A totally new concept in writing productivity...
An academic writing club for grad students, post docs, and professors.
Do You Wish You Could Write More Consistently and Productively, Without Loneliness, Confusion or Feelings of Being Overwhelmed - and at Last – Complete Your Long-Term Writing Projects?
Better Yet, What If You Could Surpass Your Goals With the Help of an Online, Structured Accountability-Based Coaching System, Designed Specifically for Academics Just Like You From Around the Globe?
Dear Colleague,
Instead of draining your energy and self-esteem as you procrastinate on your long-term writing projects for yet another semester, why not join the hundreds upon hundreds of graduate students, post-docs and professors who’ve become much more productive as a result of the Academic Writing Club?
The Academic Writing Club is an easily-accessible, interactive and supportive online community of experts and colleagues that provides much that is traditionally missing in the typical academic environment
Are you an academic who: (Check any of the items below that apply to you.)
| Wonders if you’ll ever stop procrastinating on your long-term writing project, whether a master's thesis, doctoral dissertation, article, book, or proposal? | |
| Just doesn’t have enough time to write? | |
| Doesn’t have the support you need from your advisor/mentors/department? | |
| Gets only critical feedback and no positive input? | |
| Feels more and more guilty and unproductive, making life miserable for yourself and everyone around you? | |
| Has no one to interact with about the process of writing? | |
| Is not sure whether you can ever be successful in academia? | |
| Responds to the needs of others such as your department, your students, your friends and family, and doesn’t attend to your own long-term career needs? | |
| Struggles to feel motivated enough to write? | |
| Can’t prioritize or make decisions about your writing? | |
| Worried about whether you should continue struggling or just quit? | |
| Secretly wonders why it seems like you’re the only one finding writing so difficult? |
Did you check two or three? You’re not alone! Wouldn’t you agree that even just one of these is enough to throw the most committed and talented academic into a cycle of underachievement and poor productivity? BUT…After helping nearly 1,000 academics over the past 24 months – I’m able to tell you with confidence that...
Life as an Academic Does NOT Have To Be So Difficult
I’m determined that academics worldwide discover for themselves that it IS possible to write more productivity and with greater ease!
My name is Gina Hiatt, and yes, that’s me on the right with the ‘Italian hands’ waving passionately around. I completed my Ph.D. in clinical psychology 30 years ago. I did much of the work in a lab environment with an advisor who checked on my progress frequently, and my writing proceeded quickly.
However, I had to finish my dissertation long distance, far from any encouraging advisor or sympathetic peer. I remember the guilty feelings when I let entire days slip away with little progress. And I experienced the loneliness and second guessing about my abilities that's so common for academics.
After completing my post doc at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute I've had over 28 years experience in private practice, so I've learned a bit about what blocks us, how our memory works, and how we can create new habits.
Along the way I’ve discovered that – for academics in particular - there is a straightforward set of principles and techniques you can learn that will lead you directly to achieving your writing goals. These are the principles I’ve used to build an innovative new accountability structure to help turn things around for academics.
Now, with a team of coaches backing me up, and more universities and academics using the Club, I’ve met my previous goal of working with over 1000 academics. And maybe the Writing Club is starting to have an impact on the state of academia, too! I plan on receiving more and more emails like this one from Ray:
“The
Academic Ladder Writing Club has been incredibly useful. Such a simple
idea: write a little bit every day, tell the group your goals for
tomorrow, and report on your progress.
But almost magically, I got more writing done in 30 days than I had in the previous 60 or even 90.
I don't think there's a better investment you can make in completing your degree.”
-- Ray W., 5th year Ph.D. Candidate, MIT
The Academic Writing Club Is Breaking New Ground in Academia
You No Longer Have to Fumble Your Way Through the Maze Alone, By Trial and Error -- You Can Learn Techniques Specific to Productive and Prolific Academic Writing
Let me ask you a rhetorical question. Would it be useful to have ongoing support that builds rock-solid writing habits - ones that won’t buckle under all the pressures of university life?
Since opening its doors in September, 2006, the Academic Writing Club has helped over 1,000 grad students, professors and post-docs to produce, complete or publish quality writing.Remember, these new habits are being created and reinforced daily...
The Academic Writing Club is the Only Support System to use this Innovative Combination of Accountability Tools and Coaching to Teach and Support the Process of Academic Writing
One reason many academics struggle with research is that they've never learned how to write without the pressure of an external deadline. No one finds it pleasant to write in stressful circumstances, yet unfortunately many academics have little experience of an alternative approach.
The Academic Writing Club is a recurring 4-week program that, as painlessly as possible, empowers you every month to:
- Learn practical strategies for developing a daily writing plan.
- Put those strategies into place using the online accountability tool.
- Maintain your new level of productivity.
If that seems simple, that's because it is...and it works. But very few people can do those simple things on their own.
