Write It This Semester, a popular employee-development opportunity that was paused during the Covid-19 pandemic, is back this fall.
The faculty-and-staff “shut-up-and-write” group welcomes all employees who aim to get a significant amount of writing done this fall. It offers a dedicated space where writers (regardless of project or topic) can engage in goal-setting, accountability, productivity exercises, discussions and, most important, time to write.
Power in numbers
“Tons of research on writing productivity supports the idea that writing in community — also known as body-doubling — is a powerful strategy for getting more writing done,” said Elizabeth Kleinfeld, Ph.D., program leader, Writing Center director and professor of English. “You’ll get accountability and a sense of shared purpose.”
Kleinfeld says many employees might fantasize about having a whole day or week to write but that that seldom materializes and writers often think they can’t achieve anything in a shorter period. However, research shows that chipping away at big writing projects over time is the most sustainable plan for many.
“Robert Boice, famous for his research on faculty members as writers, found that faculty members who wrote for 30 minutes a day were more productive overall than faculty members who did what he called ‘binge writing’ — writing only every once in a while for a big chunk of time,” Kleinfeld said.
The current iteration of the program is made possible by Faculty Affairs and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion in response to faculty requests for more professional-development opportunities. WITS has engaged more than 50 employees since its founding in 2014.
“There’s no commitment needed — you can dip in when it works for you, arrive late, leave early. We all know how hard it is to fit writing in, so come when you can. No judgment,” Kleinfeld said.
Participation leads to publishing
During her time in WITS, Jill Scott, laboratory coordinator in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, worked on several co-authored scholarly articles that went on to be published in peer-reviewed biological-anthropology journals. Scott says having dedicated time and a writing community improved her productivity and kept her projects progressing.
“This alleviated a lot of stress around trying to find the time to work writing-related tasks into my schedule each week when other seemingly more urgent matters would inevitably pop up,” Scott said. “Moreover, it was so nice to have each week start with a brief presentation on a writing-related topic to get the session started off in the right mindset.”
Scott encourages anyone who struggles to make the time to work on writing projects to give WITS a shot.
“I find that making a weekly ‘meeting with myself’ and others who are working toward similar goals provides me a valuable sense of community, which helps me stay focused and on task during our meetings,” Scott said.
Program details
WITS gatherings will take place on Thursdays from 2-4 p.m., beginning Aug. 29 and continuing through Dec. 5. All meetings will be hybrid.
Participants are invited to attend the kickoff event Aug. 29 in the Center for Teaching, Learning and Design, with remote participation possible.
How to get more information and reminders? Want to get email and/or Teams reminders about WITS meetings? Email Elizabeth Kleinfeld ([email protected]).