I have the luxury of being able to look at my work through a child’s eyes often because I have an almost-11-year old who’s very inquisitive and frequently asks me how ScholarShape is going and what I’m working on! It’s been through the responses I’ve heard myself giving him over the years that I’ve gradually come to see everything as a Story-Argument. He’s helped me find so many connections between my work and daily life as I’ve explained concepts to him using metaphors of concrete objects and experiences he’s familiar with. When I look at my work through beginner’s eyes, it seems simple but deep, like a classroom for young children, full of materials and possibilities yet focused and organized around a specific curriculum and understanding of human development.
I often use stained glass as a metaphor when explaining Modernist poetry to my undergraduate students. We expect language to be transparent, showing us what’s on the other side of our intentions; but the Modernists made their language opaque so that we would look AT it, not through it -- just like stained glass. What a lovely, colorful visual trope to anchor your blog posts in!
Side note, Helen -- I love how, in describing the WriteSPACE outcomes, you phrased one of them as helping the writer “coax your writing gently but firmly out the door.” So refreshing!
Thanks Margy! My 6-week Productivity Catalyst course is starting today, and I’ve been thinking hard about how I can help scholarly writers flourish in a productivity-obsessed academic culture without succumbing to its dehumanising mechanisms and mantras myself. Metaphor helps!
Cuddles Manager! 😭❤️ I just love that so much. Theodora is ScholarShape’s Member Success Coordinator -- she’s in the Terms of Service and everything. 🐾 Can’t wait to come back later today and properly savor this prompt. More soon! 📨
Like Margy yesterday, I’ve been so enthralled by everyone else’s responses to today’s prompt that I nearly forgot to write about my own! A new experiment: I took Freddie for a walk and, while walking and observing, recorded what I hope will be my next Helen’s Word podcast episode. I haven’t listened to it yet -- maybe the sound is no good, maybe it’s all rambling rubbish -- but I loved the way the exercise simultaneously broadened and focused my writerly gaze. Thank you, Freddie!
Like poetry and photography, seeing the world through Freddie’s eyes can help us reframe (or deframe?) what we see and pay attention to. Thanks for the lovely quotes, Anne!
I find valuable guidance on the value of 'fresh eyes' in these two insights from the world of poetry, both for my academic work and my own haiku and photography experiments:
“Pay attention. Be astonished. Write about it” – Mary Oliver.
“The feeling finds the thought and the thought finds the words” – Seamus Heaney quoting Robert Lowell.
Today's post reminded me of the importance of looking at the familiar with new lenses. In my sixth year of my doctoral journey, I often struggle with impatience, burnout, and a lack of motivation. However, I also recognize that this stage of my life is temporary and will never return again. Being a full-time PhD scholar grants me the opportunity to delve deeply into my research, improve my writing skills, and effectively communicate my ideas.
What truly delights and inspires me is the learning process of becoming a researcher. This journey equips me with the necessary tools and knowledge to conduct thorough research and effectively communicate my ideas. I cherish the growth and development I experience along this path, knowing that it will change how I view the world.
Love this! Grad school was many years ago for me (I finished in 2012), and even though I know it had the challenges you describe, it’s one of the few life phases I feel genuine nostalgia for! 💕
Sorry, one more thought to add: maybe Freddie would also tell us to feel the joy of the sand between our toes. The keynote speaker at this week’s conference was barefoot, and explained that this helped her feel the connection to the ground she walked on. Walking on wet sand in shoes is so different from squidging our toes into it.
Amazing, Pam -- I’d love to give a barefoot keynote sometime! (Weather-dependent of course). Better yet, why not hold the entire conference on the beach, with the sand between our toes....
