Swagger, Rest, and Community—The Best of 2023
Hi friends,
Many of you have been very sweet and checking in with me about how my break is going. It’s great! I’ve been doing some editing work (I know, I know) but I’ve also read two books that I loved (Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir and Happiness Falls by Ange Kim). I let one of my kids play hooky on Friday and we saw a movie together (The Boy and the Heron. It was weird, but amazing, as Studio Ghibli always is). We ate sushi and oogled all of the holiday sights. Then my dear friend from my professoring days came into town and we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and ate our way across the city and saw a musical (How to Dance in Ohio! I have complicated feelings, but am glad I saw it!)
So I’ve been doing my version of winding down and looking ahead to who I want to be as a writer and editor in 2024. In that spirit, I’m going to put this newsletter on a brief pause until the second week of January, when I’ll be back to tell you all about our Hill Country writing retreat. I’m really excited about this newsletter in 2024—I have some fun guest posts lined up for you, and you gave me some great ideas of what you want to read more of, so thank you. (It’s not too late—take this quick three-question survey and tell me what you’d like to see in the new year!)
Because we’ve had so many new folks join in the past few months, I thought I would end the year by sharing the posts that resonated most with the community this year.
Guiding words from 2023
The first theme that you all seemed to appreciate is developing swagger. How do we get all the things done, in style? From how to write every day to determining what kind of academic writer you are (we all love a good quiz!) to the magic of a solo writing retreat. Also, because you’re doing good work and deserve compensation for it, don’t forget this piece about how to get money from your institution.
The second theme was writing well. Here, we focused on ideas from why stories matter in academic writing to letting the word “yet” guide you (As in, I’m not happy with my writing…yet). A key part of this is starting more than you finish (and feeling okay with quitting things that don’t work!) Finally, because it’s everyone’s least favorite topic, I heard a lot from you about how to think differently about feedback (most of that sounded like “ahhhhh!!!!!!!!” so maybe we have more workshopping on feedback to do).
The third theme that emerged this year was community: why we write together (come write with Mirya and me in Mexico City in May! It’ll be amazing!) Part of community is taking care of yourself so you can show up for other people—which probably means you need to take a nap. Finally, I shared some (imperfect) thoughts on how to write when the world is one fire, which feels just as urgent now as it did when I wrote it in October (as I was writing this roundup, I learned about the horrific shootings in Charles University in Prague. I’m sending so much love to my friends there, and if there’s anything the academic community can do, please tell us).
Finally, readers were excited about new ideas. My silly article about how Chat GPT can plan your life made people start thinking about how computers can be the assistant you didn’t know you needed. I also heard from TONS of readers after my article on how to leave academia (I mentioned my friend Amy before—as she was leaving, she said “I can tell you’re so much happier and less stressed on this side of academia—you haven’t ranted once this whole trip!” That was really validating to hear from someone who has known me for a very long time. If you’re miserable, GTFO. I can help you! )
Swagger! Writing well! Community! Rest! Innovation! Which of these resonates for you in 2024? What are we leaving behind in 2023? I can’t wait to hear how it goes.
Enjoy the longest night of the year, and may it all be brighter from here,
Kelly
2024 Ways to Write Together!
Writing Retreats Is it cold where you are? Give yourself the gift of writing somewhere warm in 2024! Mirya Holman and I will be in Mexico City from May 20-25, 2024, and applications are open now. It will be amazing, and you should come. We’ll be announcing our next locations in the new year!
Writers’ Circles: Are you wondering how to keep your productivity up as the new semester starts? Join my writers’ circles—they’re a fantastic way to keep connected to your research with some of the smartest, kindest folks around. In the spring there are two: one is Mondays from 1130-1 and one is Tuesdays from 12-130, and they run the week of January 22 through the week of April 1. I wrote here about how the circles work, more information is here, and you can apply here.
I’ll be opening registration for fall 2024 writers circles (and some more targeted groups!) in the spring, so keep an eye out for those.
Co-writing: Save the date! This year, I’ll host ApWriMo from April 15-April 30, with an all-day minimalist writing retreat on April 19. These will be free, and a great chance to get writing done before summer starts! I’ll open registration in the spring.
Coaching/editing: I have very limited coaching consulting space available until Fall of 2024, so if you’re thinking that you benefit from coaching now is a very good time for us to talk about it. I am now scheduling book editing for April and after, but have more availability for articles/grants/job materials in the spring. Thank you, as always, for trusting me with your work—I have so much gratitude that this gets to be my job.
If you haven’t already, could you take my super-brief survey about what you’d like to see in 2024—in terms of newsletters, workshops, and retreats?
And finally, if you like this newsletter, could you share it? You’re the best!