Summer Writing Group 2015!

1. 24 people (max.) all buy, read, and follow Belcher’s book for the summer.
2. Every other week, we meet virtually as a large group using “Go To Meeting” to have a full group discussion about strategies for success and which of Belcher’s tips work best.
3. The weeks in between you will meet virtually with three to four other people and exchange the parts of your work Belcher expects people to have written by that point (e.g. abstract, lit. review, etc.). You should read each other’s work, give supportive feedback, and learn from each other’s triumphs and pitfalls.

What it will cost you: your dedication and time.  Otherwise it is just the cost of the book.  On a tight budget?  The kindle version is cheapest, or you can just borrow from a library for free. If you connect with your computer, there is no cost for Go to Meeting.

1. How is this different from services like academic writing club, academic ladder, or The Professor is In? Answer: unlike academic writing club and academic ladder, it is free and you will actually exchange writing with people, read their work, and give and get feedback.  In contrast to the writing help section of the Professor is In, it is free.  I will also connect you with people in related subject areas and schedule large discussions every other week.  In addition it has a limited time frame and a specific weekly goal.
2. Can I do it in addition to academic writing club, academic ladder, the Professor is in, or some other group? Sure. By all means.
3. Do I need to be good at computers to do this? Not particularly. You can use either a phone or computer to connect to the live forums with “Go to Meeting.” All you need to do is be able to dial a number. If you connect using your computer there is no cost for the call and you can see a live feed of what people are saying. Personally I like exchanging documents via google docs, but if you have a low tech group, feel free to just email them to each other.
4. Why 24 people? The number is somewhat random, but it is how many can communicate using the version of Go to Meeting to which I have free access. Mathwise, it also allows us to break easily into groups of 3-4.
5. I am not working on an article, but I am working on a book/dissertation chapter. Is that ok? Sure. Some parts of the process (e.g. which journal to choose) will be irrelevant, but the basic principles remain.
6. Belcher’s book assumes I have written a version of the article already (e.g. as a conference paper), can I just start from scratch? Yes. I have used this book for that purpose before, and I think it saves a lot of rewriting. Again your process may be slightly different, though, so make sure you indicate you don’t already have a draft when you fill out the form so that I match you correctly.
7. I am working on my PhD. thesis, may I still join? Sure. No problem.   
8. Who will be in my group of 3-4 people? In my experience, the smaller writing groups work better when people have some overlap in their areas of interest, though not necessarily too much; hence I am going to try to connect people whose work is somehow related. I don’t think, however, that it necessarily helps to have people all be the same stage of their careers.  People coming out of graduate schools today have training in academic success that was unheard of 20 years ago.  Likewise senior people may have insights and experience with journals that are worth sharing.
9. What are the approximate dates?  June 1st- August 21st.  Why?  I am on semesters.  I am hoping if you are on quarters it will help jump start your summer.
10. What if I am gone part of the summer?  No problem.  Me, too.  That is the bliss of the digital format.  As long as you think you will be able to connect and stay on schedule you should be fine.

Interested?  Fill out this form(http://goo.gl/forms/gZsCqeZBvq) and tell me what your area of expertise is and what kind of project you will be working on this summer.  I will match you with two to three other people who are somehow related to your area.