Real Academics Blog

 Dear Real Academics, Few people I know like change. While change can be exciting and adventuresome, it is never easy.  For this blog post I want to ask, "When is it time for change when it comes to academic writing and research?" The following are three examples of when it may be time for change in academic writing and research. I also provide ideas of what you can do to initiate healthy and productive change: When your ideas have dried up. If you are in the world of writing and research, having ideas is important. If you feel your ideas have dried up, try to "change things up". Try a free-writing exercise, or try writing in a different genre. Write a blog post or try your hand at creative writing (yes, even poetry). You may be surprised how changing from the more technical, academic genre can actually give you ideas for your next writing and research project.  When you feel stuck.  The question to ask yourself here is: Why do I feel stuck? Am I stuck because I don...

Dear Real Academics, Learning how to ask for and provide useful feedback revolutionized my writing and my teaching of writing. But, first, let me explain what useful feedback is not. What Useful Feedback is Not: An Illustration I was an English major for half of my college student life. In fact, my first Ph.D. program was in English Literature though I promptly realized it was not practical enough for me so I left with an M.A. I tell you this biographical information because I was steeped in the world of writing for a very long time; and, yet, I knew little about useful feedback or how to provide it to others. My college writing process looked something like the following: I would be given a writing prompt with a deadline. After I turned in my work at the end of the term, I would receive a letter grade at the top of my paper with a ton of comments on the sides in red ink. Consequently, when it was my turn to provide grades to large sections of undergraduate introduction to literature ...

Dear Real Academics, The semester will start full force this week, and I'm already dreading the amount of screen time I know I'll be putting in. But, I should not blame work solely for my screen time.  I find that a lot of my "down-time" is also screen time: Screen time texting, checking other emails on my phone, scrolling through photos, playing word games...you get the idea. I think it would be worst if I had social media on my phone. This past weekend I challenged myself to minimize my screen time. The sad part was that I didn't know what to "do" without using a screen.  Then, I saw my puppy, Rocky...perfectly content soaking in the sun in the backyard, sniffing the air and looking around at the green grass and blue sky. In my realization of my screen-dependency, I came up with some ideas listed at the end of this post. Now, don't laugh. I promise I'm not trying to transport you back to some other time-period.  But, I can truthfully say that t...

 Dear Real Academics, It's only January 3rd, but I'm already a bit daunted by the many things I have to accomplish at the start of a new semester. Are you perhaps feeling the same way? If so, you are not alone. Managing the many pieces is important so that things get done and that they get done with minimal stress. But, how to manage? Think of the many things you need to accomplish like pieces of a puzzle. There are many different pieces, but all the pieces need to come together to accomplish the big picture of "The Spring Semester". So, to get things done, strategy and focus are needed.  Strategize by: Writing down your goals. I encourage you to write down semester goals first. Then, at the beginning of each week, write weekly goals. Then, at the beginning of each day, write your daily goals. Making a plan of how you will get them done a little at a time. This is best done with helpful tools such as The Productivity Planner. Focus by: Turning off social media and sma...

Dear Real Academics, We are back! We hope all of you have found some amount of time to rest and reflect and find peace during this time of year. Thank you for your continued readership support. And welcome to the newcomers this year! Your continued support and sharing of this resource with others is so important, and we thank you. This week I am sharing a picture of Dr. Garza and myself at the Hoover Dam. The Hoover Dam lies between Nevada and Arizona and was built during the Great Depression (i.e., the 1930's) in the United States. If you are ever in Las Vegas, we highly recommend you take the official "Dam Tour" and learn more about it. (And, yes, the tour guides will endlessly play on the word "dam" throughout the tour...dam tour, dam tourists, dam t-shirts...you get the idea).  The dam may not look as big as modern dams in other parts of the world, but for the time it was built and in the way in which it was built, the Hoover Dam is simultaneously a business...

Dear Real Academics, In Mexico, where my parents and my husband's grandparents grew up, El Día de Los Reyes Magos (The Day of "Three" Kings) is on Jan. 6. On this day, children receive gifts and families gather around and eat a special bread called La Rosca de Reyes (The King's Wreath), usually with some steaming hot chocolate. The tradition comes from remembering when the wise men from the East saw a star and followed it to Jerusalem. There, they looked for and found the child Jesus and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and worshiped Him. Those interested can read the account in Matthew 2.  So, when I see old photographs of my parents as children at Christmas, they are not sitting on Santa's lap but standing in front of  Los Reyes Magos . In  honor of our families tradition, then, Tiberio and I took a picture with the Kings of the East after the spectacular Living Nativity performance put on by the church we attend. What does any of thi...

Dear Real Academics, Tiberio and I have a 2-year old "puppy" named Rocky. In this week's picture, Rocky is experiencing his first-time-ever small-town Christmas parade. Rocky had never seen a horse or a goat or a marching band or floats decked out with lights. So, when I saw him sitting so attentively and curiously looking at the parade, I had a sudden sense of awe myself thinking of what it must be like to experience something for the very first time.  As a writer, there is a part of me that needs and longs for awe and wonder. I find that I can revive that sense when I slow down, and I'd like to share some thoughts as to why this may be. In doing so, my goal is to help you (and me) with inspiration for writing and work. Slowing down can inspire my sense of awe and wonder by: (1) Allowing me time to be grateful. When I slow down, I can more easily appreciate what is in front of me instead of thinking about what I need to do next or ruminating on the past (which, unfor...