Stuart Medley
Writing is weird . . .
It is artificial and for many people, including some researchers, does not come naturally. It demandsto be read in a linear fashion. At the same time we pretend that our research writing captures a facet of the world. On the face of it this seems reasonable because we consider time linear. But the world is not a linear thing to be written and read. Any discourse is regarded as representing a field. A field is an all-at-once spatial metaphor. A spatial way of explaining ourselves would make more sense from my view. There are some interesting moves in this direction with the greater application of diagrams in research presentations, whole conferences devoted to ‘graphic medicine’ (comics and cartooning in the service of health) and so forth. But this is why “non-traditional research outputs” are so important and must also be supported, including in initiatives such as this. In many ways they are a less artificial way of researching and translating the research.
I can say these things because writing does come naturally to me. I’ve always been quite good at it. But we should be aware that building an argument with a beginning middle and an end is a fabrication, a kind of rhetoric. Academic writing is rhetorical. If we can persuade (I know, I know;based on evidence!) then we have written a winner. I think it helps to think of all writing as a kind of persuasion. If you can persuade through your writing you will go far.
The only other piece of advice that springs to mind while I write this is to be very choosey about where your writing ends up. You can write the best article, chapter or book in the world, but how will the world see it? I published my only book so far with the wrong publisher. I had three rejections and when the fourth accepted the proposal I was delighted! I was naïve. I should have researched further and asked more widely about the particular publisher I chose. The book was published, no problem, but the support has not been there to get it in front of reviewers and out to the right markets. I have had to do all of that work myself. Of course, I am also naïve in the area of marketing and I have not done a good job of it. Several of my readers have advised me to get a rescission from my publisher, and I am currently trying to sort this out.
So, be careful and speak with the top names in your field to get their advice on who to publish with. To finish on a positive note, my error in judgment has put me in touch with some of the top names in my field. They have, to a person, been approachable and very helpful in directing me out of my dilemma!