Wafa Hozien, Ph.DEducation AdministrationVirginia State Universitywhozien@vsu.eduwhozien@gmail.com

PROFESSORS ASWRITERS

BY ROBERT BOICE

Write oh Yeah Writer, Write (Hozien)• The ink of the scholar is more sacred than the blood of the martyr.• Muhammad

• If you wish to be a writer, write.• Epictetus

Why Professors Don’t Write• Scholarly writing is laborious, slow and worrisome•Why do few professors write for publication• Social Darwinism: Only the fittest survive • Acadamia has been slow to help its own•We are only beginning to understand the reasons why few write

Causes of Writing Problems: Censors• Freud “internal censors” – nowadays they are “internal critics”• Our “watchers at the gates” critically examine ideas as they vie for conscious consideration• The “watchers” reject too soon• Discriminate too severely • The result?• Premature editing that keeps us from getting ideas on paper• Unless they seem safe and perfect

Causes of Writing Problems: Fears of Failure• Negative self attitudes• Negative self statements• Phobias• Self fulfilling prophecies• Daly (1985) Writing Apprehension explained fears of evaluation to include:• Procrastination• Maladaptive writing habits• Rigid beliefs about how to write

Perfection Procrastination• Perfectionism blocks writing• Papers never reach

acceptable levels• Creates unproductive writers• It is the morbid fear of

making mistakes and of being exposed as mediocre

• Writing is a non recurring task• Without short term reward• We ensure distractions• And set up ineffective

programs to ensure little progress• Blame it on culture• Set impossible high

standards• Due to:• Evaluation anxiety,

perfectionism and low self confidence• Aversiveness of task being

put off• Low energy and decisiveness

Activity One• Describe your most recent attempts to write, especially those with problems.

Phenomenology of Writing Problems•Writers express relief that someone else has had so much difficulty writing• Sharing writing experiences combats the privateness and mysteries of which blocks thrive•Writers own experiences are not unique• Better to know your writing problems and observe them in others• This makes writing problems understandable and manageable

Problems for Writers• Dislike for writing• Lack of time for writing• Lack of confidence•Writing anxiety• Inability to start writing• Inability to finish writing• Other Psychological Disruptors• Depression• Phobias•Writing cramps – in arm or fingers

Assessment for writing• Distaste for writing:• Describe your dislikes of writing. Do you find it typically

difficult? Tiring?• Lack of time for writing• Talk about time as something that hampers your writing. Do

you have too much, too little? Or is it just badly managed?• Lack of confidence:• Do you feel good about yourself as a writer or are there doubts

and fears that get in the way? Are you afraid of being uncovered as a “fraud” or of not being able to make real contributions?

Disrupting Your Writing•Writing anxiety•Write about the nervousness you’ve experienced while writing. How did it feel (e.g. queasy stomach, sweaty forehead)? Where were you when it happened? Is it likely to recur?• Inability to start writing• Recall times, particularly recent ones, when you had trouble starting. How did it feel? What did you do to help?• Inability to finish writing• Have there been times when you obsessed too long over a paper or some part of it? Or did you tend to the opposite extremes by attempting to finish with a single draft or by not looking at what you’d written (and then having to face problems of submitting manuscripts with unnecessary errors)?

Other Writing Factors• Other psychological disruptions:• Describe your experiences related to the following• Depression• Do you tend to give up too easily, to be too sad or negativistic?• What do you do to cope or get out of the negative mood?• Phobic avoidance:• Does your avoidance of writing go beyond the realistic

aversiveness of writing?• Do you hurt your personal and professional development by

reflexively avoiding writing if you can?• Cramping• When pressured do you try to write too quickly, so that your

hand/wrist/arm tires easily? How do you cope when you feel yourself cramping?

The Law of Delay• That which can be delayed,

will be.• Humorous?• Excuse for a misbehavior

The Priority Principle• That which can be delayed, need not be. Decide which recurrent, daily activities you enjoy and make them contingent on doing a valued but delayable task first.

• In other words. . .• You can ensure the performance of highly valued tasks like writing by requiring their daily occurrence before more recurrent activities like checking your Facebook or email.• No writing no Facebook.

