Thursday, August 28, 2008
Thinking Aloud About Writing
I was able to bring a long-term writing project to the 90% completion point yesterday. I still struggle with a writing "process" - mainly when my day seems to fly by with teaching and other professor-type duties. I am a morning writer - primarily because I feel like if I don't have any writing done by about 11am, I won't get any done.
I keep asking people how they find time to write and how they get it done. I know the first important point is to sit down and start doing it. The blank computer screen still intimidates me but this time I was able to approach it more like I tell my students to do with their big assignments - think of it like a jigsaw puzzle with lots of pieces. You can't put the pieces together until you have some on the table.
The topic of my most recent project was a very large and long-range subject with which I have been personally involved since 2001. So, finding the focal point was difficult. And I'm coming to realize you can't always do that until you've explored what seem like a million other avenues first. I worked on finding additional articles and sources on Tuesday - which really energized me to move forward - especially after I figured out I had done everything possible but the final narrative writing.
I also have to teach myself not to be afraid to be repetitive in the draft stage. Much of what I wrote yesterday was rewriting my "jigsaw puzzle pieces" from memory. Now I realize I was only able to do that because I put the jigsaw pieces on the table in the first place.
Then, I have to think about how I would talk aloud to someone - and also not go off on too many tangents - at least not without connecting it back to the original point and/or narrative of the story.
I work best with my dining room table and everything spread out but primarily only books, articles, papers, and notes related directly to the project at hand - otherwise, I get too distracted. I remember having to take solitaire off my computer when I was trying to revise the dissertation for publication. All of the sudden two hours had passed (and I had also won only a few games of solitaire without starting over) and I had no writing done.
I feel more creative on my MacBook Pro and even figured out how to print on my home network. Easier than expected to set up although I did have to restart my Desktop Windows machine to be able to print from it again. But, because I wrote on the Mac, I will have to check the file I transfer over to the PC for those annoying little "dingbats".
Now I'm going to go out an get some exercise and NOT get a flat tire 4 miles east of town 2 miles past the blacktop. And then I have a fun lunch planned.
I keep asking people how they find time to write and how they get it done. I know the first important point is to sit down and start doing it. The blank computer screen still intimidates me but this time I was able to approach it more like I tell my students to do with their big assignments - think of it like a jigsaw puzzle with lots of pieces. You can't put the pieces together until you have some on the table.
The topic of my most recent project was a very large and long-range subject with which I have been personally involved since 2001. So, finding the focal point was difficult. And I'm coming to realize you can't always do that until you've explored what seem like a million other avenues first. I worked on finding additional articles and sources on Tuesday - which really energized me to move forward - especially after I figured out I had done everything possible but the final narrative writing.
I also have to teach myself not to be afraid to be repetitive in the draft stage. Much of what I wrote yesterday was rewriting my "jigsaw puzzle pieces" from memory. Now I realize I was only able to do that because I put the jigsaw pieces on the table in the first place.
Then, I have to think about how I would talk aloud to someone - and also not go off on too many tangents - at least not without connecting it back to the original point and/or narrative of the story.
I work best with my dining room table and everything spread out but primarily only books, articles, papers, and notes related directly to the project at hand - otherwise, I get too distracted. I remember having to take solitaire off my computer when I was trying to revise the dissertation for publication. All of the sudden two hours had passed (and I had also won only a few games of solitaire without starting over) and I had no writing done.
I feel more creative on my MacBook Pro and even figured out how to print on my home network. Easier than expected to set up although I did have to restart my Desktop Windows machine to be able to print from it again. But, because I wrote on the Mac, I will have to check the file I transfer over to the PC for those annoying little "dingbats".
Now I'm going to go out an get some exercise and NOT get a flat tire 4 miles east of town 2 miles past the blacktop. And then I have a fun lunch planned.
Labels: bike, Creative Commons, MacBook Pro, projects, writing, writing process
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Authors' Rights
The Chronicle of Higher Ed mentioned this announcement by a university press:
New policy at Rockefeller University Press allows authors to retain copyright to their published work
Citing the growing demand from the public and the scientific community for access to research data, The Rockefeller University Press has revised its copyright policy to allow authors to retain the rights to work published in its three journals. The policy, which became effective May 1, applies to all three Rockefeller University Press journals: The Journal of Cell Biology, The Journal of Experimental Medicine and The Journal of General Physiology.
The new policy allows authors to reuse their published work in any way and provides for third-party reuse under the terms of a Creative Commons license, say Mike Rossner, executive director of the press, and Emma Hill, executive editor of The Journal of Cell Biology. Hill and Rossner lay out the terms of the new policy in an editorial published in the May issues of all three journals.
Under the terms of the policy, authors may reuse their published work for any purpose, including commercial profit, as long as each use includes attribution to the original publication. Third parties can reuse and redistribute work published in Rockefeller University Press journals, without permission, for any noncommercial purpose, with the same requirement for attribution that applies to authors.
Labels: copyright, Creative Commons, writing presses
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