Letting Go of the Fallacy
- ashleyacs90
- Jan 24, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 26, 2022
We have the idea in our minds of how things should be. Our expectations have been set high. We set goals for ourselves and have big dreams. What happens when your reality and fantasy are in conflict?
In Chapter 1 of Write No Matter What: Advice for Academics, Jensen discusses her challenges with accepting that life as a professor was not going to be like her fantasy. There wouldn't be ample writing time, or the best collaborative working relationships, or motivation to write.
What do you do when you have the pressure to write, but not the focus?
Unlearning
“This means that we are (once again) doing the very opposite of what works: we are spending infrequent , high-stress, low-reward time on a project that we just want to be rid of (pg. 6)."
We know what we need to do to write productively. We even may have the time to write. However, since we have lives outside of academia, that time is filled with responsibilities, family, friends, rest, etc. Then we feel guilty for using that time, although it went to a worthy cause, and we are back in the habit of frantic writing to meet a deadline.
Building our Toolbox
I think this also speaks to recognizing our limitations and our need for help. Weakness in academic writing isn't about laziness. We may not have the tools we need to be successful which adds to our stress, but we don't know how to voice it because it is the norm.
I am looking forward to the strategies Jensen will share throughout this book, so I can strengthen my own writing. I tend to fall into the same unproductive patterns she describes, with "bursts of genius" randomly.
Jensen, J. (2017). Write no matter what: Advice for academics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Hi Ashley, it was great meeting your in class. First I want to say that I love the layout of this blog and the name you chose. I also appreciated the quote you provided us. As scholars it is difficult to be able to manage our personal and academic life. This often leads to high-stress projects that we want to be rid of. However, I think the idea of the craftsman attitude Jensen mentions which chapter 3 helps with this issue that we are all too familiar with. Viewing our writing as a craft helps us shift from being rid of these projects that cause us so much stress, to focusing on the process of writing and improving our skills…
Ashley,
Your first paragraph reminded me of various aspects of my life - lesson plans that don't quite go as intended, a recipe that doesn't work out, or a craft idea that turns into a Pinterest fail. In each of these experiences I had a fantasy outcome that differed greatly from the reality. You mentioned setting goals and dreaming big, which I wholeheartedly agree with. I have realized, though, that in some of my less than spectacular moments my goals were so lofty that I didn't yet have the tools I needed to achieve them. I needed to focus on the small steps I needed to take to get to the finish line. Jensen's (2017) suggestion of setting aside just…
Hey Ashley !
I love the name you picked for your blog. I think it really speaks to you and the goal you have to strengthen your own writing. I appreciate the questions you posed in this post. It really spoke to me and what I am going through as a writer. I think the reality is that we wouldn't be where we are in our education if it we didn't have any writing strengths. We often overlook our own, but we need to make that our reality. I, personally, have learned that the best way to do this for myself is to make writing very systematic. I create a plan for how and when I am going to accomplish…