This ties into what I thought of before, that what I’m studying, what I’m writing about, has meaning, even if it is a genre that doesn’t have as rigorous a standard as others perhaps (analysis of comic characters), but this subject does have value, because the field of comic studies is increasing, and there are two to three journals alone publishing such scholarly work, and countless books as well. While I may be a “newbie,” I think the work has merit. And most important of all, even the first draft is important. Who was it that said, your first attempt doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be written. There is also a benefit of taking moments to step back, pause, then return to your work and reread it. I’ve found typos, unclear thoughts, and added to unfinished concepts, etc. I don’t necessarily begin anew, but I do look at work with fresh eyes periodically, with great success most of the time.
I love the idea of a cuddles manager, as my cat used to perch all over me when I'd read or write. She's gone now, and I have a great picture of her that brings back fond memories.
I shared the biggest chunk of my current project (basically a report on our findings) with colleagues yesterday. The next step is to create what are basically mini case studies of the good work different libraries are doing with teens. I'm very tired of the report itself but I expect this part will be super engaging, as my favorite part about research is sharing other people's good work. Thanks for helping me find the fun, Freddie!
I love how you are invigorated by sharing the good work of libraries. You are not only working on your project but you are bringing a very tangible benefit to others! I am sure your colleagues will find it fascinating!
It’s 5am and I’m waiting to board a flight home from a 2-day conference where I met one of my thesis(dissertation) examiners. She remembered my thesis - after 5 years! - and her memory gave me a refreshed view of what I had written. I’d been feeling a bit despondent that I’ve pushed that project aside to deal with teaching priorities, and now my 5-year-old work feels out of date. She encouraged (demanded, actually...which was gratifying and also a little embarrassing) that I write about my methodology. I’ve realised that going back for a new look at that aspect excites me to pick up my keyboard again, and start tapping.
Thanks for such a great prompt and hi Freddie! Thanks for the inspiration <3. Here's what I love about my current project - the chance to read, rea,d and read so much new stuff. All I got to do is pull it together and write in my own voice, my thoughts. Thats what's fun in this adventure. Thanks for the reminder .
I used this prompt to capture the excitement that I used to feel about my project. I see concentric circles rippling outwards, touching the edges of other concentric circles and flowing together. There are resonances between disciplinary boundaries, even as each discipline has its norms and methodologies. Mentally going through the project materials is a bit like being in a bounce house - a bit scary, a bit disorienting, a bit exhilarating. There's a sense of freedom, of promise that some new possibilities can emerge from the chaos and energy.
Scholarly writing as a bouncy castle -- perfect! As a kid, I loved jumping around in them with my friends; now, as an adult, I’m scared that I’ll fall over and hurt myself, or at best look like a fool.
I find it interesting that, so far, no one mentioned the sunset in the photo of Freddie, as inspiring. As much as I like Freddie, the sunset took my breath away, and made me want to "behold" (a dying art, according to the Japanese artist Makoto Fujimura).
Sunrise, actually -- yes, absolutely stunning. I took the photo at Palm Beach, the venue for my Island time writing retreat coming up in February. Come join us -- seriously!! Here’s another stunning sunrise photo to whet your appetite: https://www.helensword.com/onsite-writing-retreat
Awh!!! It's the kind of beauty that hurts! Thank you for sharing. Would love to come, sometime... (Apologies for my mistake in assuming Freddie might not be an early-riser... LoL). Stunning photos, regardless.
I'm not even 'a dog person' (severely allergic) but this photo!!!! Freddie warmed my heart this morning before I even read your post, Helen. 💜
I love the idea of exploring the terrain of my research, like Freddie. This feels like a very embodied way to inhabit my writing, snuffling out the parts that delight me, maybe leaving the rest? Perhaps I'll start asking myself: What would Freddie do?
I have the luxury of being able to look at my work through a child’s eyes often because I have an almost-11-year old who’s very inquisitive and frequently asks me how ScholarShape is going and what I’m working on! It’s been through the responses I’ve heard myself giving him over the years that I’ve gradually come to see everything as a Story-Argument. He’s helped me find so many connections between my work and daily life as I’ve explained concepts to him using metaphors of concrete objects and experiences he’s familiar with. When I look at my work through beginner’s eyes, it seems simple but deep, like a classroom for young children, full of materials and possibilities yet focused and organized around a specific curriculum and understanding of human development.