Would you try this without support from others and the proper
equipment?
"This Academic Writing Club ROCKS!
The discipline PLUS the support is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time (career–wise)."
- Assistant Professor
"I can see my work habits changing daily. For the first time EVER in my academic career I feel confident that I can not only live up to expectations but possibly even exceed them. (Immediate anxiety aside) work is fun".
-- Assistant Professor
The Best Coaches in the World Understand -
A Person Can Only Achieve So Much Through Sheer Will
To Embed New Habits Like Consistent Writing…We Must Learn New Writing Strategies and Practice them in a Supportive Environment.
To that end, let's take a look at one of the Academic Ladder accountability tools, the Daily Progress Grid (see below). Each of the check marks represents someone 'reporting in' about their progress for that day. Note: You can choose a professor or grad student group (most post docs select the latter), and choose to be in a humanities, social science, or science/technology/engineering/mathematics group.
You will access the Progress Grid online and use it to structure your daily writing. By providing a place for you to log in daily to write about your progress, you and about 10-15 other like-minded participants will generate sustained momentum.
You can see that you're welcome to sign up anonymously, although many people sign up as themselves. Either way, the Writing Club is a confidential environment that allows you to discuss the difficult writing process openly.
Each green checkmark represents your answers to a series of coaching questions. Others can click on the check mark and read about your progress and write comments. The coach will also be providing feedback and help at least twice weekly. This way you're no longer writing in a vacuum; and when you reach a breakthrough (or breakdown) in your writing, you have someone to share it with!
Over 100,000 Little Green Checkmarks Can't Be Wrong!
And...The Writing Club Has Undergone A Dramatic Upgrade!
We’ve added new features to ensure you an even better environment
1. Group Coaching Call:
A free Q & A coaching call with one of the Academic Writing Club coaches will help answer the questions you have about writing that are keeping you stuck. Club members love hearing the voices of others who are struggling with the same issues, and getting advice that helps them continue to make writing progress.
2. Progress Graphs:
Automatically-generated personalized graphs will show you both your own writing and research progress and that of your your whole group. This will give you a visual representation of how much writing and research you’ve accomplished during your time at the Club. Totaling up your wins is a big part of the positive and even fun culture of the Club, unlike any other environment you’ve experienced in academia. You’ll be amazed at how often you’ll check in here, and how a simple tool can keep you on track. (This feature alone is worth the price of admission!)
3. Club Wiki:
This is a ‘big tent’ of overarching resources for everything regarding academic writing. An ever-growing database, it is accessible only to Club members who can edit and add to it for the benefit of your colleagues. This picture shows a partial list of the categories.
4. Club Café:
One of the most frequently requested features of Club members, the Café will let you access a real-time chat feature. You’ll be able to have real-time conversations, ask questions, exchange ideas and information, as well as arrange for ‘writing dates’ where you check in periodically with each other. The Café, in addition to the message board and member profile page (where you can post your goals and tell the group a little about yourself), helps you stay connected. Here's a sample chat window:
5. Startwrite Teleclass:
This informative teleclass will be offered at the beginning of each 4-week session to all Academic Writing Club members. Get our best tips for productive writing and an orientation to the Club, and start off on the right foot!
Are you ready to experience the Academic Writing Club ?
You Can’t Argue With Concrete Results – More Pages, More Chapters, More Completed Articles, Theses, Proposals and Dissertations…
"Thanks to the daily writing and support I gained in the Writing Club last year, one thing led to another, and I won a $3,000 library research scholarship at the University of Montana last May. Woo-hoo!
If I had not had
access to the support and self-discipline of the Writing Club,
I'm not so sure I would even still be in school, let alone winning
lovely things like scholarships. It definitely was a green light
letting me know I'm in the right place and have the tools to continue.
Thanks for everything - I'll be back!"
-- Annie Oakes, Doctoral Candidate, Anthropology
“Just being part of this community is the best part for me…
I just really needed some sense of solidarity, and a feeling that I want to get my work done because reporting on my progress makes me feel like I am truly getting somewhere. So, thanks to you all!”
-- S.R. Successfully defended her dissertation and is now a tenure-track assistant professor"I have been in the writing club since March, and I'm excited to report that I am at page 168, and writing chapter 4 out of a proposed 6 chapters. All of this is accomplished in the short daily writing periods suggested by the Writing Club, without which I'd still be paralyzed by perfectionism and probably not even started yet. I'm a fan of the Club. It is really working for me."
-- D.M. ABD Graduate Student
"This club is just right for me. I always seem to receive from the club a little bit more than I give…
Never before have I been able to sustain as steady and productive a daily writing practice as I do now.-- Richard Musselwhite, Doctoral Candidate (ABD), Religious Studies University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
“I recommend this writing club to
- any person who has ever doubted their worth as an academic
- anyone who has ever procrastinated writing
- those who feel they must become omniscient on omni-topics before beginning to write
- those who feel they are overworked and have fried nerves, or
- those who are under-worked and feel that laziness has covered them with irremovable academic moss......
