess.Afte
rthatmoment,
itwasamatterofshuttingmyselfupinmyoffice,nottalkingto
anyone,eatinglunchovermykeyboard,andjusttypingoutthe
wordsasIh
eardthem.
Again,itsoundspretentiousandmagical,and
completely
implausible.Butthatswhatmyexperiencehasbeenlike.And
itiscrucialnottolosesightoftheenormousfrustration,long
periodsoftheinabilitytobeproductive,andpainfullyacute
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19
image
IonlywritewhenIhaveto.Becausereasons.Itsjustthewa
y
Iwrite.
Iusedtoinventthenecessityinhaveto.Howwillyou
fundthefourthyearofyourDPhil?askedmygraduatesuper-
visorinOctober1997.Iwas23,freshfromanundergraduate
degree;IhadlittleLatin
,lessGreek.(Haha!IhadnoGreek.)
IhadntreadmuchEnglishliterature,cometothinkofit.
Iwillnishinthreeyea
rs,Itoldher.Good,shesaid.
AndbecauseIhadsaidit,Ididit.Well,sortof:byOctober
2000mythesisexisted
notgreat,butfullyfootnotedatleast.
Togettothatpoint,Ineededimmediatedeadlinesaswell
asdeep,energizinganxiety(fearIwouldnotkeepmyword,
fearIwoulddisappoint,fearIwouldrunoutoffunding).I
gavemyrstyearMStqualifyingpaperataconference:high
pressurebutgoodfun.A
fterthatIscheduledconference
presentationsfortheres
tofthethesis.Teresnothinglikethe
prospectofgivingapapertofamousacademicstomakeyou
writeawholechapteraboutearlyprintingonthetrainfrom
OxfordtoGlasgow.
Now,bythetimeIbo
ardedthattrain,Ihadseenhundreds
ofearlyprintedbooksandIhadadatabasefullofnotesabo
ut
them.Ihadsomesuper
OHPTs.Ievenhadsomethoughts
writtendown.Tisisbecausemyadvisorswouldleavefear-
EarlyBookSocietyConference,July,organizedbythelovely
MarthaDriverandJeremySmith.
Anowdefuncttechnology,rememberedfondlybyelderlypeople.
AlexandraG
illespie
HowIWrite
:TeauthorsavataroftheHoneyBadger.
ReectedinHalfaFlagonbyOliviaBeaumont,
reproducedherebycourtesyoftheartist
(https://www.etsy.com/shop/beaumontstu
dio)
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ALEXA
NDRAGILLESPIE
HOWWEWRITE
20
21
mongeringnotesinmypigeonhole:comeover
forcoffeeand
such.Terrifying.Iwouldresponddefensively,w
ith5000words.
Butitwastheconference-goingthatwasmostfruitful.Tothis
day,Idoall
thewritingthatreallymatterstomeontheeveofa
talkorwhileIamtravellingtodeliverit.
Gadding
aboutalsogaveaproductiveshapetomyacademic
life.Imade
friends.IrealizedhowmuchIneededcommunity.I
joinedsocieties,startedcollaborations,committedtopublications,
appliedforlibraryfellowships,organizedaconference,andtook
onabigloadofteaching(myfavoriteinterlocutorsarealways
students).
Teendo
fOctober2000came,andIdidhav
eathesisready.
Butsomeho
wIalsodidnot.Teargumentseem
edabitwrong,
andIdidnothavetimetoxit,becauseIwasoccupiedwithall
thoseother
necessities.
SoIstalled.Iworkedontheotherstuffformo
nths.Eventually
oneofmygraduateteachersaskedthequestionIwastooscaredto
askmyself:Alex,whenreyougonnahandthatthangin?
Shameis
evenmoreproductivethanfearforme.Iwent
straighthom
eandrevised80,000wordsin19days.Igotabout
threehours
ofsleeppernight.Towardstheend
Iwassotired
thatIhallucinatedaratonacanofsoupatSainsburys.Tere
hewas:and
thenohdear!Norat.TatwaswhenIdecidedit
reallywastimetohandthethangin.
Noneofthiswashealthy,butitwaskindof..
.great.Ihadbeen
thinkingaboutproblemswithmythesisforsixmonths.Solu-
tionsemergedinanexuberantrush.Iwrote300
05000wordsa
day,includingsubstantialnewsectionsthatIlaterpublishedver-
batiminPrintCultureandtheMedievalAuthor(Oxford,2006).
MyadvisorswereAnneHudsonandHelenCooper,andtheywereunfail-
inglygenerousineveryway.
Tosew
hoknowhimwillrecognizetheTexantwangofRalphHannaIII,
forwhoseencouragementIamthankful.
Anyway,thatwasthen.NowIamolder(obviously).Vari-
ousexperienceshavetau
ghtmethatfearandanxietyareless
necessarytomethanIoncebelieved.Myprofessionalposition
isnolongerprecarious.Ihavetenure,researchfunding,brilliant
students,gloriouscolleagues.
Butmoreaccepting
,middleaged,andextremelyprivi-
legedIstillmaintainthepatternsIestablishedasagraduate
student.Mytimeiscom
pletely,deliberatelylledup.Iamu
p
tomyteethinteaching,supervising,grantwriting,collaborative
projectmanagement,commissionedessays,reviews.(Ihavesome
principlesthatguidemyselectionofactivities:(1)Remember
therat!Leavetimeforsleep.(2)Prioritizekidsandpartner.
(3)Avoidassholes.)
WhenIcansqueezetimeoutofmyschedule,Ireadandthink.
Iinictmythoughtson
membersofmyresearchlab.Ivisit
archives,usuallyjustfor
adayortwo.Iscribbleideasdownina
notebook.Icontributetl;drcommentstoFacebookthreads.
