Dying to Write After Tenure
Dear Real Academics, Confession: I'm dying to write. I am one of those strange people that enjoys writing (most of the time). The last 12 years have demanded quite an enormous amount of writing from me. From writing doctoral level papers, to a dissertation, to over 25 publications (and counting), and everything else (e.g., job applications, award letters, letters of support, conference presentations/papers, annual review reports, course materials for online work). I've enjoyed this writing for the most part, mainly because I love to learn, achieve, and keep growing. But...after waiting to hear if I received tenure (I did!) and the pandemic hitting at the same time last Spring (yes, THE Spring of 2020), I stopped writing. I was burnt out, thrown off, exhausted, and even de-motivated. Well, I didn't completely STOP. I've kept writing. I've provided an insane amount of writing feedback for others (students, colleagues, journals -- oh so many journal reviews!). And I...