4.3.2: Crafting a Writing Strategy

Crafting a Writing Strategy 

Understand Writing Strategies 

Entire books have been written on writing strategies and techniques. The following sections summarize some broad themes that you should understand as you develop and hone your own writing strategies. The first section, Entry Points into Writing, discusses different strategies for getting started and staying productive. These should be used iteratively. For example, you might use generative writing techniques to come up with an idea, then outline rough sections, and then use generative techniques again to brainstorm content. The second section, Time Management, provides common tactics for keeping your writing on track. The final section, Space, asks you to consider where you might work best. Reflect on your preferences and capacity as you review these strategies. Course 4, Lesson 4: Self-Management will provide more concrete time management solutions that you should consider utilizing after doing this reflection.

Entry Points into Writing 

Generative Writing

• Engage with the conversation that you’re interested in by reviewing special issues, relevant journals, conference presentations, or discussing the topic with colleagues in the field.
• Keep track of sticking points, areas of interest, questions, and insights daily or weekly to surface new ideas (Leftwich 2019).
• Complete a spontaneous writing session (free writing about your idea for 10 minutes) or a generative writing session (free writing about more specifics, including directions, goals, audience, and framing for 10 minutes). Keep writing without putting the pen down — if you must pause to think, type or write “still thinking” or something else in order to keep writing. Consult Boice (1990, 64-65) for more guidance.
• Rankin (2001) notes that while some extrinsic motivators are natural (tenure and promotion, for example), intrinsic motivators (like curiosity, satisfaction, and knowledge development) are more effective. Most researchers fall on a spectrum of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation when approaching writing, but finding some kind of intrinsic motivation is critical to completing your project. This often comes from selecting a topic and audience that is meaningful to you. Review your idea. Does this project motivate you or spark your curiosity? 

Outlining 

• In How to Write a Lot, Paul Silvia (2007) notes that organizing your thoughts in an outline is imperative. According to this work, outlining is ”real writing,” and it’s just as important as any other piece of the process (pg. 79).
• Use the generative writing that you did in 4.3.1 to form sections that help the reader navigate your research. This gives you a starting point instead of trying to write from a blank page.
• If you feel inspired, add bullet points or rough notes about what you’d want to include in each section. This doesn’t have to be perfect and is instead intended to keep your ideas flowing.
• When you’re ready to dive into drafting a particular section in your outline, you can use either of these strategies to begin. You can create a more detailed outline for that section and then write or use a generative technique like a free write to brainstorm content. 

Time Management

• Only you know the ways that you work best. But we know that waiting for inspiration generally doesn’t work. A regular writing practice — whether it’s daily or weekly — is imperative. Robert Boice’s (1990) study in Professors as Writers: A Self-Help Guide to Productive Writing found that people who scheduled and adhered to writing during daily sessions wrote 3.5 times as many pages as those who scheduled sessions but only wrote when they were inspired (as cited in Silvia 2001, 24). They also had more creative ideas per day, as writing their thoughts down usually gave them new ideas and perspectives. As you think about how you’ll manage your time, consider how you can make writing regular, predictable, and automatic.
• Set goals! Once you have your time blocks decided upon, create very specific goals at the beginning of each block. This should not be a goal like “revise and resubmit the article” but something specific and realistic within the time you have allotted. Examples might include “print this article,” “revise this section,” “write three paragraphs,” or “outline this manuscript” (Silvia 2007, 32).
• If it helps to have larger deadlines, create them. But don’t spend so much time planning that you’re focused on administrivia instead of actually writing (Rankin 2001). Common deadlines include the following and are typically spaced out at least 6-8 months apart: defining the goal, finding a venue, outlining the paper, reviewing the literature, writing the introductionIntroduction The start of a research article providing background information and an overview of the research presented in the article. and literature reviewLiterature Review The process of summarizing, synthesizing and/or critiquing literature around a specific topic/idea. This work can help a researcher understand what has happened before and also how past research intersects and or diverges from other research. A literature review can be a full-length manuscript or a subsection within a larger research article., analyzing the data, writing the methods, discussionDiscussion The section of a research article where the researchers analyze and interpret the findings. This section provides the “so what” for the research conducted., and conclusionConclusion The end of a research article that wraps up the work presented. A conclusion can also be a spot to discuss limitations of the research or future avenues for this line of research. sections, pre-peer review feedback, submission. 

Space 

• We won’t ever write if we wait for the perfect space or setting. At the same time, we know that some atmospheres may inspire us and push us to write more often. Rankin (2001) provides the following questions. Where might you work best? Your office? A coffee shop? Somewhere else on campus? Do active or quiet spaces make you more productive? You might find that you need different spaces for different kinds of writing. For example, you might want a quiet space for reading literature but prefer a coffee shop for crafting your outline. 

Selecting Your Strategy 

Activity

Complete the following reflective activity. You will answer a series of questions, and you may write down your answers in your LPOL Workbook or elsewhere.

Thinking about the strategies and tactics mentioned above, write down your answers to the following questions using the 4.3.2: Crafting a Writing Strategy worksheet in your LPOL Workbook:

• For the ideation phase of my writing project, I prefer the following writing entry point and space:
• For day-to-day writing, I prefer the following writing entry point and space:
• I will use the following time management strategies to stay on track:

Topic 2 References

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

Rankin, Elizabeth. The Work of Writing: Insights and Strategies for Academics and Professionals. Jossey-Bass, 2001.

Silvia, Paul. How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing. American Psychological Association, 2007.