EDITORIAL

doi: 10.1111/nicc.12139

Emotional aspects of writingFor many colleagues, whether in clini-cal practice, academia or management,writing is tinged with experiencesof completing assignments againsttimelines, a process which is oftenrushed and unsatisfactory. The residueof these memories can demotivateindividuals in writing for professionaldevelopment purposes.

The emotional benefits of expressivewriting about post-traumatic eventshave been widely documented (e.g.Baikie and Wilhelm, 2005). The ther-apeutic potential of narration andstorytelling to make sense of an expe-rience and in charting recovery isalso widely reported (Frank, 1997).Narration allows the organization ofthinking, analysis and making sense ofideas; allows for comparison, puttingin perspective positions and values thatalso serve to chart learning and dis-covery (Frank, 2010). It is the mediumthrough which we, as individuals, canthink deeply and engage deliberativelywith our thoughts. Importantly, it canhelp us to find a means of articulatingwhat may otherwise be free thought.It is also the means by which we canexpose the gaps in our thinking andunderstanding, thereby prompting usto read and reflect to fill those gaps(Frank, 2010). It is only a small leapto suggest that technical writing cantherefore serve to make sense of ourprofessional lives and our research.When conveying new insight into asubject, that writing contributes to thewider communities’ understanding ofa topic. It needs to be shared.

Murray (2013) writes about how peo-ple manage themselves and stay moti-vated when writing a technical piece.This requires structure, form and lan-guage to competently convey withinaccepted norms a paper for publication.Further it requires an argument to bethere, and represents the raison d’etre ofpublication: communicating something

that has not been published. The head-ings of what is known about the subjectand what this paper adds, a subsectionused extensively within Wiley journals,helps an author to reflect on these gapsin the literature that can serve as thebasis from which to form an argumentfor a paper.

There does have to be some cog-nitive understanding about the topicand also linguistic competency ingrammar, punctuation and spelling(Murray, 2013). Frank (2010) remindsus that bad writing is symptomaticof incomplete thinking. But of note,writing is reported to be more dif-ficult when communicating about asubject dispassionately (Brand, 1987)or when a subject does not align withone’s personal position or value set(Mills and D’Mello 2012). In addition,the task of writing can be more chal-lenging if individuals experience illhealth or a period of emotional diffi-culties. So these factors may help thosenew to writing to reflect on why it ishard sometimes to write a paper forpublication.

To turn this around and to be pro-ductive Murray (2013, p.15) urges anauthor to:

1. identify a personal motivator towrite

2. make the writing meaningful toyou

3. reward yourself for the writingexercise

4. pace yourself and ensure you lookafter your physical, mental andsocial well being when writing,especially a long piece

5. find a critical friend or a writinggroup who can motivate and sup-port you.

However, the reward from theproduction of one’s writing is stim-ulus enough to keep writing. Whenthis writing gets positive feedback it

encourages further writing. It can beaddictive and one further tip fromMurray (2013) is to engage in regularwriting. Ultimately, the production ofa paper is down to persistence. Thefirst draft is unlikely to be the last. Itwill require further refinement. Thatinevitably requires insight into thestrengths and weaknesses of one’sown work. Frank (2010) argues ‘thegreatest difficulty is in becoming acritical reader of your own work’.To do this requires some facilitation,and evaluative feedback to develop arepertoire of criticality to help in yourself-review.

Making a commitment to writing isimportant, and keeping the momentumcan be achieved through talking aboutthe process, the challenges and the per-sonal development. Making writingproductive (Goodson 2013) whetheras part of professional activity or forpleasure depends on transforming ourmindset.

According to Goodson (2013), thefirst step to getting a writing habit is toembrace the right attitude and frame ofmind. The value and belief we attributeto writing will reflect our attitude. Ifwriting is seen as a healthy activity andundertaken regularly, the task becomessustainable and is not perceived asthreatening or as a chore. Havinga favourable disposition to writingcombined with high-value translatesto a more enriching and productiveexperience.

The second element in becomingproductive, concerns how every daycontingencies are managed, namelyactivities which will facilitate or hinderindividuals with their plans to writeregularly (Goodson 2013). Enablingactivities may include developinga writing plan, scheduling chunks ofwriting time, setting achievable targets,engaging in bite-size writing periods,minimizing external interruptions such

270 © 2014 British Association of Critical Care Nurses • Vol 19 No 6

Editorial

as checking emails, Facebook, andundertaking online retail therapy.

Practice, practice and more practice isthe way to become productive. Addi-tionally, successful academics tend toread widely and regularly to developtheir skills in writing clearly and effec-tively. Indeed, regular writing engagesindividuals in focused repetition andthis way errors can be corrected andnew skills can be uncovered which inturn raises excellence in performance.

In summary, writing can be facil-itated. Structure, form and technicalrequirements for a manuscript can betaught. Developing criticality, edit-ing skills and proofreading capabilitycan be facilitated but it is experiencethat helps to embed and refine thoseskills. Motivation, valuing writing, willpower and time management are the

ingredients to see the writing projectthrough to completion.

The BACCN has commissioned twoworkshops to help its members thinkabout the writing process. The nextworkshop will run as a webex semi-nar, and the details are listed below.We can offer a framework to help thewriting. Do you have a professionalinsight that needs to be shared withyour colleagues? If so, please do sign upfor the workshops. We so look forwardto reading what it is you have to say.

Julie Scholes and John AlbarranCo-editors, Nursing in Critical Care

REFERENCESBaikie K, Wilhelm K. (2005). Emotional and

physical health benefits of expressive

writing. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment;11: 338–346.

Brand A. (1987). Hot cognition: emotions ofwriting behavior. Journal of Advanced Com-position; 6: 5–15.

Frank A. (1997). The Wounded Story Teller: Body,Illness and Ethics. Chicago: The University ofChicago Press.

Frank A. (2010). Letting Stories Breath: ASocio-narratology. Chicago: The Universityof Chicago Press.

Goodson P. (2013). Becoming an Academic Writer:50 Exercises for Paced, Productive, and Power-ful Writing. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publica-tions.

Mills C and K. D’Mello (2012) Emotions duringwriting on topics that align or misalign withpersonal beliefs Intelligent tutoring systemsLecture Notes in Computer Science 7315, 2012,638–639

Murray R. (2013). Writing for Academic Jour-nals. 3rd edn. Maidenhead: Open Univer-sity Press.

Reviewing an article for publication; top tips for success

21 st January 2015 5- 6pm GMT

Live web ex tutorial on web ex.

The tutorial is accessed through your computer or lap top. There will be a visual display and you will hear John and Julietalking to each one of the slides. You can therefore attend the tutorial anywhere where you can access your computer.Your name as an attendee will be listed in the tutorial page and you will have opportunity to communicate with the tutorsif you have a microphone.

If you wish to join the web ex tutorial all you need to do is send your email address to niccoffice@wiley.com . You will besent a meeting invitation and a link. There will also be a password to enable you to attend the meeting. You may see aprompt to install a plug-in. The instructions are easy to follow but you will require access to a computer that will enableyou to download and install this plug-in.

© 2014 British Association of Critical Care Nurses 271