A Program for Facilitating Scholarly Writing

Abstract

This paper abstracts an empirically based scheme for faculty development that helps faculty increase their productivity and satisfaction with scholarly writing. The step‐wise format focuses around workshops and office‐based contacts. Its steps include demystifying the writing process (e.g., belief that good writing is done in binges), generating momentum and ideas for writing (e.g., free writing), establishing self‐control in writing (e.g., contingencies), controlling mal‐adaptive self‐talk, and making writing more socially skilled. Faculty writers in this program have shown substantial increases in productivity and satisfaction over periods of at least two years. Success in implementing this program has borne little relationship to formal training or expertise of faculty developers as writers.