What a lucky child Abe is to have a mom who teaches him about the joy and creativity of scholarship (and ScholarShape!)
I often use stained glass as a metaphor when explaining Modernist poetry to my undergraduate students. We expect language to be transparent, showing us what’s on the other side of our intentions; but the Modernists made their language opaque so that we would look AT it, not through it -- just like stained glass. What a lovely, colorful visual trope to anchor your blog posts in!
(My response to Alice)
Side note, Helen -- I love how, in describing the WriteSPACE outcomes, you phrased one of them as helping the writer “coax your writing gently but firmly out the door.” So refreshing!
Thanks Margy! My 6-week Productivity Catalyst course is starting today, and I’ve been thinking hard about how I can help scholarly writers flourish in a productivity-obsessed academic culture without succumbing to its dehumanising mechanisms and mantras myself. Metaphor helps!
As usual, you landed on the perfect phrasing 😊
Cuddles Manager! 😭❤️ I just love that so much. Theodora is ScholarShape’s Member Success Coordinator -- she’s in the Terms of Service and everything. 🐾 Can’t wait to come back later today and properly savor this prompt. More soon! 📨
Like Margy yesterday, I’ve been so enthralled by everyone else’s responses to today’s prompt that I nearly forgot to write about my own! A new experiment: I took Freddie for a walk and, while walking and observing, recorded what I hope will be my next Helen’s Word podcast episode. I haven’t listened to it yet -- maybe the sound is no good, maybe it’s all rambling rubbish -- but I loved the way the exercise simultaneously broadened and focused my writerly gaze. Thank you, Freddie!
Like poetry and photography, seeing the world through Freddie’s eyes can help us reframe (or deframe?) what we see and pay attention to. Thanks for the lovely quotes, Anne!
I find valuable guidance on the value of 'fresh eyes' in these two insights from the world of poetry, both for my academic work and my own haiku and photography experiments:
“Pay attention. Be astonished. Write about it” – Mary Oliver.
“The feeling finds the thought and the thought finds the words” – Seamus Heaney quoting Robert Lowell.
anne are you as hooked on Poetry Unbound as I am?
Yes!!!
Today's post reminded me of the importance of looking at the familiar with new lenses. In my sixth year of my doctoral journey, I often struggle with impatience, burnout, and a lack of motivation. However, I also recognize that this stage of my life is temporary and will never return again. Being a full-time PhD scholar grants me the opportunity to delve deeply into my research, improve my writing skills, and effectively communicate my ideas.
What truly delights and inspires me is the learning process of becoming a researcher. This journey equips me with the necessary tools and knowledge to conduct thorough research and effectively communicate my ideas. I cherish the growth and development I experience along this path, knowing that it will change how I view the world.
“Looking at the familiar with new lenses” -- that’s the real key to scholarly fulfillment and joy, isn’t it?!
Love this! Grad school was many years ago for me (I finished in 2012), and even though I know it had the challenges you describe, it’s one of the few life phases I feel genuine nostalgia for! 💕
Sorry, one more thought to add: maybe Freddie would also tell us to feel the joy of the sand between our toes. The keynote speaker at this week’s conference was barefoot, and explained that this helped her feel the connection to the ground she walked on. Walking on wet sand in shoes is so different from squidging our toes into it.
Amazing, Pam -- I’d love to give a barefoot keynote sometime! (Weather-dependent of course). Better yet, why not hold the entire conference on the beach, with the sand between our toes....
This ties into what I thought of before, that what I’m studying, what I’m writing about, has meaning, even if it is a genre that doesn’t have as rigorous a standard as others perhaps (analysis of comic characters), but this subject does have value, because the field of comic studies is increasing, and there are two to three journals alone publishing such scholarly work, and countless books as well. While I may be a “newbie,” I think the work has merit. And most important of all, even the first draft is important. Who was it that said, your first attempt doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be written. There is also a benefit of taking moments to step back, pause, then return to your work and reread it. I’ve found typos, unclear thoughts, and added to unfinished concepts, etc. I don’t necessarily begin anew, but I do look at work with fresh eyes periodically, with great success most of the time.