AndthenIwritebutonlywhenIhaveto.Aweewhile
ago,Iwrote6000wordsinsixhours,soIcouldsendthemallto
MauraNolan.Tiswasalot,evenforme.ButMauraNolan!
Idwrite6000wordsforMauraanyday.
Whatistobelearned
fromthis?Imnotsure.Tisessayis
verymuchaboutme(me,me,me).Iofferitmainlybecause,in
arecentFacebookconversation,youngercolleaguesexpresse
d
theirbeliefthatallsucc
essfulacademicsi.e.thelucky
oneswithjobsandtime
topublishweresteady-as-she-goes,
300-words-a-daypeople
.Well,notme.
IncludingSuzanneConklinAkbari,whowithMichaelCollins,ITM
,and
myfellowcontributors
tothisbookcreatedthespaceforthisdiscussion.
SoshecouldrespondtomypaperfortheDigitalPremodernSymposium,
May,hostedbyClaireWatersandAmandaPhillips,withhelp
from
SeetaChagantiandCo
linMilburn.Tankstothemall:Ihadablastand
gotabookchapterout
ofit!
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HOWWEWRITE
22
Isuppose
myadviceaboutwritingisnotactu
allyaboutwriting.
Itsmoreaboutbeing:
Learnwhoyouare,andthenbethatmore,insteadofthink-
ing,alw
ays,thatyouaremeanttobeless.
Begrateful,ifyoucanbe.
Practicepatienceandempathywithyourselfandothers.
(However,doreservealittlehostilityforassholes.)
Youareokay,anditwillbeokay(orelseitwontbeokay,
andthatwillbeokaytoo).Onceyoutruly
believethat,
writing
andallmannerofthingswillbewell.
Idonotsaybegratefullightly.Terearethingsinm
ylifeforwhichI
amfarfromgrateful.ButIamgratefulforwhatis.Iamallgood!And
soarethepeopleIlove.Ilearnedalotaboutthis(rathertomysurprise)
fromhttp://thework.com/(h/t:thewonderfulAndre
aBonsey).
Itispossibletodistinguishassholesfrompeoplewho
arejusthavinga
littletizzy.Assholesaretheonesdumpingonpeople
underandaround
them(butneverabovethem).Teyseemtobeinalotofpain,buttheir
paintak
esanuglyanddestructiveform.Beempathetic;thatwillallow
youtoseethattheirassholeryisnotaboutyou.Butd
onotwasteyour
emotion
alenergyonanasshole.Anddobearinmindthatmanyofus
haveinternalizedothersassholerysocompletelythatweareassholesto
ourSelf,whichmakesusespeciallyvulnerabletothe
assholeOther.Some
ofmycolleagueshaveatteringlycomparedmyownapproachto
assholes
withthatofthehoneybadger(asinhttps://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=rwHMgYjg).Certainlywhenitcomestoassholes,itisbest
nottogiveasingleshit.
TepoetKateCampwrotethosewordsdownformeonascrapofpaper
andgavethemtomeasfarewellgiftwhenIleftNew
Zealandin.I
carrieditroundinmywalletuntilInishedtheDPhil,whenIpassedit
toafriend.Butittookmeanotherdecadetounderstandwhatshemeant.
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27
youraveragegraduateresearcher.Weevenhave
sociallivesand
takevacationstoseeourfamiliesorgooncamp
ingtrips.Westill
procrastinate.Wedonthaveperfectworkingmethods,andwe
allhavedifferentapproachestohowandwhenwegetourwork
done.Tesecretisthecommunity.
Tiswasnottherstaccountabilitygroupanyofushadtried,
andourpreviousexperiencesshapedthewayweorganizedour
system.We
hadallparticipatedinonce-a-week
accountability
meetingsforourrespectivedoctoralyearcohorts,butthesefell
apartinthe
faceofschedulingandspacechallenges.Turning
toemailrem
ovedthevaluableface-to-facesocializationofthe
weeklycoffeemeetings,butallowedmuchmore
frequentcom-
munication.Idontthinkanyofusexpectedthe
grouptobeas
durableasithasbeen,butmaximizingexibilitywasonekeyto
itssuccess.Inaddition,thefreedomofouraccountabilitygroups
formatmeansthatitcanworkinconjunctionw
ithothergroups,
whetherarrangedbyanadviseroraccordingtoresearchinterest.
Ourgrou
pwasbornattheendofaroughday,whenIwas
fourmonthspregnantandhadjusthadadifficu
ltmeetingwith
acommitteememberabouthowmuchworkIh
adlefttodo.
Iboughtan
ewnotebookandpentosoothemy
troubledsoul,
wenthome,anddrewupanaspirationalplanformaximumpro-
ductivity.(Imalwaysdrawingupaspirationalplansformaximum
productivity
.)Ithenannouncedtomyhusband
thatIneeded
someoneto
keepmeaccountabletoit.
Tatsan
excellentidea,hesaid,anditshou
ldntbeme.So
Iemailedtw
ofriends,andfoundthattheywere
insimilarruts
withtheirownresearch.
Overthe
courseoftheevening,weexchangedmessages
aboutwhat
formourprogramshouldtake.Id
rstenvisioneda
schemeinw
hichmyfriendskeptmestrictlyaccountabletomy
self-improvementplan,likecruelcoaches.However,astheyboth
wantedtobenetfromthegroup,butbeings
anehadno
similarall-e
ncompassingschemes,wedecidedu
ponasystemof
sharingourgoals,inwhichgoalscouldbedenedhoweverthe
senderliked.Tisadded
reciprocity,strengtheningthecomm
u-
nityweweredeveloping
.Tepurposeofourprojectwasthu
sto
supportallthreeofus,ratherthanjustmyownanxietyman
age-
ment.Weconsideredusingthechatwindowingmailtoset
goals
forindividualworksessions,butourtimesofworkproductivity
didnotlineup,sending
ustoadailymodelandouremail.
