Writing Group week 4: overcoming inertia

Hello everyone,

Hope you've had a productive week!  I will be reporting in late (probably Sunday) because by then I might have actually done something towards all my (oh so modest) goals... it's been a bit of a week here.

This week's discussion prompt is a bit of somewhat trite 'personal development theory' which was presented to us during a full-day compulsory departmental retreat this week (such fun!  Though, I did get to make some pipecleaner animals.  I made an octopus among other things which, as the theme was about working together to make a better research environment, was almost certainly a hat-tip to this writing group even if not a conscious one...).  Woffle aside, one of the things the facilitator used to structure our discussion was an 'equation for change'.  In order for change to happen:

dissatisfaction with the current situation

+

your vision of how the new situation would be better

+

how realistic your plan is

must together be stronger than

the inertia in the current situation

(which could be in your head, in your situation, out of your control...)

It struck me that what the writing group aims to do, and does for me, is to help me remain mindful that I AM dissatisfied with how much I am writing, reminds me that writing feels good and matters (so keeps a vision of how things would be better if I wrote more), and makes me think about and stick to a realistic baby step each week.  Without the writing group it's too easy for me to go months without writing.  The writing group definitely helps me to overcome inertia!  It's an ongoing work, of course, but my weekly check-in keeps me in touch with that work.

So the question for the week is: what sort of inertia, or resistence to change/achieving your writing goals, do you encounter, and have you any tips on overcoming those to share? Any habits that need to change to make it easier to get to your writing?

As a starting point, as a student at high school and university, I used to feel that my desk must be clear and ready for action before I started writing.  This was a useful cue - I cleared my desk therefore it was time to write.  This became less and less useful as I started to write on a computer (your desk is never clear because all those other files are there, if not actually visible) and as life just got busier and more fragmented.  Wanting a clear desk before I could start went from being helpful to being a barrier to writing.  Deciding 'to hell with it, I'll write even in the midst of chaos!' was actually a positive change I made, even if anyone looking at my desk right now (in fact, I will take a snapshot and share it later) might be horrified.  My parents always say 'how can you work like this?' - but the answer is, if I kept my desk immaculate, I would work less.  Works for me!

I've also given up showering in the morning on a work at home day - going straight to work for even half an hour before I wash/dress/make breakfast/feed the cat sets me up for a much more productive day...

Here's the roll call:

Amanda@ladyscientist: (1)Read/Annotate referee paper. (2) Write review of referee paper. (3) Spend 30 minutes a day writing/reading (can be combined with 1 & 2).

Amstr: read something, write 1 bad paragraph

Another Postdoc/living academically: no stated goal

Bardiac: Write the theory section (intro) and start on Faustus.

Contigent Cassandra: stay on top of teaching matters; do research for a short-term freelance assignment and the main writing project for the semester; continue planning; deal with 1 funding application and one CFP.

Dame Eleanor Hull: Order adaptor for new monitor. Do final edits and submit MMP companion-piece. At least 1 hour's research work per day, 1/2 hour on translation, 1/2 hour on something MMP-related, except for the day that I will devote entirely to grooming the companion-piece.

Danne: 1) write at least a page of notes a day 2) SEND OUT APPLICATION FORM to the new university 3) Start reading spatial book 2 (say, three chapters)

Elizabeth Anne Mitchell: 30 minutes 5 days a week

Emmawriting:Get that methods section DONE to the point where I can use next week to create questionnaires.

Good Enough Woman: Two mornings of work, an hour each morning, and catch up with annotated bibliography

heu mihi:Keep slogging away at my German; aim for 5 hours of work; open the document and fiddle with it (or write) at least 5 days this week.

humming42: I’m planning to finish the survey, submit to the IRB and do this other thing on my list, which is to integrate items from the existing outline into the existing chapter drafts.

Jane B: a) spend 15 minutes with paper A on three occasions and b) 2 x 15 minute free-writings (because they are satisfying). Finish all the grading!!!

Jason: 750 words-to-draft; 4x250; 3 solid hours with “major analytic source”; post writing group report by Saturday

Jodi: I'm shooting for 1000-1500 words again and not to be OBE.

kiwi2:  no stated goal

kiwimedievalist/zcat_abroad: no stated goal

luolin88: 1. 30 minutes on T, Th, F, 15 min on Wed. 2. Continue reading Writing Your Journal Article. 3. Make it through another week.

Matilda: continue to re-consideration work/ write 1000 words

Meansomething: 1) FIVE 12-minute sessions on poems. 2) Revise cover letter and send ms. to two more publishers. 3) Send out one more magazine submission

Metheist: Dedicate 4-5hrs on T/R and get my hook for chapter 4.

Nwgirl: Continue work on manuscript revisions: (1 hour on the 3 teaching days) + (4 hours on 3 non-teaching days) = 15 hours

Pilgrim/Heretic: aiming high! for 1500 words, and getting a little bit of last semester's glow back.

profacero (Z): Prepare all classes and materials for them in an organized way, well paced and well enough ahead of time. Always do exercise and sleep, too. AND 25 minutes of research, at least, every day. This is going to be a rough week so saying 2 hours or 2.5 hours could scare me off starting the 25 minutes, so I am saying 25 minutes, but more is of course allowed if there is such time. I also want to take good time off and spend no time eating my own entrails, so to speak, which I have a tendency to do as I am under the delusional impression that this is part of discipline or something.

rented life: Make decision on late start class, have two full days just for me to write/research. Remember to check-in next week. (someone should text me or something. ha)

sophylou: write for half an hour a day; read one book of poetry; try a writing exercise

Susan: Go back to the book that helps me; try to pick up the book for review again. But I may instead end up going through the huge pile of journals on my desk, just to get it clear.

Tracynicolrose: Draft methods section for BE paper; complete at least 1 analysis memo for MS paper; review notes for Methods paper

Zabeel: First draft of revised chapter finished