How I think about the academic writing process.
An #AcWri thread in gifs with parenting refs - b/c writing is a lot like watching your child grow up.
First comes the baby draft. Anyone who’s had a child in their life knows that along with the joys of a new baby, there’s a whole lot of crap too. It’s no different for writing. Consider this your shitty draft. ALL writing starts here.
Next comes your toddler draft. Nothing makes sense and initial excitement about writing this piece has more or less disappeared. You’re wondering why you did this to yourself and when this will ever end...
Somehow you persist and things start coming together but you’re still figuring this paper out...is this the right framing? Do I need more literature? Are my arguments making sense? What’s a conceptual framework? Do I have one? (#ParentAcademics - You get where I’m going, yes?)
Finally, you’ve done what you can, it’s been quite the journey but you’re pleased with what you’ve put together and you’re ready to graduate to the next step: you hit submit. Celebrate this achievement!
It’s the waiting game now...You’re hoping for a quick turnaround so you can get to the next stage. It’s kind of like being back in middle school... (or being the parent of a middle-schooler).
Finally you’re done with waiting and you’re at the next stage - the comments are in! You read #Reviewer2’s comments and you’re like:
But really, you want to tell all the reviewers and the editor to ______ (fill in the blank with your choice of words here - no judgement). This is a good time to bond with your teenage child if you have one b/c now like them, you feel like no one understands you (esp. #Reviewer2)
But eventually you come back... and you work at it and you’re ready to get this paper published! You send it back out. Time to graduate on to the next project (hopefully).
You’re working on a whole bunch of new projects and so much else is going on that you almost forget about the paper until it comes back...
Scenario 1: Article accepted with:
no revisions (unheard of)
minor revs (unlikely)
major revisions (more likely)
Either way, you’re pretty much THERE!
Scenario 2: Rejection (happens more than we like). Nothing more needs to be said here.
I lied, there is more to be said:
When we fall down, there’s only one thing to do: get back UP and keep at it. This is NOT the time to lose hope...
Keep in mind: Often, it’s not about you.... and sometimes it is... Most of the time, it’s somewhere in the middle. Whatever the case, learn from the process, and #KeepWriting!
And at some point, success! #AcWri
Moral of the story: writing is often fun, sometimes not so much; your patience will be tested A LOT, but eventually, if you keep at it, you will #GetYourManuscriptOut! Good luck!
End 🧵
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