Tislastpointwasfortuitous,atleastforme.Idontthink
my
participationinawork-sessionmodelcouldhavesurvivedthe
whirlwindEuropeanresearchtripIsoontook,orthemonth
sof
intermittentpostpartum
work.Sometimeswedorelyonchat
togetthroughaparticularlyslowafternoonordrainingproject,
andtheimmediatesupp
ortiswelcome.Wehavegottenbet-
teratknowinghowmuchworkitisreasonabletoexpectfro
m
ourselvesinasingleday
(oneofourearlyhopesforthegrou
p),
andourcommunityisevenstrongerthanitwasbefore.Regular
goal-setting,evenwithoutacommunity,helpsyouknowhow
muchyoucanachieveforthedayandshowsyousteadyprogress
towardscompletion;the
benetofthegroupmaynotbethatit
keepsyouaccountabletoyourspecicplan,butthatitkeepsyou
accountabletotheprocessofmakingaplan.
StartingaGoalsGroup
Insettingupagroup,th
erstquestionis,ofcourse,choosin
g
yourteam.Ithinkthree
peopleisanidealnumber,asitallowsfor
diversityofopinionwithoutbeingunwieldy(andtheresalw
ays
abackupwhensomeoneistraveling).Wehavefoundthatour
friendshipisstronger,th
ankstoourgoalsgroup,butthatmight
notbethecaseifwedid
nthavecompatiblepersonalitiesand
concerns.Itisalsoimpo
rtantthatyouworkwithpeoplewit
h
whomyoucancomfortablydiscussproblemswhenyouaren
t
gettingwhatyouneedfromthegroup(moreonthatbelow).
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29
adviceonthosegoals,andwhengoalsareachieved,weceleb
rate.
Iwouldrecommendpro
tectingthissupportivecommunityby
explicitlystatinganexpectationofcondentiality,suchthat
chal-
lengesdiscussedwithinthegroupstaywithinthegroup.
CheckingOut
Eachcommunityhasits
owncustoms;ourscomesfromam
is-
reading.Oneeveningm
yhusbandwaslookingovermyshoulder
whileIsentmyevening
email,titledFridayGoals,andthought
itreadFridayGoats.
Hrm,hethoughtto
himself,theyreexchangingpictures
ofgoats.
(Letusconsiderthefactthathewouldnthavefounditsur-
prisingifwewere.)
Assomeonewhoisin
deedfondofdairygoats,Irecorded
theconversationinmyemailandsentalongapictureofababy
Nubian.NowtheFrida
yGoathasbecomeourmascot,sen
t
alongincelebrationwhentheweekisdone,andsignalingthe
endofaseriesofgoals.
Tisleadsmetosomeadvice:youshouldtaketimeawayfrom
yourwork,andtheaccountabilitygroupcanbebothahelpand
ahindrance.Whenyou
meetonceaweekforcoffee,theme
eting
eventuallycomestoanend.Emailsrarelydo.Notneedingto
schedulemeetingsmakesthegroupworkforanyschedule,but
thoseschedulesdonotalwayslineup.Onememberofmyg
roup
triestokeepherweeken
dswork-free,whileItrynottoworkon
Sundaysbuttruedisconnectioncanbehardwhenyourem
ail
ispinging.Muchofthisisthefaultofcontemporarycommu-
nicationculture,andnotthegoalsgroup,butitissomethingto
discuss,andmakesurey
ourfellowgroupmembersknowthat
therewillbetimeswhenyouarenotcheckingyouremail.T
en
turnyourphoneoff,and
enjoyyourtimeaway.
Ifyouthink
yourmostimmediatecolleagueswillmakeyoumore
anxious,ormorecompetitive,thenmyadviceis
tolookfurther.
Youmayalsowanttoconsiderhowbroadyou
wantthedis-
ciplinaryspreadofyourgrouptobe.Mygrouphastwoliterary
scholarsand
meahistorianandmanuscriptspecialist.Some-
timesthisisalittlelonely,asmygoalslistslook
soverydifferent
fromtheothers.Ontheotherhand,Ineverhav
etoworryabout
feelingcompetitiveaboutmywork.
Anotherquestionwhensettingupsuchagrouponceyou
havedeterm
inedyourmembersandyourmetho
dofcommunica-
tioniswh
atconstitutesagoal.Weinterpret
itquitebroadly:
itincludese
verythingfromgoingtothegym(thisisneveronmy
list),toweddingplanning,togettingthecolicky
babytotakea
nap.Tismeansthatourdailyachievementsre
ectthediversity
ofresponsib
ilitiesandactivitiesinourlives(alw
aysamotiva-
tionbooster)andhelpsuskeepouracademicgoalsrealisticand
achievable.
GettingW
hatYouNeed
Itmaytake
afewweeksormonthsbeforeyourworkinggroup
isrunningsmoothly.Whiletherstmessagesw
illlikelybefull
ofenthusiasm,youwillalsoneedtoworkoutth
edynamicsof
thegroupandsettheboundariesforhowmuch
helporadviceis
tobegiven.
