Have you heard of a “showrunner”? Writers in the TV industry are now expected also to manage—or to have the skills and strengths that would allow them to manage. According to John Wells, Writers Guild of America West president and writer/producer of E.R., Third Watch, and West Wing, it is virtually impossible to be just a writer [...]
Archive for the ‘discipline’ Category
Delivering the Dissertation: Dissertation Writer as Showrunner
Posted in acting as if, coaching, deadline, discipline, dissertation advisors, dissertation boot camp, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, finishing the dissertation, following through, goals, mental toughness, motivation, perseverance, planning, self-discipline, showing up, structures, take charge, time, time management, top strengths, using your strengths, writing schedule, tagged time management, plan, use your strengths, dissertation writer, showrunner, project manager, schedule, organize, leadership on August 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Is Writing Your Real Job?
Posted in coaching, commitment, discipline, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, distractions, procrastination, productivity, reasons for not writing, self-deception, self-sabotage, take charge, writing habit, writing schedule, writing, dissertation, tagged eliminating distractions, Ann Patchett, writing as a job on July 25, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
How would your productivity change if you looked at writing as if it were your real job? Ann Patchett, an award-winning author, has done her best to avoid writing. Her novel Bel Canto, has won both the PEN/Faulkner Award and England’s Orange Prize and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. She [...]
To Dads Writing Dissertations: Happy Father’s Day!
Posted in academic, brave, courage, determination, discipline, dissertation writing, exercise, family, mental toughness, perseverance, resilience, using your strengths, tagged character strengths, Father’s Day, dads who write, wisdom on June 19, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Happy Father’s Day to all fathers and fathers-to-be who are writing dissertations or articles for journals or books. How hard it is to be the writer at home or at the library, trying to juggle work and family life. But I want to tell you how wonderful it is to have an intelligent, kind man [...]
Re-entry into the Writing Routine: Three Tips for a Smart Restart
Posted in coaching, discipline, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, exercise, getting started, habit, happiness, memorable start, mental toughness, planning, re-group, re-start, resilience, restart writing, restarting, showing up, start writing, write more easily, writing habit, tagged write daily, exercise, writing habit, writing routine, restart your writing, brain cells, write more easily on April 18, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Another Monday is upon us. If you have an office job, will you drag into work, thinking of fifteen other places you would rather be, with bed high on the list? Re-entry into the work week is hard, but re-starting your writing no matter what day of the week wins the Resilience and Determination Litmus Test [...]
Assess Your Dissertation Writing Habits and Make Some Changes: Time for Spring Cleaning
Posted in academic, accountability, choice, cleaning, coaching, courage, determination, discipline, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, distractions, finishing the dissertation, following through, getting started, habit, housecleaning, mental toughness, perseverance, practice writing, productivity, re-group, re-start, regrouping, restart writing, restarting, self-deception, self-sabotage, showing up, start writing, take charge, take stock, time, time management, time theft, write more easily, writing, writing schedule, tagged time management, distractions, self-sabotage, develop a writing habit, write daily on dissertation, make time to write, find time to write, mentally tough, take control, change writing process on March 24, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Change is happening in the Washington DC area, not just in Congress, but here in my backyard. Spring is here. Tulips are pushing their way above ground. The trees are dropping all sorts of little colored pellets on my deck and front walk. The first days of Spring are a great time to assess your [...]
Be Inspired: Execute a Smoking-Hot Dissertation Boot Camp
Posted in acting as if, boot camp, coaching, commitment, courage, determination, discipline, dissertation boot camp, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, focus, goals, mental toughness, motivation, perseverance, showing up, using your strengths, tagged inspired by Winter Olympics, focusing, being in the zone, smoking-hot and smoking-fast athletes, smoking-hot Dissertation Boot Camp on February 15, 2010 | 1 Comment »
How inspired are you by watching the Winter Olympics? What a thrill to see the moguls skiers come down the slope so fast it seems as if the screen must be on fast-forward. Smoking fast, the commentator says. We figured, without hearing the commentator say it, that these skiers are “on the edge of out of [...]
Three Quick Fixes to Jolt You into Action on Your Dissertation
Posted in Smart Tips, academic, coaching, deadline, discipline, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, distractions, following through, mental toughness, perseverance, planning, self-sabotage, structures, take charge, television, time, time management, time theft, writing breaks, writing, dissertation, tagged dissertation, plan breaks, quick fixes, small changes, Smart Tips, take charge on February 12, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
This is an encore of a blog post that appeared here April 30, 2008. Note: If you haven’t signed up for my free e-newsletter, Smart Tips For Writers, you can take care of that by going to my website at www.nancywhichard.com or www.smarttipsforwriters.com. The next Smart Tips e-newsletter goes out this week-end. Thanks so much. I [...]
A Timer Can Sharpen Your Focus and Increase Writing Productivity
Posted in Smart Tips, discipline, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, distractions, focus, getting started, planning, productivity, restart writing, restarting, self-sabotage, structures, time management, write more easily, writing breaks, tagged productivity, time management, make time to write, timers, writing tools, efficient writing, sharpen focus, scheduling breaks on February 11, 2010 | 4 Comments »
Several of my dissertation coaching clients use timers on their computers to help them get started with a writing session, to stay focused, and to stick with their work. It also helps them to stop at a pre-determined time. In that way, they don’t stay at the writing too long and yet they stay long [...]
