Writing Strategies for Productivity
If you are planning to continue on to acquire some kind of position in the humanities, chances are you’re going to be producing various kinds of writing. Writing productively is important in grad school, and allotting yourself time to write is even more important for the purposes of publication, stress-relief, meeting proposal deadlines, and personal growth. Whether you are a creative writer, a researcher in religion studies, or a philosopher, you will probably be required by your department to produce writing that is publishable, particularly if you intend to stay in academia. Grad school is a great place where you can begin to hone your time management and allot yourself time in your schedule to produce effective, publishable, and accessible writing of both academic and creative nature.
We all have one thing in common, according to Rachel Randall—an editor for Writer’s Digest—and that is time. Though your workload may differ from those around you, what doesn’t change is the fact that you have the ability to alter how it is you are spending your time. Randall suggests keeping track of how it is you are spending your day in order to more adequately see what it is that you are doing, what isn’t completely necessary, and when you can make time to write.
We all have one thing in common, according to Rachel Randall—an editor for Writer’s Digest—and that is time. Though your workload may differ from those around you, what doesn’t change is the fact that you have the ability to alter how it is you are spending your time. Randall suggests keeping track of how it is you are spending your day in order to more adequately see what it is that you are doing, what isn’t completely necessary, and when you can make time to write.
Academic |
Creative |
There’s a few different barriers that tend to keep writers from doing what their title suggests that they do, and Paul J. Silvia lists four of ‘em for us. Let’s take a look:
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If you want to be a writer, you have to allot yourself a period of time to write on a regularly scheduled basis: No excuses. Many of the suggestions that have been provided throughout this chapter are also applicable to writing creatively outside of academia. However, here a few more suggestions to help tie all of this together:
Remember, friend: no matter what you put on the page, it’s beautiful. If you think it’s no good, at least it’s out of your system. Save it, and maybe those words will find their place in one of your future pieces! |
Zachary Riddle studies creative writing at CMU while working at the writing center. He specializes in poetry, but also enjoys writing fiction. His poems have appeared in Apex, The Central Review, The Blue Route, Glassworks, Open Palm Print, OxMag, and Yellow Chair Review, among others. After graduation, he seeks to work in publishing, comics, teaching, or writing center work. His dream is to write for television. He enjoys long walks in cemeteries at night, playing with Ouija boards, and watching scary movies.
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