Somepeoplereallyliketogiveadvice;somepeople
areproneto
beingpushedaroundbyotherpeop
lesadvice.Its
importanttoworkwithpeopletowhomyoucansay,Ijustwant
toshowyou
mylistformyownaccountability,anddontneed
anyadviceo
nit.Ontheotherhand,youmayw
anttoaskyour
peerstokee
pyouhonestabouttheamountofw
orkyoucan
reallyachieveparticularlyifyouarepronetomanaginganxiety
bydevelopingunreasonableto-dolists.Mygrou
psprimarypur-
viewischee
rleading:wesetgoals,sometimesweofferverymild
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32
theExcelsp
readsheetonwhichItrackedmyword-countgoals
andtheirrelationshiptoreality.)
Bylearninghowtobreakmyprojectintosmall,achievable
piecesthrou
ghbothmytranscriptionworkand
thegoalsgroup,
Ilearnedho
wtobreakalong-formatacademicworkintoman-
ageablestag
es.TetechniquesIusearemanyandvariedloose
journalinga
boutanacademicproblemforfteentotwenty
minutes,sketchingoutvisualmapsofmyargum
ent,outlining,
draftingthe
shittyrstdraftthatAnneLamotthasmade
famous.Writinggoalsisitselfastageofwriting
,andlistingmy
intermediatetaskstothegoalsgroupgivesthem
aweightand
legitimacytheymightotherwiselack.Indiscussingmywriting
progresswithfriends,Ivelearnednewtechniqu
esandIhave
developeda
goodsenseofhowmuchtimeIwillneedforeach
task,allowin
gmetoschedulerealisticbingesof
dailywriting.
Ihavealw
aysbeenawriter.ButformanyyearsofwritingI
dependedonperfectconditions:animmaculate
desk,theprivacy
ofanempty
roomorlackingthese,thepanicofprocrastination
andthelonelinessofanall-nighter.WhenIgav
eupmydeskto
makeroom
foracrib,Ipanicked.WouldIevernish?WouldI
resentmybaby?(Myownmother,writinganes
saylikethisone,
hadcomplainedoflosingherofficetomakemy
nursery.)With
thegoalsgroup,Ihavewrittenontrains,Ihave
writteninTim
Hortonssurroundedbyirtingpre-teens,Ihavewrittenatthe
diningroom
table.Iwritethisnowontheporchofarelatives
home,with
mygroupawaitingnewsofacompletedgoal.What
Ineededwa
snotperfectcircumstanceswhatIneededwas
community.
Frances
Phillips,Allowance:APoeticsofMotherhood,inTeGrand
Permission:NewWritingsonPoeticsandMotherhood,editedbyPatricia
DienstfreyandBrendaHillman(Middleton,CT:WesleyanUniversity
Press,),.
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37
Aco-authorwouldnecessitatethatIghtmyownimpulses
asawr
iter.Tisisagoodthingforme,and
Isuspectitisfor
mostw
riters.Morebelow.
Finally,andmostimportantly,Idbethinkingdifferently
fromthestart,tryingtothinknotonlyasandformyself,
butalsotryingtothinkthroughandabout
theinterests
andconcernsofmyco-author,tryingnottomerelywrite
myhalfofanessay,buttowriteawhole,inparts.
Likemostacademicsinthehumanities,Iwastrainedingraduate
schoolreally,inalloftheschoolsIattendedfromkindergar-
tenonthroughmyPhDtobeasolitarywrite
r.Iwastoldto
domyown
work,towritemyownessays,that
unauthorized
collaborationwasanacademicviolation.Incollegeandgraduate
school,Iwa
sneveraskedorassignedtowritew
ithaclassmate,
andImprettysure,atthatpoint,thatIwouldn
othavewanted
to.Iwastrainedto(guratively)headuptomy
lonelygarret,
whereIdnd(inthecinematicretelling,withm
eplayedby
GeorgeClooney)amanualtypewriterandagla
ssofscotch,and
where,inth
emiddleofthenight,infuriousburstsofenergy,
Idhammer
outmyown(brilliant!genius!)ideas,inscribing
andassertin
gmyidentitywitheveryclatteringkeystroke.Tis
Romanticnineteenth-centurymodelofauthorshipstillobtains
intheearly
twenty-rst,andIthinkitishightimetoabandonit.
Terearesomemovementsafoottopresstowardmorecollab-
oration,includingtheMaterialCollectivesencouragementof
co-writtenconferencepapersandpublications.Idontwantto
mandatethisforeveryone,ofcourse,andcollaborationisnotthe
rightpathforeveryproject.However,Idliketo
seecollaborative
workbecom
etheguidingassumptionandindustrystandard,
ratherthan
anunusualdeviationfromthesolita
rynorm.Inthe
lastdecadeorso,Ivebeenactivelyseekingoutwritingpartners,
andhaveco-writtenpiecesofvariedlength(blo
gposttobook)
withaboutadozencolleagues.EachoneisbetterthanwhatId
havewrittenonthesubject,writingalone.Tispiece,too,would
surelybebetterwithaco-author.
HowIWriteWhen
WritingSolo
IfIamtowriteapiecewithoutacollaborator,Igenerallyre
vert
tomytraining.Iconceiveanidea,readasmuchasIhavetimeto,
outlineattimes,inob
sessivedetail,thoughworkingwith
some
co-authorshasgottenm
etoloosenupsomeinthisregard
and
thenIwrite.Istartatth
eintroduction,writethebody,andthen
addonaconclusion,generallywritinginthatorderlyorder.
