Dear Colleague,

You know those people who write article after article, or who finish their dissertation in the blink of an eye? You know, the people you hate?!

Do you assume that they have something you don't have?

Well, it might be true! 

Are you an academic who...

Wonders if you'll ever stop procrastinating on your writing project so you can move on to the next phase of your career?

Has been feeling more and more guilty, unproductive, and unable to relax; and has been making life miserable for yourself and everyone around you?

Shudders at the thought of the thousands of dollars you're spending every semester on an academic career that feels stalled, or feels terrified that you won't make tenure?

Has been looking for help - tips, mentoring or just plain encouragement from people who've 'been there, done that' - something to ease the pressure, anxiety and loneliness of academic life?

Is eager to learn new habits that will make you more productive, regardless of classes or other commitments and distractions?

If any of the above is true for you, this invitation to consider the Academic Ladder Writing Club is for you.

Led by the Academic Ladder coaching team of Jayne London  (Vice President of Academic Ladder), Martha Bari, Ph.D., Mary Leonard, Ph.D. and me, Gina Hiatt, Ph.D., this monthly online program is the type of accountability-based, completion-oriented support system you've been hoping for.

Academic Ladder and the the Writing Club
Are Breaking New Ground in Academia

My name is Gina Hiatt, President of Academic Ladder, and this is my quick story...

I completed my Ph.D. in clinical psychology (McGill University) in 1978. 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, 2500 miles away from my campus, far from any encouraging advisor or sympathetic colleague.  I remember the guilty feelings I had when I let entire days slip away with little progress on the dissertation.  And I experienced the loneliness and second guessing about my abilities that is so common for academics.

After completing my post-doc at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute I have had over 25 years experience in private practice, so you might say I've learned a bit about how we learn, how our memory works, how we can create new habits, what blocks us, and so on.

In addition, I discovered I have a knack with helping people - academics in particular - and that there is a straightforward set of techniques you can learn to achieve your writing goals.  I founded Academic Ladder as a coaching and consulting firm to help more academics achieve their goals with less struggle. Time to stop the insanity and lend academics a hand with the climb! 

Now, with a team of coaches backing me up, and more universities and academics using the Academic Writing Club every month, I've set a goal of improving the lives of 1,000 academics in the next year. Who knows, maybe along the way we'll have an impact on the state of academia too!  It's a big goal, I know, but step-by-step, a little at a time, I know it can be done.  Just like your writing.

You Needn't Find Your Way Through the Maze Alone, By Trial and Error
You Can Learn Techniques Specific to Academic Writing About
How to be Productive

Would it be useful to have rock-solid writing habits - ones that wouldn't buckle under all the pressure of university life?

For hundreds of academics over the last 12 months, the Academic Writing Club has helped grad students, professors and post-docs to produce, complete or publish quality writing using an innovative online tool:

• Using this tool, participants log their writing progress on a daily basis, interact with others about the process of writing, and get help and feedback from their assigned coach. [Note that grad students and professors are in separate groups; post-docs have a choice.]
   
• Your goal will be to write, during short daily writing sessions, every weekday.  You will be provided with instructions, guidance and feedback on your writing process. 
   
• Your progress will be posted on a grid, showing who logged their progress each day.  You can read and post comments on each other’s progress, and read the coaching comments that will be made at least twice a week. 
   
• A message board and user profile page will allow you to learn more about each other, post questions, challenges and ideas, and continue discussions started in the logs. 
   
• Remember, these new habits are being created daily...

You’ll be surprised at how motivating it is to do your daily writing, knowing that others will be noting your progress at the end of the day. That's why we call it an Accountability Tool.

This same tool, along with accountability-based coaching designed just for academics, is Academic Ladder's specialty, and we're proud to say that it has now been deployed at two of the nation's top universities to help both graduate students and professors.  One of these recently wrote:

"[Academic life] can sometimes lead to a harrowing process of periods of non-productivity followed by crushing, long days of writing towards a deadline."    "As part of a larger restructuring and expansion of [our] faculty development programs, this fall [we will introduce a writing program] overseen by two of the nation’s leading faculty development professionals from Academic Ladder." "[Past participants] have found the program has enabled them to write more, without compromising their teaching and service activities, and while maintaining the personal and family time that is so important to them." "This is a program about working smarter, not harder."

