Postdoc Writing Accountability Groups

Postdoc Writing Accountability Groups - New Pilot Program!

Are you currently writing and struggling to make progress? Would you benefit from the support of an accountability group?

OPA is piloting a new program to support postdocs in achieving their writing goals through small writing accountability groups and training to drive progress in their writing. These writing accountability groups will support each other through a 6-week writing sprint.

Participants selected for writing accountability groups commit to fully participating in the following 4 activities:

• Required workshop: Forming and Sustaining Writing Accountability Groups - Jan. 31, 12-1pm, on campus, lunch provided.
• Required workshop: How to Set and Accomplish Your Writing Goals - Feb. 14, 12-1pm, on campus, lunch provided.
• Required participation: Meet weekly for 6 weeks between 2/15-3/31 with your small group, in whatever format you agree upon (in-person, via zoom, via WhatsApp, etc.), to support each other through this writing sprint.
• Required workshop: Maintaining the Momentum in Your Writing Practice - date/time TBD (week of 4/1), plus an optional 2-hour Time to Write session following the workshop, with snacks provided.

Apply here by January 24, 2024. Selected applicants will be required to accept their seat and confirm their commitment to full participation.

Workshop descriptions:

Forming and Sustaining Writing Accountability Groups Presenter: Jennifer Johnson, Ph.D., Advanced Lecturer, Stanford Program in Writing and Rhetoric Writing Accountability Groups (WAGs), small communities of scholars doing similar work, focuses on the practice and process of writing to help participants form sustainable writing habits and propel participants toward their writing goals in a supportive setting. In this workshop, we’ll discuss different strategies, formats, and tools for developing and sustaining successful peer-to-peer WAGs. We will also briefly think about our own writing habits. How, where, and when do we write best? What obstacles make writing a struggle? In the second part of the workshop participants will have the opportunity to meet with their writing groups to 1) create initial common goals and practices and 2) establish a shared vision for accountability for their WAG groups. How to Set and Accomplish Your Writing Goals Presenter: Hayden Kantor, Ph.D., Lecturer, Stanford Program in Writing and Rhetoric Postdocs face competing demands on their time. You may be juggling multiple projects with different collaborators. You may have to balance programmatic or lab obligations as you strive to publish your research. This workshop will share frameworks and tools to help you make the most of your time and accomplish your goals. It will review best practices for writing productivity, including goal setting, pre-writing, and managing writing sessions. It will address how to handle writer's block and other obstacles. And it will provide resources for planning and tracking different writing projects.

Maintaining the Momentum in Your Writing Practice Presenter: TBD This 1-hour interactive workshop will wrap up the 6-week writing sprint with your writing accountability groups. We will cover practices to maintain the momentum from your writing sprint, explore writing challenges you faced through the sprint, and establish plans for continued writing success. Following this workshop, we will host an optional 2-hour Time to Write session, in which you have the opportunity to engage in focused writing with your cohort.