Iadd
allmynotesandapparatusasIwrite.Itisallquitedulland
unt
forcinematicportrayal.Icomposeprettyquickly,andgenerally
(moreorless)enjoythe
process.Mywritingmantraisfteen
minutesisenoughtime
togetsomethingwritten.(Actually
,
wejustnishedanepiso
deofDr.Who,andwhilemywifeis
brushingherteeth,Iveaddedafewlines,here.Plentyoftim
eto
accomplishsomething,especiallysincethisessayisonlysup
-
posedtobe25003000words.)Idonthaveazone,neverwork
late,andhaveneverpulledanall-nighter,evenincollege.Fo
rme,
writingisgenerallynotafraughtexercise,notlledwithangst
oranxietyexceptasregardsmeetingdeadlines,whichIrm
ly
believeindoing,everytime.
Ipaceanddrivemyw
ritingbycommittingtoconference
talks
andothersuchspeaking
gigs.IfIhaveagreedtospeakfor
fteen
orforty-veminuteson
asubject,Idbetterhavetherequisite
numberofpagesdrafted
andinreasonableshapebythen.Ialso
obsessovermyimagesfortalks,sothatmeansIvegottoha
ve
thethingwrittenenoughinadvancetospendafew(several)
hourspolishingupmyK
eynoteorPrezi(thoughhalfthetime,
thescreenturnsouttob
etinyandcrooked,ortheprojector
dim,
orthelightingintheroomtoobrightforanyonetoreallyappre-
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noidea.Surely,thiswou
ldbebetterorganized,andbetterw
ritten,
ifIhadaco-author.
What(IThink)IAm
LikeasaCollaborator
Great!Prompt!Reasonable!Supportive!Patient!Oh,andvery
needy.Iamaneedycollaborator.Iwanttotalkalot.Imight
emailyoufourtimesinagivenday.Orve(half-jokingsubject
linesread,forexample,Message6of9Today!).AndIllw
ant
tohearbackfromyouoften.Illworryaboutthedeadline,and
willreally,reallywantto
getourdraftinbythen,ifnotabit
before.Illwanttimeto
writeandpasstheessaytoyou,tothink
whileyouwriteandpassitbacktome,andsoon.Itwillbe
my
guidinghopethatwearedoingmorethaneachwritingtwo
sep-
aratehalvesandthenstitchingthemtogetherattheend.Iw
ant
towriteacohesivepiecethatneitherofuscouldhavewrittenon
ourown,notonlybecau
seofdisciplinaryandsubjectareaspe-
cialtiesbutalsobecause
ofpersonalitiesandwritingvoicesa
nd
individualconcerns.Iwanttobepressedandstretched.
Oh,andifyoulike,especiallyifyouarentanarthistorian
,Ill
offertodealwiththehe
adacheofpermissions,andwithputting
togetherthenalimage
lesandwhatnot.Ofcourse,ifyou
are
anarthistorian(orothe
rimage-yperson)andarewillingto
take
halfthestackofpermissionsrequests,thankyou!Itreallyisthe
worstpartofthewritingprocess.OrIllmakeyouadeal:Illdo
thepermissionsifyouw
illproofthenotes.Tatisevenworse.
Allofthiscollaborationisalotofwork.IsuspectthatIve
writtenasmanywordsinemailstomycollaboratorsasinm
y
writingswiththem.Inthehumanities,inmyexperience,hiring
committees,tenureand
promotioncommittees,andadminis-
tratorsoftenseecollaborativewritingasalesseractivity,and
co-writtenpiecesassoftadditionstoaCV.Ionceinterview
ed
forajoblistedasseekingamedievalarthistorianwithaspecialty
ciatethecare).MostofwhatIvewritten,then,waswrittenin
ten-pagebu
rsts,inadvanceofKalamazoo,MedievalAssociation
ofthePaci
c,Leeds,NewChaucerSociety,and
soon.Ofcourse,
thesearecollaborativevenues;thereasonwecometogetheris
becauseweareseekingtogetandgivehelp,thoughthesug-
gestionsandcorrectionsandsupportwereceive
atconferences
usuallygoes
uncredited.(Yes,Iknow,Iknow,noteveryoneis
constructive
andhelpful,andthereisalotofgrandstandingand
snipingand
othersuchfoolishness,butifthatw
asalltherewas,
wedstopgo
ing.Tatsjustsomethingweputupwithtogetthe
goodstuff,andshouldworktodiscourageinan
umberofways.)
Whenwritingsolo,Idohaveoneperhapswa
stefulpractice.
Iambynaturesomewhatcontrarian,andIenjoyagoodintellec-
tualdebate.
Inessence,thatswhatthewholescholarlyenter-
priseis,ora
tleastmightbe.Iamoften,implicitlyorexplicitly
writingagainstsomethingorsomeone,whichagain,ispartof
ourtraining
:ndaawinpreviousscholarship
andcorrectit,or
ndagapandllit.Tisisthestancewithwhichmostdisser-
tationsbegin.Myrst-draftintroductionstend
tobeobnoxious,
belittling,andself-aggrandizing.Lookathowstupidallpast
scholarship
hasbeen!LookathowsmartIam,incomparison!
Indwritin
gsuchintroductionstobeveryuseful.Teyhelpme
organizemythinkingonasubject,systemizemyunderstanding
ofthehistoriography,andgivemea(usuallystrawman)oppo-
nenttoghtasIwrite,whichanimatestheprocessandgivesthe
restofmyw
ritingabitmorezip.Butthankfullythewonderful
SuzanneLe
wis,mygraduateschooladvisor,taughtmetoalways,
intheend,cutthesesections.Teyremainacomm
onpartofmy
writingprocess,butIdontpublishthem.Teymaybehelp-
ful,butthey
arealsofoolishandpettyanddeeplyungenerous.
