Appropriate for graduate students and seasoned academics, this hands-on course will be a straightforward guide to helping participants begin to understand and overcome the psychological, emotional, and logistical hurdles that can get in their way of being productive writers. Specifically, this course will intertwine a discussion of the research underlying the ways academic writers often sabotage their success with practical strategies designed to help session participants build a healthier relationship with writing to ultimately write more with less pain.

This course is divided into three primary sections: 1) Get Priorganized! Planning a Realistic Schedule for Your Writing, 2) Unstuck: Overcoming Obstacles to Progress, and 3) Finding Your Writing Mojo and Staying Motivated. Participants will begin by defining (or perhaps REdefining) their writing and wellness goals, systematically prioritizing and breaking each into manageable and realistic tasks. Participants will then identify obstacles in the way of their writing progress and define behaviors that can build a flexible writing habit to maximize time, space, and grace. Participants will also identify and harness aspects of their writing under their control. We will identify how and when maladaptive perfectionism tendencies can stand in way of progress, including how our inner critic can hijack our writing progress, and practice strategies for approaching writing in constructive ways. The course wraps up as participants make a plan to build their personal writing village for sustainable and continued support in their writing. All materials and additional resources are provided.

Instructor:

Sharon Zumbrunn, Virginia Commonwealth University