Faculty Writing Groups
Do you have writing projects on which you need to make progress but are having difficulty finding the time to do so? When your workload piles up, is your scholarly writing one of the first things to get pushed to the back burner or off of the stove completely? If so, you might be interested in joining a Faculty Writing Group!
What is it?
Faculty writing groups are small groups of faculty (3-6) who commit to meeting regularly in a designated space and spending that time writing. For each meeting, each participating faculty participant should have (and be ready to share) a writing goal for the day. Then, during that meeting, each faculty member spends time writing. At the end of the meeting, group members report back on their progress towards their goal and their next steps.
How much time will it take?
Each writing group can decide upon frequency, but the most common recommendation is holding bi-weekly meetings lasting approximately one hour. Between meetings, group members may also decide to commit to writing for a small period of time (15 min minimum) each day to make continued progress between meetings.
What are the benefits to participants?
1) Make writing (and scholarship) a priority in your busy schedule,
2) Make progress on your writing projects and be held accountable to each other,
3) Create collegial connections across disciplines (divisions and schools).
If there is enough interest in forming writing groups, we will try to group faculty according to the stage of their career – Early career, mid-career, or late career.
Logistics for Organizing a Writing Group
Once you have signed up and been assigned to a writing group, the Provost’s Office can help with various aspects of the logistics:
- Finding and scheduling a common time for your group to meet
- Finding a location for your group to meet (if in person)
- Sending a reminder each week or before each meeting time
- Providing questions or prompts to open your discussion each time you meet (but we know that the most important use of your time will be writing). Answers to these questions will only be for your reference.
Let us know the ways in which you would like us to help by contacting us at: abryant@plu.edu
At the end of the term, the Provost Office will be in touch with a few simple assessment questions.
Questions? Please contact the Office of the Provost at (253)535-7126 or provost@plu.edu.