It's always a pleasure: exploring productivity and pleasure in a writing group for early career academics

Dwyer, Angela; Lewis, Bridget; McDonald, Fiona; Burns, Marcelle

doi:10.1080/0158037x.2011.580734

Cited by 35 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…In discussing the value of writing groups, Dwyer et al (2012) also highlight their importance as a 'platform of social and emotional support' (p.129), which pertains to our final positive outcome: bonding. The popularity of book clubs and reading groups is testament to the potential of literature in this regard (Daniels, 2002).…”

Section: Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

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Positive Art: Artistic Expression and Appreciation as an Exemplary Vehicle for Flourishing

Lomas

2016

Review of General Psychology

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The relevance of the arts to well-being has been recognized within clinical fields, as reflected in therapeutic forms based on various art modalities, from music to drama therapy. However, there has hitherto been little appreciation of the broader potential of the arts as a vehicle for flourishing and fulfillment in fields such as positive psychology. As such, this article proposes the creation of “positive art” as a field encompassing theory and research concerning the well-being value of art. To show the scope and possibilities of this proposed field, the article provides an indicative summary of literature pertaining to 4 major art forms: visual art, music, literature, and drama. Moreover, the article identifies 5 main positive outcomes that are consistently found in the literature across all these forms: sense-making, enriching experience, aesthetic appreciation, entertainment, and bonding. The article aims to encourage a greater focus on the arts in fields such as positive psychology, enabling science to more fully understand and appreciate the positive power of the arts.

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Section: Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are also efforts to promote enjoyment of writing, as this is associated with positive outcomes in written endeavours, such as higher grades for college assignments (Larson, 1990). For instance, Dwyer et al (2012) outline successful efforts to promote enjoyment of writing among early career academics through writing groups.…”

Section: Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Positive Art: Artistic Expression and Appreciation as an Exemplary Vehicle for Flourishing

Lomas

2016

Review of General Psychology

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“…However, apart from some staff valuing both solitary writing and group activity, I found no counter evidence to the depiction of these particular retreats as third spaces. Dwyer et al (2012) suggest that having more experienced mentors in the retreats can be problematic as this sets up a hierarchy of expertise, and novice writers tend to see themselves as relatively unable to write. However, Grant (2006) reports that having a mix of experienced and less experienced writers is conducive to collaborative writing, partly because novices can see that the more experienced writers go through many of the same struggles as they do.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the more general evaluations were useful, the question about emotions provided a rich source of data. This was not surprising, as Dwyer et al (2012) remind us: academic life, and in particular writing, is often experienced as emotionally difficult and taxing, a position supported by Grant (2006). Even though evaluation data was used in this research, the purpose was not to ascertain what had worked well/not so well in the retreats.…”

Section: Data Sources and Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Commonplace in writing programmes is a sense of inadequacy in which writers wonder if they have something of value to say, often because much has already been said by others with more persuasion (Savin-Baden 2008, 45;Dwyer et al 2012). This may have negative effects on participants' ability to write, unless clear guidance is given.…”

Section: Spaces Riven With Contradictions Difficulties and Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Writing retreats as third spaces

Garaway

2017

SAJHE

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Much has been written on the importance of writing retreats in providing the conditions for productive writing, away from the demands of everyday academic life. Most authors, however, acknowledge that even though retreats may result in positive outcomes, they are also complex social spaces which participants may experience as challenging. One, perhaps different, way to understand these difficulties is that they are the sorts of differences typical of a form of learning space known as a 'third space'. In such spaces, as seen through an Activity Theory lens, differences can be understood as drivers for collaborative learning and development. Theorising writing retreats as third spaces within an Activity Theory framework then opens up ways to potentially enhance participants' learning experiences.

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Habits and attitudes toward writing affect the publication output of environmental biology trainees

Alshwairikh,

Fanton,

Prats

et al. 2023

Ecosphere

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Publications are the mainstay of academic success, yet scientific writing requires consistent feedback and practice to build and maintain skills. In this study, we surveyed 342 environmental biology trainees (i.e., graduate students and postdoctoral scholars) about their writing habits. Our objective was to explore whether trainee writing habits align with suggestions from scientific writing guide books and articles, and how individual habits and attitudes may impact writing output. We found that the majority of respondents (>65%) felt negatively about writing and publishing, and few adhered to established advice such as scheduling writing time, setting attainable goals, or joining a writing accountability group. Our results show that trainees who dedicated more hours to writing each week and individually tracked their writing progress had more first‐author publications. In particular, graduate students who regularly scheduled writing time during the week and participated in writing groups also had more first‐author publications. Conversely, trainees who felt negatively about writing, wrote mainly before deadlines, and relied on “check‐ins” with advisors or writing groups to monitor writing progress had fewer first‐author publications. We describe ways that individuals, advisors, and institutions could improve trainee writing habits and assist them in developing more positive attitudes toward writing to ultimately help trainees achieve their writing goals.

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It's always a pleasure: exploring productivity and pleasure in a writing group for early career academics

Cited by 35 publications

References 30 publications

Positive Art: Artistic Expression and Appreciation as an Exemplary Vehicle for Flourishing

Positive Art: Artistic Expression and Appreciation as an Exemplary Vehicle for Flourishing

Writing retreats as third spaces

Habits and attitudes toward writing affect the publication output of environmental biology trainees

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