A Pep Talk for Frustrated Academic Writers
As an academic editor and writing coach, I work with a lot of scholarly writers and, as a former tenured professor, a lot of my friends (and my husband) are academics. So I talk and think about academic writing a lot.
Sometimes I feel really angry about the conditions that many academic writers face. Many scholars are overworked, have access to few resources to support their writing, and are under intense pressure to publish to keep their jobs. Women and people of color face even greater workloads than their male and white counterparts, much of which are the kind of important labor (like mentoring) that doesn’t typically matter in job applications or tenure files.
Many of the academics who I have known over the years also feel paralyzed by writing or find little joy in their work. I’d like to overhaul the whole higher education system in the U.S., but since I do not have the power to do so, here are some thoughts based on my experience of working and talking with writers that I hope will help you feel more confident about your writing. I also share some practical tips about how to better value your writing and make the process a bit easier.
You are not alone. So many authors who I talk with feel like frauds. They suffer from imposter syndrome. They do not think their ideas are good enough or that they will ever be able to write their books. They have a lot of writing-related anxiety. They feel very alone.
If you feel this way, you are not alone. Many other people in academia also feel like imposters and struggle with confidence. It doesn’t seem like that because often we don’t speak openly about such feelings.
But feeling this way is not your fault; it’s largely the fault of the institutional system that pits scholars against each other, fails to provide adequate writing support and instruction for faculty, and creates an environment where arrogance and bragging are valued and rewarded. Those are problems that needs to be dealt with on a structural level. But sometimes just knowing that many, many other people, many of whom are very accomplished, feel the way you do helps. You are good and whole!
You can do it. For real. Even if you desperately feel like you cannot, you can. I have seen so many authors (clients, friends, and myself) achieve their writing goals when they thought they wouldn’t be able to.
Because here’s the deal: You passed quals! Remember how horrid they were? You also somehow, likely with very little guidance, wrote a dissertation. And, then, you got your PhD. That’s a really freaking hard thing to do that many people do without good advising and largely on their own. So you have done this and you can do other writing tasks, especially since you now have tools and experience from graduate school (and everything else you’ve written since then) to help you along the way.
When you are feeling flooded with self-doubt, make a list of some of the things you have accomplished with your writing (big and small). Post it somewhere where you can see it. Add to it over time and refer to it when you are feeling down. Let it be a helpful reality check.
Also, your writing is likely better than you think. I’ve written more extensively about this elsewhere, but people seem to think that as an editor I read crummy writing all day long. Quite the contrary, I spend my days reading writing that is full of important ideas, carefully crafted, and engaging.
But I have also learned that many authors’ perceptions of their own writing are quite inaccurate. Often before sending me something, writers set me up for what to expect with some variation of “What you are about to read is a big pile of garbage!” I brace myself for this terrible manuscript, only to learn that I am not wading into a rotten garbage pit, but rather a thoughtful academic piece that, yes, could be improved (like all writing), but which is far from trash!
Authors have a real tendency to underestimate the quality of their writing. If you are thinking that your writing is horrible, you probably are also underestimating its value.
If you are feeling this way, consider sharing your writing with a thoughtful reader, someone who will provide critique, but in a positive way that is not paralyzing. Ask them to comment on the strengths of the piece as well as the weaknesses. Having someone point out the good parts (which we often overlook in academia) can help you gain confidence and better understand where your writing shines.
It’s probably time to send it out. All of the above anxieties contribute to people holding onto writing longer than they need to. It’s not uncommon for authors to reveal that they received a revise and resubmit five years ago that they never did anything with or that they have an article they’ve been working on for ten years that they just can’t bear to send out. I recognize that putting writing out into the world is hard, but that’s the only way to get it seen. It also likely closer to being ready to send out than you think (see the above point!).
Sometimes in moments of anxiety it’s helpful to think about what the worst thing is that can happen. Maybe your article is rejected? Fine, revise quickly (or not at all) and send it out somewhere else. Maybe you get some feedback that is negative? You can always ignore feedback that doesn’t strengthen the piece or help you to achieve your vision, but much of the peer review process works and will make your work stronger.
Your writing matters and putting it out there helps others learn from you and enjoy it as well.
Making time for writing helps you to do it. You can’t write if you don’t make the time to write. But it doesn’t have to be a lot of time. It can be short writing blocks (30 minutes, 45 minutes, even 15 minutes) once or twice a week. It can be a one-week writing retreat where you really dig into that article. People write best in different ways so experiment to figure out what works for you.
If you don’t set aside time for writing you won’t write. And if you are feeling bad about not getting writing done, the quickest way to feel better is to make time for writing. (Here and here are some concrete tips on how to do so. And if you want to do this in community, consider taking part in one of my scholarly writing groups!)
Surround yourself with people who value you and your writing. You matter and you deserve to feel good about yourself. So as much as you have control over this, try and surround yourself with people who recognize your value and help you to nurture it (this goes for life outside of academia as well as life in it!). Don’t go to dinner at the conference with that person who has always passive aggressively undermined your work. Do organize a panel with kind colleagues whose work you admire (and then go to dinner with them). Do invite a thoughtful colleague to a coffee chat where you focus on the challenges of writing (connecting over shared challenges and anxiety can help you gain confidence and feel less alone in the academy). Do start an invitation-only writing group with people who inspire you and who understand the challenges of academia (more on how to do that here).
Your writing matters in the world and don’t be afraid to say why. In my reading of many academic manuscripts, I’ve found that often scholars don’t articulate the significance of their work. They make interesting arguments, but don’t say why they matter. Avoiding talking about the “so what?” question means that other scholars will have a more difficult time understanding why your work is important and so will be less likely to use it in their own. It also means that any reader (scholars, students, general readers) may not fully grasp the important things your work has to say.
Helen Sword did a study on what characterizes “successful” academic writers. She found that, among other things, they tend to cultivate healthy emotional habits around writing. They feel the anxiety we all feel related to writing, but they also worked to cultivate positive emotions around writing as well.
The negative emotions around writing can keep us from saying why our work matters. But the converse is true as well. When we speak confidently about our writing and its importance, we help to cultivate positive feelings about our writing. So go for it! Clearly and confidently articulate the significance of your work in articles, your book, grant applications, promotion materials and so on. Here are some tips on how to do so.
Seek help. If you feel deeply negative emotions about your writing and/or academia don’t be afraid to seek help. If you are feeling stuck about writing and just can’t seem to find a way out, consider talking to a developmental editor or writing coach. There are also useful books that provide helpful advice on how to shift your mindset around academic writing or time management to help you move forward (like Sword’s Air & Light & Time & Space, Oliver Burkeman’s 4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, and Cathy Mazak’s Making Time to Write).
But if you are feeling depressed or if your anxiety is starting to feel paralyzing or like it’s negatively affecting your life, consider therapy. More than anything, it helped me navigate academia and ultimately move out of it (not that I’m suggesting that you should do that!).
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You have value. Your work matters. You have something important to say. You can do it. I’m excited to see your writing out there in the world! And feel free to share below what you believe about academic writing or other tips that help you to move forward with your own work. Happy writing and thinking!
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