WriteCast: A Casual Conversation for Serious Writers

APA 7 is new and exciting! Claire and Kacy discuss APA 7 for Walden students and go over a few favorite changes in this month's episode.

Resources discussed:

APA transition page

APA's website

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APA 7 is out! In this episode, Claire discusses what Walden students need to know regarding this update and what to expect moving forward in 2020.

Resources:

Writing Center APA 7 update page: https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/apa/7transition

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Beth returns to WriteCast to talk with Claire and Kacy about writing an award application. Beth is a 2016 winner of an Online Learning Consortium's Effective Practice Award for the Writing Center's interactive modules.

Resources:

• Beth's award application, “Walden University Writing Center Interactive Modules: Student Writing Support Any Time, Anywhere” 
• Online Learning Consortium's Effective Practice Awards information

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To help celebrate Walden University's Global Days of Service that takes place each October, we're rebroadcasting our 56th episode featuring two Walden Writing Center instructors who work toward positive social change in their communities by writing to their local representatives. Hosts Kacy and Claire talk with Melissa and Meghan about how this writing is similar and different to academic writing, tools they use, and what they have experienced as a result.

Resources:

• Scholarly Voice
• Audience
• Using Evidence
• WriteCast episode #51: Using Evidence in Academic Writing
• Writing for Social Change webinar series
• Walden Writing Center Blog posts on writing for social change
• Social Change at the Writing Center
• Walden Writing Center weekly e-newsletter (e-mail [email protected] and ask to be added to the distribution list)
• ResistBot

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Kacy and Claire discuss two strategies students can use to turn a discussion post from an assignment that feels like busywork to a useful tool in developing a longer course paper.

Resources mentioned:

• "From Prompt to Post: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Effective Discussion Posts" blog post
• "Writing Introductions for Discussion Board Posts" blog post
• "To Cite Yourself or Not To Cite Yourself: That Is The Question!" blog post
• "A Discussion About Discussion Posts (Episode 25)" WriteCast episode
• "A Philosophical (and Practical) Look at Self-Plagiarism (Episode 30)" WriteCast episode
• Webpage on citing yourself and avoiding self-plagiarism

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Claire and Kacy explain the concept of "killing your darlings"--removing pieces of your writing project that you are reluctant to get rid of, even if doing so would improve the piece. They share three tips to help cope with the difficulty of deleting parts of your work and how to get the most out of this revision process.

Resources:

• Revision
• Revising Strategies web resources
• Revision Strategies: A Three-Part Blog Series
• "Use the Paramedic Method to Resuscitate Your Writing" blog post
• "The 5 Rs of Revision (Episode 14)" WriteCast episode
• Recorded webinar: "Improving Your Writing: Strategies for Revising, Proofing, and Using Feedback"

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We're excited to introduce our first Book Club episode! Writing instructors and PhD students Kacy and Cheryl chat about Paul J. Silva's How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing. Whether you've read the book or not, listen in to hear what Kacy and Cheryl found particularly useful, what advice was less relevant for them, and how they are using the suggestions in their own writing practices.

Resources:

• How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing
• Productivity 101: An Introduction to the Pomodoro Technique
• Mytomatoes.com
• WriteCast episode "How to Start and Sustain a Writing Group (Episode 62)"
• WriteCast episode "Meet Your Reviewer: A Conversation with Cheryl Read, Writing Instructor and PhD Student (Episode 49)"
• WriteCast episode "5 Tips for Establishing a Writing Practice (Episode 17)"

Kacy's favorite quotes from the book:

• Specious Barrier #1: “I can’t find time to write." "Why is this barrier specious? The key lies in the word find. When people endorse this specious barrier, I imagine them roaming through their schedules like naturalists in search of Time To Write, that most elusive and secretive of creatures...If you think that writing time is lurking somewhere, hidden deep within your weekly schedule, you will never write a lot...Finding time is a destructive way of thinking about writing. Never say this again. Instead of finding time to write, allot time to write" (12).
• “Struggling writers who ‘wait for inspiration’ should get off their high horse and join the unwashed masses of real academic writers. The ancient Greeks assigned muses for poetry, music, and tragedy, but they didn’t mention a muse for journal articles written in APA style” (26).
• “On my list of maladaptive practices that make writing harder, Not outlining is pretty high—just above Typing With Scratchy Wool Mittens, just below Training My Dog to Take Dictation. Outlining is writing, not a prelude to ‘real writing.’ Writers who complain about ‘writer’s block’ are writers who don’t outline” (79).
• “You don’t need special traits, special genes, or special motivation to write a lot. You don’t need to want to write—people rarely feel like doing unpleasant tasks that lack deadlines—so don’t wait until you feel like it. Productive writing involves harnessing the power of habit, and habits come from repetition. Make a schedule and sit down to write during your scheduled writing time. You might spend the first few sessions cursing, groaning, and gnashing your teeth, but at least you’re curing during your scheduled time and not in binges” (129).

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What kinds of writing assignments can you expect, and what resources are available to help, in Walden’s Tempo Learning programs? Kacy chats with writing instructor Amy about her experiences in her M.S. in Early Childhood Studies Tempo Learning® program. Listen in if you are a Tempo student, considering becoming a Tempo student, or interested in learning more about writing in competency-based education.

Resources:

• Walden Writing Center Blog
• Scholarly voice resources
• Scholarly voice: Audience
• MEAL plan overview
• "Breaking Down the MEAL Plan: A 4-Part Series on Writing Strong Paragraphs" blog posts
• Walden course paper templates
• "What About Me? Using Personal Experience in Academic Writing" recorded webinar
• Proofreading resources

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What is it like to start the doctoral prospectus? Kacy chats with Jeannie, EdD student and Writing Center Writing Instructor, about her experience. Jeannie shares three tips and a valuable writing resource. Kacy also announces WriteCast's first Book Club episode! This summer, we'll be reading and reviewing Paul J. Silvia's How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing. We invite you to read along and to send your questions and thoughts to us at [email protected].

Resources:

• Paper reviews for Walden students working on their prospectus
• “Jeannie's First Residency (Jeannie Croichy, EdD Student; Episode 44)” Writecast episode 
• “Transitioning from Master's-Level to Doctoral-Level Writing (Episode 52)” Writecast episode 
• Capstone document templates for Walden students 
• Preproposal Starter Kit 
• “Transitioning from Coursework to Doctoral Capstone Writing" recorded webinar 
• “Writing Process for Longer Research Projects” recorded webinar 

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PhD student and Writing Center writing instructor Cheryl Read returns to the podcast to talk about writing groups: types and approaches, considerations for getting one started, and tips for keeping one going.

Resources mentioned:

• WriteCast episode 49, "Meet Your Reviewer: A Conversation with Cheryl Read, Writing Instructor and PhD Student" 
• GradWriteSlack workplace
• "Writing Together: How Peer Writing Communities Can Be Your Secret to Success" blog post

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