ShouldIhavetoldyouaboutwritingthem,atall?Ipromisethat
Iveneverdonethiswithsomethingyouwrote.Iloveyourwrit-
ing.Oyvey,IwishIddiscussedallofthiswithsomeonebefore
starting.Am
Igettingsomewhere?Isthismakingsense?Ihave
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41
fetteredbymyownabilities,creativity,andthetimeIvegotin
whichtowork,isafabulousluxury.Butitisevenbetterwhen
Ive
gotaco-authorsabilities,creativity,andtime,aswell.Havingthis
wouldcertainlyimprove
thislittlepiece.
HowCollaborating
Goes,inPractice
IwishIcouldsaythateverycollaborationIvehadhasbeen
equallyfulllingandrewarding,butofcourse,likeallhuman
relationships,theyvaryquiteabit.Somehavebeenjustideal
intellectuallyrichandexcitingandfullofinterchange,and
resultinginworkthatis
notmerelybetterthanwhatIcould
do
onmyownbutalsoprofoundlydifferentfromwhatIwould
have
done.Ontheotherhand,acoupleofmyplannedcollaborations
justdidnthappen;they
fellapartatonestageoranother.In
somecases,theprojectjustwentaway.Inothers,Icarriedon
unaccompanied,sinceth
epiecewaspromisedsomewhere.T
ey
turnedoutne,butIthinktheydhavebeenbetterwiththeir
intendedco-authors.
Somecollaborations,ofcourse,havebeeninthemiddle.Te
workgotdone(moreor
lessontime),theprocesswasinteresting,
andnottoofrustrating,
andImhappywiththeresults.Iam
very
gladtosaythatIvenot
yet(knockonwood)lostafriendover
acollaboration.Iveheardfromafewcolleaguesthattheyhave,
andsomeofthesehaveswornoffcollaborativework,butto
me,
thisseemslikegivingupondatingbecauseofabadrelation
ship.
Abadexperiencedoesntnegatethevalueoftheenterprise.I
wanttotellthesefolkstogetbackinthegame!Plentyofother
shinthesea!
IthinkIveguredou
twhatthetroublehasbeeninthose
caseswherethingshave
beensomewhatchallenging.Likem
ost
relationshipproblems,itcomesdowntoalackofopencommu-
nication.Iplantostartallfuturecollaborationswithaconversa-
ininterdisc
iplinarycollaboration.IthoughtIwasperfectforit.
Intheinterview,thechairofthecommitteeaskedmewhatIwas
workingon.Ispokeforafewminutesaboutmythen-current
collaborative,interdisciplinarybook(Inconceivab
leBeasts:Te
Wondersof
theEastintheBeowulfManuscript,co-authored
withmylon
g-termwritingpartneranddearfriend,SusanKim).
Tecommitteelookeddemonstrativelybored,soIpaused,and
thesecondIdid,thechairpointedlyleapedintoask,Whatis
yournextsoloproject?Butintheadyouasked.
..Nevermind.
Tankfully,mycolleaguesatChicoarehappywithmyapproach
topublishin
gandotherwork,sothisisnolongeraconcern,but
itwasquite
apparentinmyyearsonthejobmarket.
Tereseemstobesomesortofassumptionth
atco-writing
iseasierand
faster,issomesortofcheating.Iwasaskedabout
thesameproject,inadifferentjobinterview,W
hichhalfof
thebookdidyouwrite?Whichhalf?Iwrotethewholebloody
thing!AsdidSusanKim.Tatswhatcollaborationideallyis,as
Iseeit.Ista
ndbyeverywordinthebook,even
(especially?)ifI
canspot,hereandthere,phrasesthatarecharacteristicofSusans
writing,orideascharacteristicofherthoughtprocesses.
Partofsigningonforacollaborationmaybethemost
importantanddifficultpartisallowinganotherpersonto
inhabitmywords.Ihaveaprettystrongvoice,sp
eakingandwrit-
ing(shockin
gadmission,Iknow).Friendshavesaidthatwhen
theyreadmywriting,theycanthelpbuthearme
speakingthe
textintheir
heads.(Sorryaboutthat,everyone.)Itisagreatactof
trustandrecognitiontosay,Herearemywords,mythoughts,my
concernsandpreoccupations.Dowhatyoulikewiththem.Icare
passionately
aboutthesubjectsonwhichIwrite.Whyelsedoit?
Imtenured,anddontgetanyparticularrewardatmyuniversity
forpublishing,atthispoint(thoughIamwell-supportedand
feelappreciated).IwriteaboutwhatIwanttowriteabout,on
thescheduleIchoose(thoughIreallyneedtolearntosayyesto
fewerprojec
ts).Teabilitytochoosemyownintellectuallife,only
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ASAS
IMON
MITTMAN
HOWWEWRITE
42
43
Forallofmycarefulplanningandoutlining,Ioftengetoff-
scriptanddownvarious
rabbitholesandcountrylanes(mix
ing
metaphorswithwildabandon),andtheyarenotalwaysgood
routestotake.WaitingforareplyonceIvesentabatchoffto
aco-authorgivesmetim
eandspacetothinkthroughmystrat-
egies.WhydidIwritethat?ShouldIhavewrittenthat?IfI
am
writingsolo,Igenerally
justkeepongoing,andtherstfeed-
backIgetwilllikelybeataconference,afterIvegivenapiece
ofwhatisprobablyalreadyalargerchapterthathastherefore
becomemuchharderto
editthanitwouldhavebeenwhenit
wasthreeorvepages.Afewparagraphsin,everythingisas
softandmalleableaswax.Itissimpleandpainlesstomove,
shift,transform,ordelete.Tisisratherlessthecasewhena
chapteriswritten.
