About how to start writing and keeping going until completion

1. Presented by:
Date:
Nurse Education in
Practice
Roger Watson, Editor-in-Chief
1 March 2021
The four rules of writing
@NepEdinPrac

3. Why do you want to write?
Academic obligation
Career progression
Prestige of your institution
To share research findings
To disseminate good practice
Money
Because you enjoy it?

4. Overcoming the barrier
Behind every written piece there is a living,
breathing human being who overcame his or her
own challenges to express important thoughts on
paper
Dale Salwak (THE)

5. What is the main barrier to writing?

6. How to be a writer
If you want to be a writer, you must do two things
above all others: read a lot and write a lot.
There’s no way round these two things…no
shortcut.
Stephen King

7. Read as much as you can
To be a writer you must be a reader. Comics,
games, fan fiction, literary fiction, commercial
fiction, children’s books, ebooks, magazines, non-
fiction – it’s all part of your training.
Joanne Harris

8. Being a writer
I learned to write by writing
Professionalism comes from being able to write on a bad
day
Norman Mailer

10. Application to the job of writing
Apply the seat of your pants to the seat of a chair
and don’t get up until you’ve written something.
Beaverbrook

11. Application

12. Learn to write anywhere and everywhere
• Office
• Home
• Trains
• Planes
• Hotels

13. 20/03/2021 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications

14. Get head space
Many writers don’t have the luxury of a room of
their own – they may write in airports, hotel rooms,
railway stations.
Joanne Harris

15. Keep a notebook

16. Keep a notebook
Carry it with you at all times. In it, record anything
you see or hear that you find interesting, new,
striking, shocking, funny, singular.
Joanne Harris

17. Some don’ts
Don’t think about it
Don’t tell anyone about it
Don’t wait for inspiration
…just do it!

19. Just do it
You can edit a bad page….
…you can’t edit a blank page

20. Inspiration
Inspiration is the act of drawing the chair up to the writing
table.
Orhan Pamuk

22. Inspiration
Instead of planning or talking about your plan, I say, just
get something out on paper before you forget it – no matter
how uncertain you feel or how confusing it sounds.
I also suggest that (you) write the first draft before (you) do
any research.
Rarely do we know what we’re going to write about until
we’ve completed a first, stumbling draft
Dale Salwak (THE)

24. The four rules of writing
Read the guidelines
Set realistic targets and count words
Seek criticism
Treat a rejection as the start of the next submission

26. Journal guidelines
Length
Layout
Organisation
(Referencing system)

27. Typical order of contents
Title
Abstract
Introduction
Background
Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
References

28. “Stacking the shelves”
Create a document with the appropriate headings
Write under whatever heading you wish
End each session with bullet points

29. Setting targets
All good writers do this
Try to write a specific number of words per day or every
time you sit down to write
When you have reached your target…STOP!

30. Setting targets
Set daily targets, stick to them and give yourself plenty of
rewards afterwards. The people who succeed are those
who treat it like a job…
Phillip Hodson (THE)

31. Get into the groove
However much or little time you have, try to write
something every day.
Joanne Harris

32. Seeking criticism
Find a ‘critical friend’

33. Seek criticism of your writing
NOT THIS
OR THIS
THIS

34. Expect to have several revisions
…I’m one of the world’s greatest rewriters
James Mitchener

35. Learn when to let go

36. Strategy
A plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or
overall aim.

37. Establish a production line

39. Prioritise
• Drafts over new manuscripts
• Revisions over drafts

40. Aim at a ‘cluster’ of journals
IMPACT
FACTOR
Generic Specialised

41. Dealing with reviewer’s comments
Apply the ‘golden rules’ (Williams 2004)
Rule 1. Answer completely
Rule 2. Answer politely
Rule 3. Answer with evidence

42. Answer completely
Deal with every point, even if you don’t agree or
can’t change it
Make a list of points – even if not presented with
a list

43. Answer politely
Don’t start with:
‘We completely disagree with the comments of
the reviewer’
‘Who on earth are your reviewers?’
…etc!

44. Answer with evidence
If you disagree with the reviewer then provide
evidence: facts and references

46. r.watson@hull.ac.uk
0000-0001-8040-7625
@rwatson1955