Things I learned writing “Research is an Activity and a Subject of Study”

April 30, 2019 ahosierLeave a comment

“Research is an Activity and a Subject of Study” was a bit of a departure for me, publication-wise. Before that, the scholarly articles I’d written were more practical in nature, things that described successful projects so others might adapt those projects for their own purposes. It was a model I’d had some pretty good success with and enjoyed writing and had planned to continue. But then an idea started itching at the back of my mind.

This idea was completely different from anything I’d tried writing before. I didn’t know here to start or whether it even made sense. But I did it anyway and this is what I learned.

10 Books Project: Thoughts on On Writing

April 24, 2019April 24, 2019 ahosierLeave a comment

Image by Gerhard Bögner from Pixabay

So in case you missed it, I’m working on a project to read through ten popular books on creative writing to learn whether and how they talk about the role of research in the creative writing process.

The books I chose came from a list on Goodreads. On Writing by Stephen King is pretty consistently at the top of that list which is no surprise, considering King’s massive popularity. What aspiring writer wouldn’t want to know what one of the most successful authors of all time (if not THE most successful author) has to say about his craft?

Personally, I would describe myself as a casual Stephen King fan. I’ve read a few of his books here and there and sometimes return to my old favorites (The Stand, The Drawing of the Three). This was my first time returning to On Writing since first reading it as a teenager. I had no memory of whether King addresses the role of research at all. I did, however, remember the thing about adverbs.

Below are some thoughts.

ACRL 2019: Some thoughts

April 16, 2019April 16, 2019 ahosierLeave a comment

Image source: http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2017/11/acrl-invites-acrl-2019-conference-proposals

So last week I got a chance to stop by the ACRL 2019 Conference in Cleveland. Somehow, this was only my second ACRL Conference (my first was the one in Philadelphia in 2011). Below are some thoughts.

Let’s start a conversation: Context matters in research

April 8, 2019 ahosierLeave a comment

Image by stevepb on Pixabay

Recently, I listened to an episode of the In Our Time podcast about Emily Noether, a brilliant mathematician who worked with Einstein. After listening to the episode, I was interested in learning more about her. So I looked her up on Wikipedia and read an article all about her life and work.

Was Wikipedia an appropriate source for me to consult in this case?

Many of my students would tell you no.

With all due respect to those students, they are wrong.

The Role of Research in Fiction Writing: A Suspicion

April 2, 2019 ahosierLeave a comment

Image by qimono on Pixabay

I’m using this blog in part to talk about a project I’m working on which involves reading through popular writing advice books to find out how and whether they discuss the role of research in creative writing . Before I get to some of what I’ve found so far, I wanted to spend some time establishing where the idea that research plays a role in creative writing comes from in the first place.

Because let me tell you, it was not, as far as I can recall, in any of the creative writing workshops I took as an undergraduate. If we ever discussed research as part of the creative process in that program, I have no memory of it.

Yet I can’t help but suspect that research does play a role in creative writing.*

Let me explain where that suspicion comes from.

Studying Research

Research is not a basic skill

Month: April 2019