I recommend this club to anyone, really.”
-- C.D., ABD Doctoral Candidate
“Gina, I can't thank you enough for this marvelous resource and support. I never expected so much from the writing club; this really was an extremely valuable investment. I do feel like I've changed, and it's really enhanced my productivity.”
-- ABD Doctoral Candidate"This writing group has qualitatively changed the way I work & write. The results should show themselves in my pub record by the end of this year."
-- Assistant Professor"I can't believe how much I'm getting done. Why didn't I do this years ago?
(Because I was laboring under the myth that ‘If you don't have hours to write, you can't accomplish anything,’ that's why.)"
-- Assistant Professor"I happened to see your advertisement in the online version of the New York Times while having second thoughts about a new writing project I had just taken on. I was excited about the project, but also worried about my workload and typical (stressful) way that I approach writing.
The writing club gave me a vocabulary and set of concepts that helped me better understand the writing process. It also provided simple tips and approaches that brought immediate results. It has not only helped me to become more productive, it is helping me to become a better writer and scholar.
In addition to excellent coaching, the club provides fascinating and enriching glimpses into the lives of other writers. Writing can be such a lonely endeavor – I really benefited from the sense of community and support that this club provided. I am surprised by the bond I feel with some of the other club members. The writing club has allowed me to better understand, come to terms with, and transform my writing habits.”
-- Thomas Haig, Ph.D., Community Health Researcher, MontrealThis Sounds Great! How do I Sign Up?
We're glad you think so. Just click the 'Sign Me Up' button below and you'll be on your way...
So What Does This Kind of Daily Coaching-Based Support Cost?
First, Let me ask you this…
How Much Money Would You Be Willing to Spend If You Could Prevent Your Academic Career From Hitting a Brick Wall, Even Just Once?
Professors: If the opportunity for tenure or promotion rests on your ability to generate quality writing in a sustained manner, what happens when bad writing habits mean you cannot get tenure, or cannot get promoted to the next level? Think about the loss of income that would result.
Obviously these scenarios are not palatable, especially when there are
affordable options. If there were something that could – with
a
comparatively small investment – prevent these unhappy
situations, don’t you think it would be absolutely essential
to
give it a try?
And even if you don’t count
yourself among the
academics at risk of prolonging your thesis or dissertation-writing
phase, or not getting tenure or promotion, isn’t it essential
to
the quality of your life
that you at least try to increase your
productivity, lessen your anxiety, and achieve your goals faster and
more smoothly?
How Much Would It Be Worthwhile
Investing If You Could
Achieve Your Goals Faster?
As everyone knows, individual coaching can be very helpful...and a significant investment of hundreds of dollars each month.
Which is why it's been so important to us to create a virtual support environment that is economical - within reach of every academic. Besides, even if you decide to hire a coach, you still won’t have the accountability tools and online community dedicated to your needs that the Writing Club. provides.
For support that's daily - 24 hours a day - joining the Writing Club is a fraction of the cost of an individual coach.
To Make Sure Your Already Considerable Career Investment (In Both Time and Money) Pays the Dividends You’re Counting On, Ensure You’re Taking Advantage of EVERY Available Possibility
Based on how important your writing projects are to you, the frequency and duration of your writing time, confidence in your writing habits, andr your goals within the next month, semester or (nearly) year, select the option that suits you best.
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Option #1-The Jumpstart: One 4-week session at a time The single four-week session is a great unit of time for making a change to the procrastination cycle, and starting to work on your article, chapter, or grant. Or get an overall jumpstart towards new writing habits! With The Jumpstart Option, you have the ability to try the Club for four weeks at a time, an unlimited number of times in a row, always with the added ability to cancel your membership should you wish to take a break at the end of the session and resume again later. You will be automatically billed every 4 weeks until you tell us otherwise. Or perhaps you’d like to take advantage of additional savings by joining the Habit Creator option, or go the distance with The Long Haul option. |
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Option #2 – The Habit Creator: Four 4-week sessions at a time Four 4-week sessions as a Writing Club member gives you the optimum, natural unit of time to support a true change in productivity habits – a change that can last. With The Habit Creator Option, you have the ability to commit just once to 16 weeks of dedicated membership in the Writing Club. Your focus is 100% on making new habits stick, and generating that magical state of regular, continued productivity. At the end of your four 4-week sessions, you will be automatically rebilled for another four 4-week sessions until you tell us you’d prefer to take it 1 four-week session at a time, OR it’s time to celebrate -- you tell us your habits are ‘there’ and you’re ready to go out on your own. |
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Option #3 – The Long Haul: Twelve 4-week sessions at a time With twelve 4-week sessions at a time as a Writing Club member, the Long Haul is specially designed to support your development of productivity habits PLUS generate and sustain momentum when you’re aiming for completion of a dissertation, achieving tenure, or other sustained, writing goals. When you’re in it for The Long Haul, your eye is on the road ahead. You know the support environment is a fundamental part of your work, and you count on it just as you count on your library to be there for you daily when you need it. Though nearly a year can be a long time, we’re proud to say that many Writing Club members have been with us now for nearly two years. At the end of your 12 four-week sessions, you will be automatically billed for another year unless you tell us you’re done and moving on to your most cherished career dreams OR perhaps you just need another short burst of support. We’ll be happy to switch you to a Jumpstart or Habit Creator package at your direction. |
Now That You Know the Academic Writing Club Exists, Don’t Regret Missing Out
Surprise someone you care about with the gift that will give for a lifetime; membership in the Academic Writing Club!
