On “Writing a Journal Article in Twelve Weeks”: Or, on finishing the God Damn Book

A long time ago, when I was a new professor writing my first academic article, I used Wendy Belcher’s brilliant “Revising a Journal Article in Twelve Weeks.”¹ Now, as a not-so-new professor with a book to finish and writing projects to work on, I’ve decided to return to Belcher’s 12-step program. It’s mid-January. It’s busy with administrative work, but I’m beginning to see the light. So I’m going to take some time to think about what it would take to finish the book this year. I think the end of August would be a good time. So, how do we get there?

On Hard Deadlines.

To have a few books, things that stand out. Finishing is one of the hardest parts for me. And when I think back to the times I finished big projects, it was when there were two things. A hard and immovable deadline and a commitment to work at the beginning. That is, I had both a carrot and a stick. That is, there was an important, immovable deadline that had financial and time implications.

To finish my master’s degree, I had committed to a two-week bike trip with friends. I was also going to start a Ph.D. program that September. My thesis had to be submitted by August, so I could defend in September. The PhD program had funding and I had the trip to look forward to with friends. In short, two carrots, and the stick of having to find a job if I didn’t finish. I finished, in the train, to catch the flight, for the bike trip.

For my Ph.D., I was going to be a postdoc at Yale, and my son was about to be born. So again, financial incentive (the job), and something else I wanted to do (be a father). I finished a few days before my son was due.

For my first book, I had a deadline from my publisher and my series editor. I saw my editor at the conference, and he asked where the manuscript was. He put the fire in my belly. As the book was tied to my tenure file, I felt that without the book, I didn’t see how I could get tenure. The combination worked.

For the second book, I had a self-imposed weekly deadline to edit an article, and got letters published in a magazine. So that worked, too. Same thing being book review editor. Short, regular, weekly deadlines.

On Making a Commitment.

The other thing that is consistent with the times that I’ve finished work before, from the MA, was that I was able to work on the book every day. For my MA and PhD, that was easy. I decided and was able to focus on it. I lived in Ottawa, I had few commitments, and I decided to write with friends, go to coffee shops, go to the office, and work on it. Not necessarily every day, but most days. It became so that if I hadn’t worked on it, I felt anxious.

But for the book, and especially for the second round of revisions, I ended up creating a writing group of peers and students. This worked in several ways. Sometimes it was a project of writing simultaneously and in place with people. That is, in a coffee shop or online. Other times it was a public commitment to spending a day of writing, with consequences if I did not write.

Twice I made a public commitment to write or revise a thousand words a day for thirty days, or I would donate $50 to a political campaign I didn’t support. I wrote—no matter what. I wrote. Even when the writing left me exhausted. But, every time I completed it, I had a rush of exhilaration at the forward momentum.

What to do?

So, where does that leave me on the Atarraya book? It’s January 19, and I am thinking about how to finish. I have the outline of the book. I know where it is going. I know where I am going, broadly speaking. I just have to do the work. To finish the book.

What would it take to get there? A few things. First, a carrot? Something better to do. I have ideas. But, scheduling a family vacation at the beginning of the summer, with the kids, would be an idea. This would give me time to finish. Another carrot, the promotion deadlines are at the same time, so put in a draft, with a publisher letter. Maybe I could make a commitment to the publisher with a submission deadline?

A traditional stick is a little harder. Why is that? Well, I have tenure. So I’m not going to lose my job. So that’s harder. But, a public commitment would be another option. I’m not sure if I want to do that, or if the political kind is the best. The stakes feel high. But I know that the positive reinforcement has been less successful.

What’s another option? Scheduling time to write with other people.

When to do it?

When I look back, the projects I’ve done and completed were things I did in the morning. So, that I was able to “check-out” at about 10 am, having done a good day’s work. At times, I’d also do a chunk later. But, it meant I had two bursts of writing. Two bursts that were time-constrained.

What can I learn from this?

Looking back on Belcher’s Writing a Journal Article in Twelve Weeks, I can see it get me started on finishing my first book. I hope it can help me finish my third.

Update

I wrote to a friend:

Do you have a contract for your book?

I’ve been reflecting on what has worked in the past on finishing books, and what hasn’t worked. I’ve realized that in every case, I finished big projects when I had a carrot and a stick, after a long period of open-ended thinking.

• MA was bike trip and PhD funding;
• PhD was my son and Yale PostDoc;
• My book’s first draft was promotion ($$$) and fieldwork;
• My books’ second draft was tenure file and Shivi giving me an ultimatum.

The other work I’ve done consistently was regular deadlines (Anthropologica book reviews were due twice a year because the journal was going to press) and my book of letters was done on a weekly basis.

In the case of the book, both times, I also had a negative public commitment. e.g. give money to a politician I didn’t like, if I didn’t write regularly. This is easy enough to do, I could make a negative commitment. Albeit, I am not sure what it would be.

If I could get a draft in, I can come up with strong carrot. I could plan a vacation trip with family on July 1. I could also plan to submit an application for promotion on July 1. Promotion is a carrot, and I think with a complete manuscript draft submitted to press, I could get that.

But, I think it would help that case, and give me external pressure, if I got an advance contract to do it.

I was waiting to get a contract until I’ve completed the book. But, maybe looking at my past patterns, that’s a mistake. What do you think?

Aim for a draft July 1, and aim for an advance contract, and aim to have that as my submission date to the publisher? anything I’ve ever finished, has also been finished in about 6 months of really hard work.

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