Ourgeneralworking
modelinthehumanitiesistowrite
in
isolationseveralfriendsactuallysetupwritingretreatsor
drop
offlineorengageinothersuchquarantiningpractices,andI
get
it!Itishardtofocuswh
enthecomputerkeepspingingustosay
thatwehavenewmessagesandpostsandallthat.Itisworthit
tome,though,forthehumancontact,fortheextendedexch
ange
onsubjectsofmutualin
terest.Teseconversationsmightlastfor
thespaceofablogpost,orforadecadeandcounting.
Tomycollaboratorsa
ndco-authors,past,present,andfuture,
then,thankyouforyourgreatgenerosityinallowingmeto
inhabityourwords,todigintoyourideas,toborrowyour
knowledge,andtoshare
inyourplaywiththewonderfulobjects,
texts,andthemesthatdrewustoworktogetherintherstplace.
Tankyouforshootingforgrantswithme(andsharingthe
rewards),fortravelingandco-speakingandsittingside-by-side
ingob-smackedaweofathingthathasmanagedtosurvive
a
thousandyears,onlytoendup,foraday,inourtremuloushands.
Tankyouforthinkingwithme,andforreplyingtoallmy
damnedemails.Iprobablyshouldhavegottenoneortwoor
tenofyoutowritethiswithme.ItwouldbebetterifIhad.
tionaboutw
hatIamliketowritewith(atleast
asfarasIknow),
andtoaskm
ypotentialco-authorstofessup,too.IfIknowthat
yourprocessistovanishforaweekortwo,here
andthere,and
youagreeto
saythatyouarefallingoffthegrid
forafortnight,
ne,Icanm
anage.IfIdontknowthis,Illpanic.Ithinkthat
MichaelCo
llinsstartedagreatconversation,andthatSuzanne
hasdonesomethingwonderfulinputtingtogetherthiscollection,
whichIhop
ewillinspiremoresuchstatements
aboutwriting,
formalandinformal.Teywouldbeagreatplac
etostarttogeta
senseofwhatmightbeinstore.
Whenco-writing,inpractice,inmostcases,I
thinkIprob-
ablygeneratemoredraftwordsthanmyco-authors,becauseI
amverbose
andmywritingstartsoutsomewhatchattily.Ilove
adjectivesandadverbs,andthinkthatrunsofth
emcanbequite
delightful.Iveonlyfoundoneco-authorsofar,
Ithink,who
isquiteasloquaciousasIam.Tatwasanessay
thatgotwrit-
tenveryquickly,andwastremendousfun.Butingeneral,Iam
appreciative
ofthemoreruminativepaceofotherco-authors.
Teyforcem
etoslowdownmywriting,whichmeansmore
thinkingandrethinking.Teyalsonoticewhen
Iamusingrhet-
orictocoverforlackofclarityinmythinking,orsimplybecause
Iamenjoyingthesoundofmyownauthorialvoice,regardlessof
whetherornotitaidsthediscussion.IagreewithJamesElkinss
accountofwriting:
Muchofarthistory...isnotentirelyconscious...Tinking
aboutartandhistoryis,Ithink,islikedaydreaming:we
driftin
andoutofawarenessofwhatwere
doing.Some-
timesitmaybeclearwhatimpelsmetowriteacertainpas-
sage;otherdays,Ihaveverylittleideawhy
acertaintheory
ringstrue,oracertainphrasesoundsright.
JamesE
lkins,OurBeautiful,Dry,andDistantTexts:ArtHistoryasWriting
(UniversityPark,PA:PennStatePress,),xx.
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JEFFRE
YJEROMECOHEN
HOWWEWRITE
46
47
Tisdaily
routineofbikeridesandwritingin
twolocations
sustainedm
ethroughthemostintenseperiodo
fcomposing
mythesis.B
ikingwasanessentialpartofmythinking,nota
delay.Most
ofmyresearchwasalreadydone,so
Ididntneedto
visitthelibraryoften.Ialsohaddraftedthoroughoutlinesof
howIexpec
tedchapterstounwind.Evenifeachwasintheend
disobedient,possessingaroadmapforeachwasessentialtowrit-
ingwithout
agonizingoverwhatcomesnext.Duringmynal
semesterin
graduateschool,IwasassignedtoT
Atwodifferent
classes,ShakespeareandHistoryofEnglish.Timeforbikerides
evaporated,
butthereshufflingofmyschedulew
asntacomplete
catastrophe.Iinventedsomenewroutines,andmanagedtocarve
smallerspaceswithinwhichtowriteintensely,helpedalongby
armdeadlineforsubmissionandapassionto
bedone.Work,
Ilearned,hasawayofllingallavailablespace.
Idontwanttoidealizethisperiod.Daysweresolitarytothe
point(attim
es)ofsadness.OftenIdthrowawa
ywhatIhad
writtenasa
falsestartoradeadend.ButIkept
atit.Troughout
graduateschoolIalsolivedwithatleastoneperson,andfound
apowerfulmotivationinknowingthatifIwork
edashardasI
couldduringthedayImightnothavetospend
anightlocked
inmyroom
withacomputerandahundredopenbooks.AndI
supposethatalsoshowsanotherreasonIcouldgetthewriting
done:Iamrewards-drivenaswellasgenerallytooimpatientto
procrastinate.Ihatehavingmypost-deadlinetimerobbedbya
projectthat
overspillsitsallottedframe,evenwhenthedeadline
isself-imposed.
Eversincechildrenenteredthepicturemyworkingdaysare
signicantly
shorterthanthoseIdescribeabove
.WhenKather-
ineandAlexarehome,Idontwanttobecloisteredinthestudy.