Yogi Berra on Writing• “You Can’t think and hit at

the same time.”• Writing proceeds most

smoothly and fluently when writers work without conscious reflection what they are writing.• Here writers master an

important skill• They learn to write without

feeling “ready”• Without feeling fully in

control• Without awaiting inspiration• Learn to proceed quickly and

without looking back

Virginia Woolf• Believed that, writing at a gallop

leaves one’s internal critics behind• Writers learn to tolerate imperfect

material• Dorothea Brande’s technique of

Effortless Writing:• Rise a half hour or an hour before

you normally get up and write• Write anything that comes to your

head• Done as directed this strategy

produces two advantages:• Smooth, rich unconscious

processes that it taps• Writing should no longer seem

arduous or dull

• “Language is wine upon the lips.”

Spontaneous Writing Squared

• Conscious mind can provide valuable services• Planning, • problem solving and • developing a sense of audience • Bring back spontaneous writing for consultation, regularly

Generative Writing• Adding planning and direction to already established spontaneity•Working toward useful copy•With some loosely defined goals in mind• But still writing with little concern for perfection• Relies on both sides of the mind• Until the copy approaches a complete first draft• GW helps make the transition from pure spontaneity to • Producing useful copy almost painless• GW at first hurts• Spontaneous mind hates to give up the control

Activity Two• Pause just long enough to recall an experience from your school years that helped or hindered your writing. Then, before you’ve had a chance to think it all out, begin writing it spontaneously. Stick to the story, but do not stop for anything. Go quickly without rushing. Do not struggle over form or correctness. Just get something down. Keep it up for ten minutes.

Activity Three• Reflect briefly on a new writing project you would like to develop. But do not reflect for long; you can always try another possibility in your next trial. Then begin writing. Go quickly if you have ideas readily available. Go slowly when you’re thinking about directions, goals, audience, etc. But keep going. Do not struggle over form or correctness just make a beginning keep it up for at least ten minutes. For up to an hour if you are generating good, on topic material.

Stimulus Control Procedures• Rearranging the writing environment• Establish one or a few regular places in which you will do all serious writing• Rearrange writing habits• Make writing a daily activity• Regardless of mood• Regardless of readiness to write•Write while you are fresh• Schedule everything else • around your writing schedule

Stephen King• “Read and write 4 to 6 hours

a day, If you cannot find the time for that, you can't expect to become a good writer." • He sets out each day with a

quota of 2000 words and will not stop writing until it is met.

Four Step Plan• Automatically:• Like spontaneous• Releases your inner writer• Establishes momentum• Bypasses infernal censors• Generates rhythm and voice• Builds confidence in abilities

to be spontaneous• Playful and creative

• Externality:• External Controls that ensure

writing• Priority principle: makes

writing a higher priority by requiring its practice before moving on to more desirable, current activities• Time management: works

externally to rearrange writers environment and schedule• Creates a discipline of writing

Four Step Plan: Self Control• Mechanisms that induce voluntary control over automatic functions such as heart rate•When s/he sets up external control techniques that ensure planned behaviors• Strong will power• Carries on narratives• Assigns causes• Encourages self awareness of time

Four Step Plan: Sociality•Writing is a social act• Social skills have Four components:• Soliciting comments or criticism on writing• Build Social Networks• Other writers act as gatekeepers• Or working to be influential with editors• Develop a sense of audience• As you solicit more criticism, especially from writers you admire and who work on similar topics• You will learn to anticipate their reactions to your writing• Pause and carry on imaginary dialogs with these critics

Do Not Relapse• By extending the tactics discussed previously• Causes of Relapse:• Lack of planfulness• Arrange external controls• Schedules of writing• Disillusionment: Do not be bitter impose discipline• Traumas• These are unanticipated disappointments• My advice: Get Over It

Writing• Is hard• Brings frequent disappointment• Not all ideas come to fruition• Much writing is rejected for publication• Writing elicits hostility• Gatekeepers reject too harshly and too arbitrarily

Write Away Dear Author• By abandoning attempts to write you are merely helping to perpetuate that system• Stay Productive

Boice, Robert. 1990. Professors as Writers: A Self-Help Guide to Productive Writing. New Forums Press.