I love the idea of a cuddles manager, as my cat used to perch all over me when I'd read or write. She's gone now, and I have a great picture of her that brings back fond memories.
For me, the phrase “rigorous standards” invokes rigor mortis. I’ll take creativity, curiosity, and cuddles over rigor any day!
I shared the biggest chunk of my current project (basically a report on our findings) with colleagues yesterday. The next step is to create what are basically mini case studies of the good work different libraries are doing with teens. I'm very tired of the report itself but I expect this part will be super engaging, as my favorite part about research is sharing other people's good work. Thanks for helping me find the fun, Freddie!
“Find the fun” -- yes!!
I love how you are invigorated by sharing the good work of libraries. You are not only working on your project but you are bringing a very tangible benefit to others! I am sure your colleagues will find it fascinating!
It’s 5am and I’m waiting to board a flight home from a 2-day conference where I met one of my thesis(dissertation) examiners. She remembered my thesis - after 5 years! - and her memory gave me a refreshed view of what I had written. I’d been feeling a bit despondent that I’ve pushed that project aside to deal with teaching priorities, and now my 5-year-old work feels out of date. She encouraged (demanded, actually...which was gratifying and also a little embarrassing) that I write about my methodology. I’ve realised that going back for a new look at that aspect excites me to pick up my keyboard again, and start tapping.
How gratifying that your examiner still remembers your work and wants to see more of it published!
Cheering you on, Pam! 👏🙌
ditto what margy said!
Thanks for such a great prompt and hi Freddie! Thanks for the inspiration <3. Here's what I love about my current project - the chance to read, rea,d and read so much new stuff. All I got to do is pull it together and write in my own voice, my thoughts. Thats what's fun in this adventure. Thanks for the reminder .
Reading is exploring - perfect for a Freddie-ish frame of mind.
very jealous of the reading. I always wish I had more time for that!
I used this prompt to capture the excitement that I used to feel about my project. I see concentric circles rippling outwards, touching the edges of other concentric circles and flowing together. There are resonances between disciplinary boundaries, even as each discipline has its norms and methodologies. Mentally going through the project materials is a bit like being in a bounce house - a bit scary, a bit disorienting, a bit exhilarating. There's a sense of freedom, of promise that some new possibilities can emerge from the chaos and energy.
Scholarly writing as a bouncy castle -- perfect! As a kid, I loved jumping around in them with my friends; now, as an adult, I’m scared that I’ll fall over and hurt myself, or at best look like a fool.
I find it interesting that, so far, no one mentioned the sunset in the photo of Freddie, as inspiring. As much as I like Freddie, the sunset took my breath away, and made me want to "behold" (a dying art, according to the Japanese artist Makoto Fujimura).
Sunrise, actually -- yes, absolutely stunning. I took the photo at Palm Beach, the venue for my Island time writing retreat coming up in February. Come join us -- seriously!! Here’s another stunning sunrise photo to whet your appetite: https://www.helensword.com/onsite-writing-retreat
Awh!!! It's the kind of beauty that hurts! Thank you for sharing. Would love to come, sometime... (Apologies for my mistake in assuming Freddie might not be an early-riser... LoL). Stunning photos, regardless.
Wow 🥹❤️
I'm not even 'a dog person' (severely allergic) but this photo!!!! Freddie warmed my heart this morning before I even read your post, Helen. 💜
I love the idea of exploring the terrain of my research, like Freddie. This feels like a very embodied way to inhabit my writing, snuffling out the parts that delight me, maybe leaving the rest? Perhaps I'll start asking myself: What would Freddie do?
That’s my new writing mantra from now on, Sophie: “What would Freddie do?” (Usually the answer is “take a nap”!)