Figuring out the best structure for your project is a vital part of the writing process. For most academic historians, the basic structures for journal articles, masters’ theses/Ph.D. dissertations, and books are pre-determined: an introduction with a descriptive opening, a historiographical turn, and then argument-driven sections, followed by a conclusion. For historians . . .
Read MoreWhen I left academia, my plan was to write a book that I had been thinking about for a while. A book that would tell the complicated story of the Civil War in the Southwest, a theater little-known in American culture and often overlooked (or outright dismissed) in histories of the conflict. . . .
Read MoreIf you would like to submit a piece for The Resistance Files, here are some guidelines: Length: 500-1200 words (ish). Topics: Anything related to the actions of the current administration and resistance to it. Style: Historical, cultural, literary analyses; personal essays; listicles. Whatever gets your point across. Please include: Imbedded hyperlinks to . . .
Read MoreLike many of you, I have been thinking a lot in recent weeks about how best to resist the current administration and its destructive and hateful policies and actions. I have considered what skills, tools, and access I have, and how I might use them on behalf of my fellow humans who . . .
Read MoreWell, hello there! My apologies for being incommunicado for the past few months. I’m sure you all have been doing some cool and crazy things. I have been traveling a bit and riding my bike a lot but mostly, I’ve been writing my book. And for those of you who have read . . .
Read MoreAs I pack my bags to go to the Western Association of Women Historians conference in Denver, I ask myself: why am I doing this? I don’t need another line on my cv. In fact, I don’t even need a cv these days. And conferences are expensive. The plane flight, hotel, transportation . . .
Read MoreThere’s been a lot of talk lately about how and why academics should write for “public audiences.” By this we usually mean that academics turn from the usual professional audience (fellow historians, in my case) and seek to engage non-academics who have an interest in the subject at hand. This discussion – . . .
Read MoreThere are abundant essays and blog posts out there about how to boost your writing productivity (like this, this, and this). The advice contained therein can be helpful, depending on your professional situation and your personality: set specific times for writing; challenge yourself to produce a certain number of words per day; . . .
Read MoreWhat is it that inspires us to write? The pressure of a deadline? Competitive word counting, à la the #GraftonLine project? A serendipitous discovery in the archive? For me, inspiration has taken many forms. Pressure, yes. Guilt, yes. Excitement, yes. But what has done more than just inspire me–what has actually changed . . .
Read More