Online Writing Workshop and Retreat

 

Date: 8 - 9 July 2021

Time: 12:00 - 18:00, 09:55 - 18:45

 

University of Essex and Marmara University are organising a two-day online writing workshop and writing retreat for postgraduate research students, postdoctoral researchers and junior academics in social sciences. This two-day practical event will consist of a writing workshop followed by a writing retreat.

 

Programme

Day 1: Writing Workshop

8 July 2021, 10:00 - 16:00 (UK time) / 12:00 - 18:00 (Turkey time)

 The writing workshop covers strategies for academic writing: writing prompts, types of prompts for academic writing, ‘snack’ writing, goal-setting for writing, freewriting, generative writing, analysing academic writing, writing criteria, drafting and revising an abstract or summary, constructing a ‘contribution’ argument, using prompts in series, outlining, writing groups, micro-groups and retreats. Many of these can be used in preparing for a concentrated spell of writing at a writing retreat.

This is a practical workshop which aims to let you try these writing strategies and consider how/if/where they can fit in to your writing practices. We also discuss how they can be used for writing thesis, articles and other types of writing. They also let you start/work on your writing project during the workshop.

 

For more details on these writing strategies and others, see.

Murray, R. (2019) Writing for Academic Journals, 4th edition. Maidenhead: Open University Press-McGraw-Hill.

Murray, R. (2017) How to Write a Thesis, 4th edition. Maidenhead: Open University Press-McGraw-Hill.

 

Day 2: Writing Retreat

9 July 2021, 08:55 - 16:45 (UK time) / 10:55 - 18:45 (Turkey time)

The writing retreat aims to provide dedicated writing time and develop productive writing practices. This structured retreat uses the ‘typing pool’ model. We all write at the same time, for fixed time slots, using goal-setting and peer and self-monitoring for our individual writing projects. Because we all write together, we can discuss our goals at the start and end of the day (10-15 minutes). The second day of this program will be dedicated in its entirety to writing. As a preparation for the writing retreat you need to choose a writing project to work on–article, chapter, grant etc. and read and research your target journal/publisher/funder/criteria and your topic.

 

Learning objectives:

1. Understand the Structured Writing Retreat model.
2. Structure a writing day.
3. Maintain well-being during intensive periods of writing.

 

Writing Retreat Programme:

10:55 - 11:00     Login

11:00 - 11:30     Introductions and writing warm up – setting writing goals for the day

11:30 - 13:00     Writing

13:00 - 13:30     Break

13:30 - 14:30     Writing

14:30 - 15:30     Lunch

15:30 - 17:00     Writing

17:00 - 17:30     Break

17:30 - 18:30     Writing

18:30 - 18:45     Planning next steps

 

• Preparing for this writing retreat:

Choose a writing project to work on – article, chapter, grant etc. Read and research your target journal/publisher/funder/criteria and your topic.

• Pre-retreat reading:

Murray, R. and Newton, M. (2009) Writing retreat for academics: margin or mainstream?, Higher Education Research and Development, 28(5): 541-53.

Previous participants’ video testimonials at anchorage-education.co.uk.

Rowena Murray is a professor of Education at the University of the West of Scotland. Her courses on rhetoric and writing, thesis writing, writing for publication, supervising doctoral writing, preparing for the PhD viva and training for retreat facilitators are well renowned. She runs workshops and retreats for groups and universities across the UK, Scotland and beyond.

 

Organisers:

Prof. Ayse Guveli, Department of Sociology at the University of Essex

Assoc. Prof. Mehmet Fatih Aysan, Department of Sociology at Marmara University

Mr. Sanjaya Aryal, PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology at the University of Essex

 

Registration

The entry to the event is free but participants must send the application form to Sanjaya Aryal (sa17852@essex.ac.uk)

Click here to download the application form.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact with Sanjaya Aryal, Research Officer at the “Migration and Social Policies in Turkey and the UK” project and a PhD Candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Essex.

 

* This event is supported by British Council Newton Research Environment Links (REL) Programme.