“Writing is hard. Not as hard as not writing.” -Coco J. Ginger, author
It’s June, that time of year when students leave. Some leave for just a brief time, returning in the summer or the fall for more courses. Others taking their final departure from our lives, and we breathe a sigh of relief to see them leave our lives for good. For others, “parting is such sweet sorrow” as we celebrate their intellectual achievements and forward movement into new challenges, knowing that some of them will become colleagues in the future and we will see them again.
With commencement and final grades finished, are you ready to get your writing done this summer?
I just finished teaching an on-line course called Romancing Resistance to the Romance Writers of America. It was a blast. People shared all the reasons why they could not get themselves to sit in a chair and actually write. For some, it was working full-time and feeling wrung out at the end of a trying day; for others, it was dealing with children on a 24/7 basis that also left them feeling wrung out. But for many, it was simply fear: fear of failure, fear of the time commitment it takes away from all the other obligations of daily life, fear that the quality isn’t good enough to get published. Some even mentioned fear of success: What happens if this is a hit? Shades of Grey author E.L. James has been accused of writing “Mommy porn,” and says she would “die” if her two teenage sons ever actually read the book, despite her amazing financial achievement.
For the writers enrolled in this course, knowing that other people struggled with the same issues really helped normalize the process of writing. Being part of a group of writers also offered encouragement for those that were stuck, and some very creative solutions to plot problems were offered. For academic writers, writing groups offer the benefit of working with peers that have similar issues but are not part of a cohort, where sharing may be discouraged.
Maryellen Weimer, PhD and blogger, writes how lucky she was to have a professor on her dissertation committee who took her aside and said, “You are a really good writer, do you know that?” At the time, she didn’t know and didn’t believe him. It wasn’t something she had ever been told by an English teacher. But most academics are not ever given this level of encouragement. There is an assumption that if you have gotten into graduate school, you must know how to write. Nothing could be further from the truth. Like the rest of academic environment, the writing rules are different, too.
Writing can be a truly lonely business, sitting in front of your computer with no one for company. (This is why I end up talking to my extremely nonresponsive cat, Tsar.) A group can be a constructive social outlet when the end looks like a long way down the road. A good group is not the same thing as a “critique group.” You’ll be getting that from your editor or colleagues. A group is there to help and support you, by connecting you with other writers in the same circumstances. Groups allow collective wisdom to emerge in a supportive environment.
Members can motivate and inspire you when you might have given up on your own. You can share techniques that have worked and get ideas that you might never have considered otherwise. It’s a great way to network, too, with academics outside your own community or field.
So now that the summer is upon you, are you going to get your writing done? Consider joining a writing group so you can say, “I finished!” when the fall semester comes around again with all those returning students. The one I am offering will begin on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at 7:00 pm Eastern Time. Even if you don’t join my group, find a group that can hold you accountable for your writing schedule. You may still be alone when you sit at your computer, but once you have that group, you have real support and will know you are not alone in what otherwise can be an agonizing process.
Tags: E.L.James, get your writing done, shades of grey, summer break, writer's block, writing