 

The Academic Writing Club is the Only Support System to use this Innovative Accountability Tool to Emphasize Self-Empowerment and the Process of Writing for Academics

One reason all 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.

You know how it is; you just can't seem to remove the stress and agony from the act of writing.

The Writing Club is a four-week program that, as painlessly as possible, empowers you to:

• Learn practical strategies for developing a daily writing plan.

• Put those strategies into place using an online accountability tool, as shown above.
• Develop a plan for maintaining the 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.

"This program 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, Academic Writing Club

The Best Coaches in the World Understand - A Person Can Only Achieve So Much Through Sheer Will - To Embed New Habits Like Effortless Writing, We Must Upgrade Our Support Environment.

To that end, let's take a look at the Academic Ladder Accountability Tool itself.  Below is a screenshot of the Daily Progress Grid, so you can see exactly what it looks like.  Each of the check marks represents someone 'reporting in' about their progress for that day.

See the names in green on the very left hand side?  One of those names could be yours, once you become part of the Writing Club -- and you'll be able to put up your own checkmarks!

And before you ask; yes, you're welcome to use Greta Garbo's name (fourth from the bottom) because you are welcome to sign up anonymously.  However, many people sign up as themselves.  Either way, the Writing Club is a 100% confidential environment that allows you to discuss the difficult writing process openly.

Note:  Graduate students and professors are placed in separate groups. Post-docs can choose either group.

You will access the Accountability Tool 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 15 other like-minded participants will generate sustained momentum.

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 as needed.  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 32,000 Little Green Checkmarks Can't Be Wrong

I have to admit, every time a new checkmark appears in the Accountability Tool, the Academic Ladder coaches get almost more excited than participants in the Club.  Because to us, that means it's working - again.  An academic life is being shaped into a happier, more fruitful, more productive one...

How many chapters completed, dissertations finished, proposals approved, articles sent to editors, tenures achieved from our work?  Truthfully it's too many for us to count.  But here are just a few glimpses:

“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

“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

"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, Montreal

So What Does This Kind of Daily Coaching-Based Support Cost?

As everyone knows, individual dissertation coaching can be very helpful...and a significant investment of hundreds of dollars each month.

If you are a graduate student, any kind of coaching investment is significant, on top of the thousands of dollars you're already spending each semester, with no foreseeable end.  If you are a professor, it can be difficult to afford such an investment on top of your other obligations.

Which is why it's been so important to us at Academic Ladder to create a virtual support environment that is economical - within reach of every academic that wants help with the climb.

For support that's daily - 24 hours around the clock - joining the Writing Club is a fraction of the cost of a dissertation coach.  Just two 45-minute sessions with a coach will cost you nearly $300, and the coaching ends when your session ends. 

The Writing Club is a simple $60 investment for four weeks of new habit creation that will last you the rest of your career. Considering how much more productive you'll be, and how much more quickly you'll generate writing, I think you'll agree this is excellent value. 

Early-Birds Will Be Rewarded for Taking the Leap --
Save Money By Acting Now!

Completing anything - writing, a Ph.D., a big chapter in your life, requires action.  So, as a dyed-in-the-wool coach, I'd like to begin as we mean to go along, and reward action from the start.

I encourage you to take action now, and join the Academic Writer's Club.  If you're serious about leaving the world of 'struggle to write' behind, click the button below to register at $50 a month, and save.  On May 2 at 9:00 Eastern Time, the monthly investment will go back to $60.

If you could use $50 or $60 a month to make sure tens of thousands of dollars aren't wasted, would you?

The Academic Writing Club Will Run from May 5 Through June 1.  

Click here if you'd like to register now, and you can start setting yourself up in this Accountability Tool right away...

Still Have Some Questions About the Nuts and Bolts of the club? 
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions ...

What Exactly Will I Get from Joining the Academic Ladder Writing Club?

