Women Writing (in) t he Academy

1. Women Writing (in) the Academy “The best writing emerges from . . . writing.” --Tom Fields-Meyer http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/04/letter-to-a-young-writer-get-lost/?_r=2&

2. Let’s begin with your experience as writers. Please complete the brief survey.

3. 1. I am an effective writer • 2. I enjoy writing • 3. I write regularly • 4. When I write, I need to block off at least 4 hours • 5. I can work on my writing even if I only have 30 minutes • 6. I often experience writer’s block • 7. I am satisfied with how much writing I do • 8. I am satisfied with the quality of my writing. • 9. I am comfortable sharing my writing when it’s messy or unfinished • 10. I benefit from feedback on my writing • 11. I benefit from talking about my writing with others • 12. Before I can write, I need to complete other necessary work-related tasks • 13. Before I can write, I need to complete other necessary home-related tasks • 14. I procrastinate when I need to write • 15. I am good at meeting deadlines set by others for my writing • 16. I am good at meeting deadlines for my writing that I’ve set myself • 17. The best thing about writing is: • 18. The worst thing about writing is:

4. Why does writing matter for academic women? Some facts. . .

5. College Enrollment for 2012 High School Graduates Women 71.3 % Men 61.3 % Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/news.release/hsgec.nr0.htm

6. Increase in College Degrees Earned by Women (1999-2000 to 2009-2010) Associate from 60 to 62% Bachelors from 57 to 58% Masters from 58 to 60% Doctorate from 45 to 52% Within each racial/ethnic group, women earned the majority of degrees at all levels in 2009–10 National Bureau for Education Statistics http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=72

7. According to survey respondents, women earned two-thirds of the graduate certificates, 60% of the master’s degrees, and 53% of the doctorates. • Academic year 2010-11 marked the third straight year women earned a majority of doctoral degrees • Council of Graduate Schools http://www.cgsnet.org/graduate-schools-see-growth-applications-and-degrees-enroll-fewer-new-students-2011

8. Where Faculty Women Work http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/women-academia

9. Tenure Status of Faculty, 2011–12 AAUP Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession, 2011-12. http://www.aaup.org/NR/rdonlyres/33D4FF44-CEF5-45F7-8845-00E5D40525BB/0/Tab11.pdf

10. Distribution of Faculty by Rank, 2011-12 AAUPAnnual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession, 2011-12. http://www.aaup.org/NR/rdonlyres/889956C2-6DBE-48A1-B64A-BB69DAF4C6C6/0/Tab12.pdf

11. Women as Academic Authors, 1665-2010 http://chronicle.com/article/Women-as-Academic-Authors/135192/

12. It’s not all your fault.

13. Women PhDs are less likely than men to choose research-focused careers Tenure-earning years coincide with childbearing years Women faculty spend more time on teaching and servicethan male faculty In some disciplines, women have fewer positive role models and mentors.

14. What is in your control?

15. *Image courtesy of Charlotte Hogg

16. Writing Daily: A 12-Step Program • 1. Clarify your writing goals • 2. Create accountability • 3. Start each day with a pause • 4. Get your butt in the chair • 5. Set a timer • 6. Manage your resistance • 7. Stop when the timer goes off • 8. Track your writing • 9. Give yourself a treat • 10. Review your progress on Friday • 11. Assess and adjust as necessary • 12. Take the weekend off Kerry Rockquemore, “Jumpstart Your Productivity” http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2012/07/09/essay-mid-career-productivity-issues

17. 1. Admit you need support (most people do). 2. Ask yourself: What do I need to get my writing done?

18. Kinds of Writing Groups Traditional Writing Groups Writing Accountability Groups Write-on-site Online Writing Groups   Coaches and Nags Kerry Rockquemore, “Shut Up and Write” http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/summer/summer2

19. Why Writing Groups Work Motivation Accountability Support Meta-cognition Feedback Mentoring “While writing group does not give me more hours in the day, or make my kids' lunches, or grade my students' exams, it has given me a weekly time set aside to discuss ideas, and a cohort to whom I am accountable.” –Claire Curtis

20. Concerns shared by writing group for new women faculty: 1. Difficulties of being new faculty 2. Pressure to obtain tenure 3. Difficulty of balancing teaching, research, service 4. Lack of time to write, to think, to conceptualize 5. Difficulty of writing for publication 6. Challenge of balancing family and career 7. Need to overcome isolation of academic individualism 8. Need for reassurance that their experiences were not abnormal

21. In “A Writing Group for Female Assistant Professors,” the authors studied 57 women faculty in medicine who participated in structured writing groups and found an “increase in publishing rate from 1.5 papers per year . . . to 4.5 per year.” “The results also suggest that this program works across the board for junior female faculty, regardless of race or family status.” http://www.med.upenn.edu/focus/user_documents/WritersGroupPapercopy.pdf

22. Writing Group Guidelines (for traditional writing groups) • Find willing participants (3-5) • Create a group contract • Commit to meeting for a set length of time (i.e. semester) • Set individual and group goals. • Develop trust by following the rules. • Shoot for a balance of structure and flexibility. • Commit to shared leadership • Work against competitive feelings and perfectionism • Bring snacks. • Renegotiate the contract at the end of the contract period.

23. “A successful writing group is not a stage for proving how smart you are.”--Claire Curtis

24. What’s in a writing group contract? Agree on how much time to commit to the group. Decide how often you’ll meet. Decide how you’ll share writing Decide how you’ll respond to writing Decide how you’ll structure meetings—or decide to try different structures before deciding.

25. What kind of writing group do you need?