Readers and Writers Club

As this week’s discussion forums evolved, an idea came out of the conversations that I think is worth putting down here for future reference. The idea of having a writers workshop or holding writer’s weekends for PhD dissertation or publication purposes has been mentioned on several occasions. One challenge obviously is geographic since many who do this work of research writing are often isolated in both proximity to others in the field of study, but often not physically proximal to those with whom they could write. Another challenge is finding the ‘tribe’ with whom to write since even within geographic proximity, there can be difficulties finding a place or space that can accommodate a group of writers who wish to be in the same place at the same time.

This week, the notion of having a ‘readers’ club could or should also be considered – not just the trusted friends, but critical readers from within the writer’s field of study, but also others from outside the field who can pinpoint the issues or lack of clarity within the writing. This need not be a group that is geographically proximal, but could be structured around blocks of time when writing becomes challenging, and can also hold research writers accountable by inserting arbitrary ‘due dates’ to their work to abide by an agreed reading club time frame or schedule. To have others read my writing both for feedback and for confirmation can be a supportive and collaborative venture. It can build in a network beyond the dissertation committee members. Having a reader’s club can provide an additional layer of feedback as research writing is produced, as part of the iterative process, in order to improve and enhance the work.