Itrytoend
mywritingjustbeforetheyarrive,exceptforemail
andoddsan
dends.Itdoesntalwaysworkandc
haos(intheform
ofsickdays
andsnowdays)enterstheequation
frequently.Pos-
sessingacomfortablespacededicatedtowritingisessential:the
formernurseryofourhouse,aroomaboutthesizeofawalk-in
closetintowhichIveso
mehowmanagedtotallmyimportant
books.OtherstrategiesthatIuse,withvaryingdegreesofsucces
s:
EverydayIwakeu
pat5and(onmostofthem)run.
Tatseemscrazy,I
know,butholdsmanyrewards.Te
worldismorevivid
atthatliminalhour.Runningprovides
mewithsolitudeandreectiontostarttheday,andIfeel
betterafterwards.
Itrytowriteorrev
isesomethingeverymorning.Mymind
shutsofflateintheafternoonsoIcannotdomuchmo
re
thanemail.
SometimesIsimplycantgetthewordsoutofme.Id
dle
withwhatIvewritten,Isurftheinternet,Igobackand
tryagain.Butifwr
itingdoesntcomeitdoesntcome.I
let
myselfoffthehook
ratherthanallowself-recrimination
tosnowball.Sometimesyouneedafallowdaytoobtain
afertileone.
Irewardmyselfwithsmallamountsofsocialmediaafter
writingforabit.ReadingblogsorFacebookdoesntneces-
sarilydistractfrom
gettingworkaccomplished;sometimes
itisthesmallbreakneededtoreturnwithmorefocus.
Iuseanoutlinenotonlyformywriting,butformytim
e.I
focusongettingasemi-discretetaskaccomplishedwithina
timeperiodaparticularsectionofanessaywritten,a
cer-
tainbookread.IuseGoogleCalendarandAppleRemind-
erstokeeptrackofapproachingdeadlinesandportion
out
mytime.Itrynottomissthesedeadlinesbecausethen
I
screwupthework
schedule.Ihavetoomuchtravelandtoo
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JEFFRE
YJEROMECOHEN
HOWWEWRITE
50
51
persedintochainsofassociativelogicandtopicalmeandering.
IhaveastringoftermsIcantmakecohereandthewholething
seemsarepetitiousamalgamthatdoesntaccomplishmuch(and
yetistheproductofagreatdealofresearchandlabor).Te
chap-
terkickedmybutt.Ineedto,um,sitonapilloworsomethingso
thatitdoesntdothatto
meagain.
DAY19
Ahalfday:WendyandI
willescapetoLurayforalongweek
end,
whereexploringsomecavesandhikingthemountainswillkeep
thegeologicrealevenwhenlockdownissuspended.IfeelOK
aboutdepartingthehermitagebecauseyesterdaysdeadlockwas
brokenbyanoutpouringofhelpfulFBcomments(44!)asItried
towrapmymindaroundrocksandterminologicalfailure.Allhail
thepowerofsocialmediaandthegenerosityofthosewho
useit.
DAY20
AfteranawesomeGeologicShenandoahEscape,Writing
Lockdownbeganinausp
iciouslylastnightwithamassiveonset
ofanxietymatchedwith
thethunderousnearingofastorm:each
reverberatingboomwas
afootstepofDay20approachingand
thetopplebackintomy
book.Treatenasitdid,however,the
stormneverarrived,and
afteratensehourIfellasleep...and
maybethatisasignthatreturntolockdownwillbeOK.
DAY21
Stillgoingstrong.12hoursafterwakingupthismorning,
chapternowseemsvastlyimprovedinacriticalsection.If,
however,Iamevercompelledtowriteanythingatanypoint
everagaininmycareeraboutmedievalcarbuncles,OFOOL,
ISHALLGOMAD.
DAY4
Havediscov
eredthatrevisingisasenjoyableaspokingsticks
inyoureyeagainandagain.ImaginedIwasBartleby,butthe
versionwho
cantstoptypingawayatabookchaptereven
whenhiseyeshurtfromallthepoking.Ateagingercookie
inBartlebyshonor.
DAY10
TecashierattheUndisclosedLocationwhereItrytodoan
hourofwritinglockdowneachmorninginsistedthatmycoffee
isontheho
usebecauseImnowaregular.
DAY11
Encounteredmuchofmywritingatitsworst(sentencesthat
runonsolo
ngtheyleavetheirsubjectsstranded
twentylines
fromtheirv
erbs,catalogssolengthytheygesturetowardsinnity,
repetitionsthattendtowardsredundancy),butalsoaccomplished
somerigoro
usthinkingabouttheultimateshapeofthebook.
Idohaveco
ndencethatitwillcometogether,
intime.Ive
sketchedou
tthreepossibilitiesforitsnalform
andwewillsee
whatclarity
tomorrowbrings.UnlikelastFriday,whenIwas
declaringth
atanuntimelydeathwouldatleast
freemeofthis
albatross,todayIlacklucidityaboutthenalsh
apeofthething
butitseemsOK.
DAY13
Todaydidn
otstartwell,mostlyduetoinsomniaaboutWriting
LockdownandtheshittychapterIamfacedwithrevising.
DAY17
Nomatterh
owlongIlookedatthechaptermo
stwordsseemed
illchosenandtheargumentIthoughtIhadnaileddowndis-
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YJEROMECOHEN
HOWWEWRITE
52
53
leftfootachesfromthe
crazypositionIplaceitwhenImnot
payingattention.
DAY35
Bluecloudsagainstblacksky,andtheradiantTunderMoo
n
behind.AgoodomenfromthismorningsrunforWriting
Lockdown.
DAY40
40daysand40nightsofWritingLockdowneithermeans
ImNoahsailinginana
rkfullofchapterswhichareinturn
crammedwithhorrendo
uslystrainedmetaphorsORthatIhave
onlytw