There are many benefits - tangible and intangible - to joining.  Among them:

• You will write more frequently and consistently.
• You’ll learn to avoid common writing mistakes.
• You will be helped past the roadblocks that frequently interfere with the process of scholarly writing.
• The daily log-in and interaction with others provides a supportive community that helps with feelings of isolation that are so common among academic writers.

What Are the Advantages of the Writing Club over a Writing Group that I Could Join at my University?

Remember, the biggest difference is that a weekly or monthly writing group is usually focused on the 'content' of your writing - not whether you're writing or how you're writing.  That's a key distinction; but here are a few more: 

• You can check in and get support at any time of the day or night, 24/7.
• You get help with the writing process when you need it, not when the group is scheduled.
• You get daily, as opposed to weekly or less frequent support.
• The Writing Club provides a structure that helps organize your work process and thinking
• You don’t need to take the time to get to group meetings. More time for other things!
• You’re guaranteed to have equal time for your issues, unlike a group setting where one person may take more attention than others.
• And of course, you can participate from the comfort of your own home, office, or local coffee shop! 

I'm a Grad Student and Don't Want to Bump Into My Own Advisor Online!

Don't worry -- graduate students and professors are in different groups.  Post-docs often choose to be in the same groups as grad students, although you may also select a professor group if your issues are similar to those of professors.

Once I've Signed Up, How Do I Get Started?

It's very simple, and we're here to help you every step of the way.  Just click on one of the blue 'Sign me Up' buttons.  Enter your information and process your payment with credit card or Paypal.  You'll be sent to a registration page to enter your password and login, and then you'll enter the site.

Once there, you'll fill in your profile and answer the questions laid out for you.  You're on your way to more productive writing!

What Questions Will I be Answering?

You will log the number of minutes you spent reading and researching, how many paragraphs or pages you wrote or revised, and write about challenges and successes.  You’re encouraged to notice any negative self-statements and to replace them with positive ones. This is one of the most effective parts of the tool, according to our feedback.

There's also a space to log your specific writing goals for the next day, and a space for general comments.  It is up to you, of course, which questions you answer each day but we encourage you to dig deep and participate fully - you get out what you put in, as with everything.

Who Will Comment on My Progress in the Accountability Tool?

The other participants can write in your “Comments and Applause” section.  The focus is always on process, not content of writing; thus the comments tend to be supportive, encouraging and helpful.  This creates a positive environment that helps with the isolation and discouragement of the writing experience.

Your Academic Ladder Coach will also write comments as appropriate, approximately twice a week.

What if I didn't write because I spent all day procrastinating?  

This is where the Writing Club "rubber hits the road."  Post in your log anyway.  You will get support from others who know exactly what it’s like to be in your shoes.  And you’ll be so much more likely to write the next day, instead of letting that one day of procrastination lead to another and another.

What if I don't want other people to know who I am? 

You will have the option of signing on anonymously.

This 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...

A Final Few Notes: You Will Especially Enjoy and Benefit from the Club If You...

...are open to having your habits changed and your beliefs about struggle challenged

...are excited to try new things, stretch out of your comfort zone

...are intrigued by the idea of environments of support in other areas of your life

...are willing to do your part in adapting the tool to fit your personality and circumstance

...are appreciative of the value of precise coaching questions and the power they have to evolve your academic career - writing and otherwise

This is your chance to join together with like-minded academics to get your work done. 

“[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.

Don’t you wish you could feel this good about you 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, won't you? The Academic Ladder Coaching Team, including me, are looking forward to seeing YOU in the Club.

Warmly,

Gina

Gina Hiatt, Ph.D.

Founder and President, Academic Ladder | Gina@AcademicLadder.com

P.S.  I know you've invested a mind-boggling amount of money 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 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!!!!!!!!"

The Academic Writing Club Will Run from May 5 Through June 1.  

The fee is just $60 -- only $15 a week to learn habits that could change the trajectory of your academic career...  And it's only $50 if you sign up before the Early-Bird Deadline -- 9:00 Eastern Time on Friday, May 2.

Click the button to sign up now: