Support for Summer Writers

If your goals aren't clear, your writing will suffer, suggests Kerry Ann Rockquemore.

Last month, I was contacted by a faculty member I had met several years ago at a conference (I’ll call her Claire). Our conversation began like many I’ve had recently, with tears in response to a negative and critical annual review. Claire is a brilliant social scientist, incredibly hard-working, and passionately committed to her scholarship, her institution and her students. While Claire is an award-winning teacher, and far exceeded her college’s service expectations, her publication record was significantly below her department’s standards.

Kerry Ann Rockquemore rejects the idea that shame alone can help you finish projects and explains how different kinds of writing groups may be more effective.