I’ll be the first one to confess that, after having loved Helen Sword’s “Stylish Academic Writing”, I was very much looking forward to reading “Air & Light & Time & Space: How Successful Academics Write“ (also published, like her previous book, by Harvard University Press).
And I’ll also be honest in voicing (like with Paul Silvia’s “Write It Up!”) my disappointment. I expected more from this book. As I have said, it’s NOT a bad book. On the contrary, it’s definitely worth buying, reading and keeping on your shelf. I just wish Sword’s book had been as good as her previous one, Stylish Academic Writing.
Sword's "How successful academics write" main title is taken from a Charles Bukowski poem. Her BASE framework is depicted below. pic.twitter.com/hcWe5tn6b3
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) August 24, 2017
Intuitively, Sword's BASE framework makes sense because it rings true to everything I preach and practice as well. Confirmation bias! #AcWri pic.twitter.com/DpXsYBBuuq
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) August 24, 2017
I write at 4 or 4:30 in the morning, but not everyone can do that, nor are they efficient doing that. Some people are (as I used to be) night owls.
This is something that Sword finds in her interviews and I tell my students all the time: you write when you want to. You do you. pic.twitter.com/kWeq5YJLR5
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) August 24, 2017
In quoting Carl Leggo from @UBCEduc Sword depicts a familiar routine: I #AcWri before my Mom wakes up. That way we have breakfast together pic.twitter.com/30ufXO22dU
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) August 24, 2017
Related to a side convo I'm having with @alischinsky @JoVanEvery – Sword finds almost nobody has received formal training on how to #AcWri pic.twitter.com/ZoIl2n1AqU
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) August 24, 2017
Two of the most interesting items in Sword's new book: risk management in your publishing strategy and socializing your #AcWri
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) August 24, 2017
(2/) … That you shouldn't be having fun. Doing basic public policy research I probably would have had "hard hitting pieces"
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) August 24, 2017
This is my final assessment of ALTS and SAW.
Also, while both books are Harvard University Press, the typesetting on this one (ALTS) is much more text heavy and uses less white space.
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) August 24, 2017
Hopefully my reading notes will be useful to my readers!