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Option
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#1: The Jumpstart |
#2: The Habit Creator |
#3: The Long Haul |
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Duration
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One 4-week session
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Four 4-week
sessions
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Twelve 4-week
sessions
|
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Start date
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Monday, September 20, 2010
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Monday, September 20, 2010
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Monday, September 20, 2010
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Fee for membership
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$70 PLEASE NOTE: You will be automatically billed every 4 weeks until you cancel. Just $2.50 per day for the best academic writing coaching available in a 24/7 format. |
$230 PLEASE NOTE: You will be automatically billed every 16 weeks until you cancel. The Habit Creator represents a savings of $50 over Option #1 and just $2.05 per day.
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$610 The Long Haul option represents a savings
of |
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Before moving on, let me just add that I know you’re worried about the money…I always was. Click here for a possibly helpful thought.
It's Often Said That: "No Great Thing is Accomplished Alone"
This is your chance to join together with like-minded academics to get your work done. If you checked yes to any of the most common complaints academics have, perhaps it’s time to make a significant change now.
“[The Academic Ladder Writing Club] has been the best investment in my academic career, ever.
I have a whole shelf full of books on writing and procrastination and productivity, but nothing has helped as much as this. [The coach] doesn't just tell you what to do; she helps you figure out long-term, sustainable changes in your work habits and ways of approaching your work...
And it's been great sharing experiences, problems, and solutions with the other members; we learn a lot from each other as well.
Not only am I getting
more writing done, I've started to think about my writing in a
different way. And
I've even started to think about myself in a different way. I am NOT a
procrastinator or a person who can't write. I can do this."
-- C.W. Assistant professor coming up for tenure next fall.
“I found [The Academic Ladder Writing Club] essential to my completion”
I just wanted to write and let you know that I have graduated with my masters! Which means I actually finished my thesis! I had to let you know because I think your website was the catalyst to my finally sitting down and putting pen to paper last December. I did the online group writing [Academic Writing Club] twice through the process and found it essential to my completion. I really can’t say enough about your site and your motivation techniques.
Thank you so much!!
-- Tiffany Wiebold, Iowa State University, M.S. Curriculum and Instructional Technology, Class of 2008
Don’t you wish you could feel this good about yourself and your work?
More than anything, I hope the words from actual Writing Club members energize you. You too can feel this positive about working on your dissertation, article, proposal, or whatever long-term project you'd like to be making progress on at a steady pace.
So join us in making academia a better place to study and work! The Academic Ladder Coaching Team, including me, are looking forward to seeing YOU in the Club.
If
Your Goal is to Finish Your Writing Project A Lot Faster - Whether it's
a Dissertation, Article, Book Chapter or Proposal -
and Learn To Actually Enjoy Academia Again…
The Time to Take Action is Now.
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Warmly and with a passion for your academic success, Gina Gina J. Hiatt, Ph.D. |
P.S. Are you a professor wondering if your department might support your participation in the Club? We’ve had both junior professors and tenured professors successfully do so. Why not check with your department?
P.P.S. I know you've invested a mind-boggling amount of time on your academic career already, and I respect you greatly for that. But remember that if you continue to struggle with your writing, your investment of time or money becomes a burden instead of a joy. Like buying a good solid suitcase to allow you to enjoy your trip, your membership in the Writing Club will only ensure your academic career is the best it can be.
Don't stop now. You've come this far - and - I promise - you WILL finish your project very soon. One paragraph at a time. And one day you'll lift your head up, your masterpiece will be complete and you'll add your voice to these graduate students in the Club who said:
"I'm FINISHED! I can't believe I'm finally FINISHED!!"
and
"I love this club. I LOVE THIS CLUB!!!!!! I don't know if you understand me so I will say it again... I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS CLUB!!!!!!!!"
P.P.P.S. Still not sure about all of this? Ask any question at all about the Academic Writing Club, or give feedback on what you’ve read. We’re here to help you make the best decision for you.