I had the great fortune of taking two writing classes as a doctoral student. Though, neither were labelled writing classes and few people even knew about them as they were filed under Educational Technology. The one class focused on writing a conceptual article. We spent the first few weeks analyzing model articles for introductions, transitions, clarity of argument and conclusions. Then we drafted our own and had lots of peer feedback. It was an amazing experience to have such a supportive writing group all focused on the same thing. The other class focused on writing a good proposal. Again, we practiced our arguments with each other before committing them to writing. For as much as people have the image of the solitary writer in his/her office, I've learned that writing is a very social process and that the act of orally articulating ideas is an inspiring muse!
Joli Jensen, Hazel Rogers Professor of Communication at The University of Tulsa, has a series of blog posts about
"The Secret Shame of the Scholarly Writer". Definitely worth a read, as she highlights some of the issues of not having solid training in how to write and the constant fear of not producing enough. But, even better, she provides many tips on how to become a better academic writer and a list a resources!
