Academia X-Rated

There are certain essential things that nobody ever teaches you. You just have to figure them out for yourself, because somehow the details are just too taboo to spell out.

Take academic writing, for instance. Yes, there is a plethora of information on how to write research papers. Yet somehow there is just nothing out there on how one goes from that intricate conceptual house of cards balanced on one’s little finger amidst the hurricane of daily life to a coherent academic text.

Perhaps this is because, when it comes to the proverbial crunch, writing is such a profoundly personal endeavour. Or perhaps it is because nobody dares to admit how much of this supposedly scientific process is, in the end, left to a feverish tango between a fickle, fickle muse and the unpredictable Duke of Hazard. The surrealist in me does not object to that fact. And the baker in me insists that the most important step in baking bread is turning away and leaving it to rise. Writing may be very similar.

All this is why today’s entry goes behind the curtain to expose the drafting process: frank and unadorned. Since writing is such a personal and lonely affair, I will not venture to call this the “right” way, (after all, there seems no evidence of any way whatsoever). But I do offer it as one route that can lead from the blank page to the printed manuscript. I will include my entire preparation process, current drafting procedure and remaining steps. The assignment is for a module that was taught in June, with a deadline on 30 November.

1. May: Preparatory reading and key concept summary of selected recommended textbooks, starting with the more general titles. Contact tutors for specific preparatory reading assignments, access and read.
2. June: Intensive summer school (2 weeks.) Daily review and assigned readings where viable and discussion with classmates. Receive assignment. After the summer school, review and file handouts and class notes. Remaining readings.
3. July: More specific readings gradually geared more to assignment. Two weeks of complete decadent rest.
4. August: Collect journal articles relevant to assignment. Categorize and read, making brief summaries of key concepts. Compile master bibliography of all resources, which can be taken away from rather than added to. (Bibliographies are the downfall of many a last-minute project: with foresight, that problem can be avoided.) Plot out a basic mindmap showing areas of interest.
5. September: Email rough outline with recommendations for tailoring to tutors. Complete final readings. (At this point I should interject: life goes to pieces in the throes of unwanted and impossible new job description, local religious customs and social meltdown. That’s the beauty of planning this process: even meltdown is not a catastrophe.) Transfer mindmap to a larger sheet of paper and expand with details and proposed word count. Pepper work area with post-its containing new discoveries and ideas. Stop at nothing.
6. October: Scan class notes again to ascertain tutors’ points of view. Re-examine assignment wording and ensure all aspects are addressed in proposed outline. Re-examine grading criteria and post in work area if possible, re-reading frequently. Transfer headings from outline to individual pages of an A4 notebook, including proposed word count for each section. SIT DOWN AT DESK AND BEGIN TO WRITE, LEAVING ALTERNATE LINES BLANK. Start with the easy bits and watch the magic happen. Mark uncertain references or facts in the margin with asterisks and keep writing. Take breaks as needed, getting away from the desk completely every few hours. Make time for the good life. When the text is complete, leave it for a day and celebrate. Return to the text, count the words and perform academic liposuction on the fluff. Make each word count with dense, rich meaning and eliminate what is not needed. Set up a formatted word processing document and transfer the edited text to computer. When complete, leave to sit. Return with a fresh mind and fresh eyes, editing where necessary. Double-check the word count. Ensure all footnotes, appendices and bibliography entries are complete. Leave to sit. Check again. Turn over to a trusted friend for proofreading. Check again.
7. November. Leave to sit. Check again. Print out final copy and hard copies and deliver to administrators by 7 November. If all else fails, there are three more weeks before the deadline. Celebrate and take a few days off. Begin preparatory reading for January module.

Perhaps not the most efficient of techniques, but it certainly covers most bases. By naming the steps and setting a time frame to them, the terrifying mysterious taboo is lifted. And that leaves us with academic writing: exposed.