"Reader, it worked."
"Until I read Becoming I felt like I had a broad toolbox of resources I could rely on to help both myself in my writing endeavors and authors in theirs. Yet Becoming the Writer You Already Are by Michelle R. Boyd introduced me to so many ideas about writing, particularly writing by a scholar for an academic audience, that I didn’t even know I needed. And now I can’t imagine writing, or advising writers, without them."
Alison Syring, Acquisitions Editor
University of Illinois Press
READ THE FULL REVIEW
Alison Syring, Acquisitions Editor
University of Illinois Press
READ THE FULL REVIEW
Book Summary
Why is writing so hard?
Why does it make us feel so scared and out of control?
And how do we take charge of the process?
Becoming takes an unconventional approach to these questions and suggests that before looking to advisors, peers, or best practices for writing advice, scholars should first turn inward to find the solutions that are hidden in our own writing process.
Drawing from the research on writing and creativity, 10+ years leading writing retreats, and her own struggles with writing, award-winning author and InkWell founder Michelle Boyd, PhD argues that internal reflection is an underused tool for handling writing challenges.
First, Becoming details why being afraid of writing is neither strange nor shameful. Then, it introduces the Writing Metaphor, a reflective tool that illuminates what you already know about overcoming writing challenges. Finally, it offers an approach to developing your process--one that strengthens your sense that your writing belongs to you.
It doesn’t matter if you're a scared scholar looking to get unstuck; if you love writing and want to more deeply hone your process; or if you just want to feel like the act of writing belongs to you (and not your dissertation/P&T committee). Becoming will show you how to consult, trust, and follow your inner compass. So you can live a pleasurable, productive, satisfying writing life.
Why does it make us feel so scared and out of control?
And how do we take charge of the process?
Becoming takes an unconventional approach to these questions and suggests that before looking to advisors, peers, or best practices for writing advice, scholars should first turn inward to find the solutions that are hidden in our own writing process.
Drawing from the research on writing and creativity, 10+ years leading writing retreats, and her own struggles with writing, award-winning author and InkWell founder Michelle Boyd, PhD argues that internal reflection is an underused tool for handling writing challenges.
First, Becoming details why being afraid of writing is neither strange nor shameful. Then, it introduces the Writing Metaphor, a reflective tool that illuminates what you already know about overcoming writing challenges. Finally, it offers an approach to developing your process--one that strengthens your sense that your writing belongs to you.
It doesn’t matter if you're a scared scholar looking to get unstuck; if you love writing and want to more deeply hone your process; or if you just want to feel like the act of writing belongs to you (and not your dissertation/P&T committee). Becoming will show you how to consult, trust, and follow your inner compass. So you can live a pleasurable, productive, satisfying writing life.
Order Your Copy Now
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"Wisdom and kindness emanate from every page of this revelatory new guidebook, where renowned academic writing coach Michelle Boyd shows us how to find our own unique approach to living the messy, rewarding process of creating scholarship. I can't recommend this book highly enough."
Margy Thomas, PhD Founder of ScholarShape |
"Becoming is a must read for all scholars, especially social scientists doing inclusive and equitable research. Her understanding of "a writer’s oppositional consciousness” is artful, and shows how an awareness of unjust conditions should be woven into how we gather and analyze data and tell stories to promote equity.
She is what all of us, especially women of color, need right now." Ashani Johnson-Turbes, PhD Vice-President & Director, Center on Equity Research, NORC |
Becoming Is For You If...
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- You love writing and want to understand even more about how you work.
- You used to love writing and want to recover that part of yourself.
- You don't just want to be more productive--you want to feel like your writing belongs to you.
"Damn refreshing."
What's in the Book?
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INTRODUCTION
DOWN BUT NOT OUT: WHAT IT MEANS TO BE STUCK Stuck isn't just staring at a blank screen. Move beyond conventional notions of writer's bloc, then consider a different approach to getting unstuck.
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CHAPTER 4
FINDING THE WRITER INSIDE: HOW TO GET UNSTUCK & START WRITING AGAIN Discover why it's so hard to draw on our writing process. Then follow five simple step process for uncovering your own with a Writing Metaphor.
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CHAPTER 2
MORE THAN YOU THINK: HOW HEAD, HAND, AND HEART MAKE WRITING SO HARD Learn the three kinds of writing challenges every scholar faces. You'll see why, in the face of all three, getting "stuck" is neither strange nor shameful.
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CHAPTER 5:
GROWING FROM THE INSIDE OUT: EXPLORING & EXPANDING YOUR PROCESS Need to strengthen parts of your process? Find lots of strategies to try, without abandoning the core elements of your writing process.
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CHAPTER 3
TURNING TOWARD YOURSELF: HOW WRITING PROCESS CAN HELP YOU GET UNSTUCK We all go through the same writing process, but we go through it differently. Learn the 7 stages of a writing process and what they look like in real life.
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CHAPTER 6:
THOUGHTS ON BUILDING A WRITING LIFE How building a writer's consciousness can help us reclaim the time and space we need to follow our process and build a writing life we love.
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